Catechesis 13: To Candidates For Baptism On ‘Who Was Crucified And Buried’
CATECHESIS 13: To candidates for baptism On ‘who was crucified and buried’
Reading: Is 53.1ff (LXX): ‘Lord, who believed what we heard? And to whom is the Lord's arm revealed? …’ Is 53.7ff. (LXX): ‘Like a lamb he was led to the slaughter…’
1 Jesus’ every deed is the boast of the Catholic church, but the boast of all boasts is the cross. Knowing this, Paul said: ‘Far be it from me to boast of anything save of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Gal 6.14). It was marvellous when the man born blind regained his sight at the Pool of Siloam; but what good is this to all the blind throughout the world? It was a great and supernatural event when Lazarus rose again on the fourth day after his death; but the grace affected him alone. What good was this for all those throughout the world who have been killed by sin? It was marvellous when five loaves supplied food for five thousand people; but what good was this to all those throughout the world who are starved for knowledge? It was marvellous when the woman who had been bound by Satan for eighteen years was unbound; but what good is this to all of us who are bound by the ropes of our sins? The crown of the cross brought light to those blinded by ignorance, freed all those constrained by sin, and redeemed the whole of mankind.
2 Do not be surprised that the whole world was redeemed. For the one who gave his life was no ordinary man, but the Only-begotten Son of God. The sin of one man, Adam, had power to bring death to the world. If death gained rule over the world through the sin of one man, will not life even more gain rule through the righteousness of one man (cf. Rom 5.17–18)? If they were expelled from Paradise then because of the fruit of a tree, will it not be easier for believers to enter Paradise now through Jesus’ tree? If the first man, whom God fashioned from the earth, introduced death into the world, cannot the one who created him from the earth introduce eternal life, since he is life himself (cf. Jn 14.6)? If Phinehas in his zeal appeased God's anger by killing the wrong-doer, could not Jesus dispel God's anger against the human race, not by killing another, but by offering himself as a ransom?
3 So we should not be ashamed of the Saviour's cross, but rather make it our boast. For ‘the word of the cross’ is ‘a scandal to the Jews and folly to the gentiles’, but to us it is salvation. ‘To those who are perishing it is folly, but to us who are being saved it is God's power’ (1 Cor 1.18, 23). For the one who gave his life for us, as we have said, was not an ordinary man, but the Son of God, God made man. In Moses’ time a lamb drove away the destroyer (Ex 12.23); was not ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (Jn 1.29) much more able to bring release from sins? The blood of a dumb lamb brought safety; will not the blood of the Only-begotten be much more able to save? If any doubt the power of the Crucified, let them ask the demons. If any doubt what they hear, let them believe what they can see. Many men round the world have been crucified, but the demons have not cowered before any of them; but the mere sight of the sign of the cross of Christ who was crucified for us does make the demons cower. For other men have died because of their own sins, whereas he died for the sins of others. For ‘he committed no sin, and no guile was found in his mouth’. The words are not Peter's own (1 Pet 2.22), for he would have been open to the suspicion of seeking to please the Master; they are the words of Isaiah (Is 53.9), who, though not present in the flesh, in spirit foresaw Christ's incarnate coming. But why should I only cite a prophet as a witness? Accept the testimony of Pilate, who passed judgment on him in these words: ‘I do not find him guilty of any charge’ (Lk 23.14). And when he had handed Jesus over, he washed his hands saying: ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just man’ (Mt 27.24). There is another witness to Jesus’ sinlessness, the thief who was the first to enter Paradise, and addressed these words of reproach to his fellow-thief: ‘We are receiving a just reward for our deeds, but he has done nothing wrong’ (Lk 23.41); for we were both present at his trial.
4 So Jesus truly suffered for all mankind. For the cross was no pretence, for then our redemption would have been a pretence. His death was no illusion, for then our salvation would have been an illusion. If his death had been an illusion, there would have been truth in the words: ‘We have remembered that that deceiver said while he was alive: “After three days I shall rise again”’ (Mt 27.63). No, his Passion was real, for he was really crucified; we are not ashamed of the fact. He was crucified; we do not deny it, we boast of it. If I do deny it now, I am given the lie by Golgotha here, beside which we are now gathered. I am given the lie by the wood of the cross, whose fragments have since been distributed all round the world.
I affirm the cross, because I know the resurrection. For if he had remained crucified, perhaps I would not have affirmed the cross; perhaps I would have concealed it, and my Master too. But since the cross was followed by the resurrection, I am not ashamed to affirm it.
5 Christ was crucified in the flesh which he shared with the rest of mankind, for the sake of the sins which he did not share. He was not led to his death because of avarice, for he was a teacher of poverty. He was not convicted of lust, for he said clearly: ‘If anyone looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her’ (Mt 5.28). It was not for striking and beating others in anger, for he turned the other cheek to the man who struck him. It was not for contempt of the law, for he fulfilled the law. It was not for insulting a prophet, for he was the one whom the prophets proclaimed. It was not for depriving workers of their wages, for he served without wage or fee. It was not for sins of word or deed or thought, for ‘he committed no sin, no deceit was found on his lips, when insulted he returned no insults, when suffering made no threats’ (1 Pet 2.22–3; Is 53.9), and he was not taken to his Passion against his will but went willingly. If anyone today seeks to dissuade him saying: ‘Far be it from you, Lord’, he will make the same reply: ‘Get behind me, Satan’ (Mt 16.22–3).
6 Do you wish to be convinced that he went willingly to his Passion? Others die in ignorance, against their will; he foretold his Passion: ‘See, the Son of Man is handed over to be crucified’ (Mt 26.2). You know why the Lover of mankind did not try to escape death? So that the whole world should not die for their sins. ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over…and crucified’ (Mt 20.18, 19). And again: ‘He set his face to walk to Jerusalem’ (Lk 9.51).
Do you want a clear indication that for Jesus the cross is glory? Listen to his words, not mine. Judas had become ungrateful to the head of the household (cf. Mt 20.11) and had turned traitor. He had recently left the table; he had drunk the cup of blessing, but in return for the saving drink he wished to shed just blood. He who had eaten his bread lifted his heel against him all the more (cf. Ps 40.10 (41.9)). Scarcely had his hands received the blessings when he plotted Jesus’ death for the sake of blood-money. When detected, he heard the words: ‘You have said it’; but he went out again. Then Jesus said: ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified’ (Jn 12.23). You observe how he knows the cross to be his special glory? Isaiah had not been dishonoured by being sawn in two; will Christ be dishonoured when he dies for the world? ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified’ (Jn 13.31). Not that he did not have glory before, for he was glorified with the glory he possessed before the foundation of the world (cf. Jn 17.5); as God he was glorified eternally, but now he was being glorified and received the crown to wear for his endurance. He was not constrained to give up his life; he was killed not by force but by his own will. Listen to what he says: ‘I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it up again’ (Jn 10.18). I yield to my enemies willingly, for if I had not been willing, it would not have happened. Thus he went to his Passion by choice, rejoicing at its accomplishment, smiling at the crown, with delight at the salvation of mankind, not ashamed of the cross, for he was saving the world. For it was not a common man who suffered, but God made man, competing in the contest of endurance.
7 However an objection is raised by the Jews, who are always ready to contradict and reluctant to believe. This is why the prophet who has just been read says: ‘Lord, who believed what we heard?’ (Is 53.1). The Persians believe, but the Hebrews do not believe. ‘Those who have not been told shall see, and those who have not heard shall understand’ (Is 52.15; Rom 15.21), and those who study shall reject what they study. They make this rejoinder to us: ‘Does the Lord suffer? Were human hands stronger than his Lordship?’ Read the Lamentations: for Jeremiah was lamenting for you when he wrote his Lamentations, and he had plenty to lament about. He saw your destruction, he beheld your fall. His lament was for the Jerusalem of old; there will be no lamentation for the Jerusalem of today. For the former crucified Christ, the latter worships him. This is his lament: ‘The breath of our face, the Lord Christ, has been caught in our corruption.’ Am I playing with words? You can see, he is testifying that Christ the Lord is to be caught by men. And what will be the consequence of this? Tell me, prophet. He answers: ‘He of whom we said: “In his shadow we shall live among the gentiles”’ (Lam 4.20 (LXX)). So he is hinting that the grace of life will no longer dwell in Israel, but among the gentiles.
8 Well then, because of the objections which the Jews bring against our position, with the help of your prayers and the grace of the Lord I shall put before you a few testimonies concerning the Passion in so far as the shortage of time allows. Everything about Christ is included in Scripture; nothing is unclear or unattested. Everything is inscribed, not on tablets of stone, but on the prophetic monuments, written unmistakably by the Holy Spirit…
9 So let us look for the testimonies concerning Christ's Passion. For we have gathered here not to perform an allegorical exposition of the Scriptures, but to deepen our faith in things we already believe…
…
19 …However someone will say to me: ‘You are speculating. Prove to me the wood of the cross from a prophet. If you can't provide testimony from a prophet, I will not believe.’ So hear what Jeremiah has to say, and believe: ‘Like an innocent lamb I was led to the slaughter, and did I not know?’ (For you must read the text as a question, as I have quoted it; for the one who said: ‘You know that after two days it will be the Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified’, must have known.) ‘Like an innocent lamb I was led to the slaughter, and did I not know?’ Why a lamb? Let John the Baptist give the interpretation: ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (Jn 1.29). ‘They devised a wicked plot against me, saying…’ If he knew the plots, was he unaware of the outcome? And what did they say? ‘Come, let us put wood into his bread.’ Later you will learn, if the Lord thinks fit, that his body bore the form of bread, as the gospel teaches. So, ‘let us put wood into his bread and wipe him off from the land of the living’. Life is not wiped off; why waste your efforts? ‘And his name will be remembered no more’ (Jer 11.19 (LXX)). You plot in vain; for ‘his name remains under the sun’ (Ps 71 (72).17) in the Church. Again, to prove that it was life which hung on the cross, Moses makes this lament: ‘And your life will hang before your eyes, and you will fear by day and by night, and you will not believe your life’ (Deut 28.66 (LXX)). Then there is the passage that was read just now: ‘Who believed what we heard?’
20 Moses provided a symbol when he fixed the serpent to a cross, so that those who had been bitten by the living serpent might look at the bronze one, believe and be healed. A bronze serpent on a cross saved them then; cannot the incarnate Son of God bring salvation on the cross? Life always comes through wood. In Noah's time life came from the wooden ark. In Moses’ time the sea beheld the symbol of the rod and respectfully withdrew from him when he struck it. Moses’ rod had this power then; is the Saviour's cross powerless? There is much that one could say about such symbols, but I shall pass over them for the sake of brevity. In Moses’ time the wood sweetened the water, and water flowed from Jesus’ side on the wood [of the cross].
21 With Moses blood and water were the first of the signs, and they were the last of all the signs of Jesus. First Moses changed the river into blood (Exod 7.20), and at the last Jesus discharged water with blood from his side (Jn 19.34). This occurred perhaps because of two utterances, one in judgment, the other in outcry; or one for the sake of believers, the other of unbelievers. For Pilate said: ‘I am innocent’, and washed his hands with water; the others cried out: ‘His blood be upon us’ (Mt 27.24, 25). So the two things came from his side, the water perhaps for the judge, but for the shouting mob the blood.
But we should consider the events again in another way. The blood was for the Jews, the water for Christians. For the Jews who plotted there was the sentence for bloodshed; for you who believe there is now salvation through water. For nothing happened to no purpose. Our fathers who interpreted the passage gave another reason for the event: in the gospels saving baptism has a twofold power, one granted to the baptized through water, the other for holy martyrs in persecutions through their own blood. For this reason blood and water came from the Saviour's side, and its power confirms the grace of a confession made for Christ whether in baptism or at the moment of martyrdom. There is also another explanation of the side. The woman who was formed from the man's side led the way in sin; but though Jesus came to grant pardon to men and women alike, he was pierced in the side for the sake of women, to do away with their sin.
22 If one were to look, one could find other reasons too. But what I have said so far must suffice, both because of the shortage of time, and so as not to give my listeners too much to digest. All the same, people can never weary of hearing about the Master's crown, especially at this holy place of Golgotha. For while others can only hear, we see and touch. So let no one grow weary; take up your arms against your enemies for the sake of the cross. Set up your faith in the cross as a standard against its opponents. When you are about to discuss Christ's cross with unbelievers, first let them see you make the sign of Christ's cross with your hand, and their objections will be silenced. Do not be ashamed to acknowledge the cross, for angels are proud to say: ‘We know whom you are seeking, Jesus the Crucified’ (cf. Mt 28.5). Can't you say, angel: ‘I know whom you are seeking: my Master? ‘But’, he replies forthrightly, ‘the one I know is the Crucified.’ For the cross is a crown, not a disgrace.
23 However, for the rest of our time let us return to the demonstration from the prophets which we proposed. The Lord was crucified: you have been given the testimonies. You can see the place of Golgotha. You express your assent with shouts of praise; see that you never deny it in a time of persecution. Do not rejoice in the cross only in times of peace; preserve the same faith even in times of persecution. Don't be Jesus’ friend in times of peace, and his enemy in times of war.
You are now to receive the remission of your sins and the graces of the King's spiritual gift. When war comes, fight like a good soldier for your King. The sinless Jesus was crucified for you; will you not endure crucifixion for the one who was crucified for you? You would not be conferring a favour, for one has already been conferred on you. Return the favour and pay your debt to the one who was crucified for you on Golgotha.
‘Golgotha’ means ‘the Place of the Skull’. Who were they then who gave such a prophetic name to this place Golgotha, where Christ the true Head endured the cross? As the Apostle says: ‘Who is the image of the unseen God’ (Col 1.15); and a little later: ‘And he is the head of his body, the church’ (Col 1.18); and again: ‘The head of every man is Christ’ (1 Cor 11.3); and again: ‘Who is the head of every principality and power’ (Col 2.10). The Head suffered in the Place of the Skull. A great and prophetic name! The very name seems to remind you, saying: Do not consider the Crucified to be a mere man: he is ‘the head of every principality and power’. The Crucified was the Head of every power, but the Father is his Head. The Head of a man is Christ, and the head of Christ is God.
24 Christ then was crucified for us. He was tried by night when a fire had been laid because it was cold. He was crucified at the third hour, darkness fell from the sixth hour to the ninth, and from the ninth it was light again. Wasn't this in Scripture too? Let us look. Well then, Zechariah says: ‘It will happen on that day that there will be no light, and there will be cold and frost for one day’ —the cold which led Peter to warm himself— ‘and that day is known to the Lord’ (Zech 14.6, 7 (LXX)). What? Doesn't he know the other days? There are many days, but this is the day of the Lord's Passion, ‘the day which the Lord made’ (Ps 117 (118).24); and ‘that day is known to the Lord, and it will be neither day nor night’ (Zech 14.7). What is this riddle the prophet is speaking? That day is neither day nor night. What shall we call it then? The gospel account gives the explanation. It was not day, because from the east to the west alike the sun did not shine, but from the sixth to the ninth hour darkness fell in the middle of the day. Thus the darkness was inserted into the day, and God ‘called the darkness night’ (Gen 1.5). Therefore it was neither day nor night. The day was not wholly light, so as to deserve the name of day, nor wholly darkness, so as to deserve the name of night. No, after the ninth hour the sun shone. The prophet predicts this too. For after saying: ‘neither day nor night’, he added: ‘And towards the evening there will be light.’ You observe the prophets’ accuracy? You see the truthfulness of the predictions?
25 But are you looking for a clear indication of the time when the sun was eclipsed? Was it the fifth hour or the eighth or the tenth? The Jews are hard of hearing, so tell them exactly when the sun set. Thus the prophet Amos says: ‘And it will be on that day, says the Lord God, that the sun will set at midday’ —for there was darkness from the sixth hour— ‘and by day the light will be darkened over the earth.’ What was the occasion, prophet, what day? ‘And I will change your feasts into mourning’; for it happened at the Azymes, at the feast of the Passover. He goes on to say: ‘And I will make it like the mourning of a loved one, and those with it like a day of grief (Amos 8.9–10 (LXX)). For on the day of Azymes and at the feast their women beat their breasts and wept, while the apostles grieved in secret. What a remarkable prophecy!
26 But give us another sign, someone will say. What other precise sign is there of the event? Jesus was crucified; he had a single tunic, and wore a single cloak. The soldiers cut the cloak up and divided it into four; but the tunic was not cut up, because it would then have been useless; instead the soldiers cast lots for it. They divided the cloak, but made a lottery for the tunic. Is this in Scripture too? The answer is known to the Church's dedicated singers, who imitate the angelic hosts, and sing unceasing hymns to God. They are privileged to sing here at Golgotha: ‘They have divided my clothes among themselves and cast lots for my garment’ (Ps 21.19 (22.18)). The ‘lots’ refer to the lottery.
27 Again, after his trial before Pilate he was dressed in purple, for there they put a scarlet cloak round his shoulders. Is this in Scripture too? Isaiah says: ‘Who is this who has come from Edom with purple garments from Bosra?’ Who is this who in mockery is made to wear scarlet? (For it is in some such way as this that the Hebrews interpret the word Bosor.) ‘Why are your garments purple and your clothes as if from treading the wine-press?’ (Is 63.1–2). He answers: ‘I stretched out my hands all day to the unbelieving and contradictory people’ (Is 65.2 (LXX)).
28 He stretched out his hands on the cross to encompass the ends of the world. For the central point of the earth is Golgotha here. These are not my words, but those of the prophet: ‘You have accomplished salvation in the centre of the earth.’ He who set the sky in place with his spiritual hands stretched out human hands. They were fastened with nails for this purpose: that when the humanity which bore the sins of mankind had been fastened to the wood and died, sin might die with it, and we might rise again in righteousness. For since death came through one man, life too comes through one man (cf. Rom 5.12–18), the one man who as Saviour voluntarily accepts death. Remember what he said: ‘I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it up again’ (Jn 10.18 adjusted).
29 However, though he came to save us all and endured these sufferings, the people returned evil for good. Jesus says: ‘I thirst’ (Jn 19.28), though he had brought water out of the sheer rock. He looked for grapes from the vine he had planted, but what did the vine do? This vine, which by nature came from the holy fathers but by choice from Sodom (for ‘their vine is from the people of Sodom and their vine-branch from Gomorrha’ (Jn 19.28)), offers its thirsty Lord a sponge on a reed, filled with vinegar. ‘And they gave me gall for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar’ (Ps 68.22 (69.21)). You see the clarity of the prophets’ prediction? What sort of gall did they give me for food? ‘They gave him wine mixed with myrrh’ (Mk 15.23). Myrrh is bitter and tastes like gall. Is this the return you make to the Lord? Is this, vine, what you offer your Master? There was justice in Isaiah's prophetic lament for you: ‘My beloved had a vineyard on a hill-top, in a fertile place’ (Is 5.1 (LXX)). And —not to quote the whole passage— ‘I waited’, he says, ‘for it to produce a bunch of grapes’, I thirsted for it to give me wine, ‘and it produced thorns’ (Is 5.4 (LXX)). You see the crown I am wearing. What decree shall I pass now? ‘I shall order the clouds not to drop rain on it’ (Is 5.6). For the clouds, that is, the prophets, have been taken away from them; henceforth the prophets are in the Church, as Paul says: ‘Let two or three prophets speak and the rest discern’ (1 Cor 14.29). And again: God has granted in the Church that ‘some should be apostles, others prophets’ (Eph 4.11). Agabus, who bound his hands and his feet, was a prophet (cf. Acts 21.10–11).
30 With regard to the thieves who were crucified with him, it is said that ‘he was numbered among wrongdoers’ (Is 53.12; Mk 15.28). Beforehand they were both wrongdoers, but one is so no longer. The one who persisted in his wrongdoing would not yield to salvation; though his hands were fixed to the cross, he struck out with his tongue in blasphemy. The Jews as they passed were wagging their heads in mockery of the Crucified, fulfilling the words of Scripture: ‘They saw me and wagged their heads’ (Ps 108 (109).25). He joined in their taunts. But the other thief rebuked him; it was the end of his life and the beginning of his conversion; he surrendered his life and received a foretaste of salvation. After rebuking the other, he says: ‘Remember me, Lord.’ I am speaking to you. Pay no attention to him; his mind's eyes are impaired; but remember me. I don't say, remember what I have done, for that frightens me. We all feel for our companions on a journey. We are travelling together to death; remember me, your fellow-traveller. I don't say, remember me now, but: ‘when you come into your kingdom’ (Lk 23.42).
31 What was the power, thief, that enlightened you? Who taught you to worship your despised companion on the cross? How great the power of the eternal Light to shed light on the benighted! And so the thief deserved to hear the reply: ‘Take heart’ —not because your present state should lead you to take heart, but the King is here to grant you pardon. The request concerns the distant future; the pardon is most swift. ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise’ (Lk 23.43), for today you have heard my voice and not hardened your heart. Most swift was my condemnation of Adam; most swift is the pardon I grant you. Adam was told: ‘On the very day when you eat, you shall die’ (Gen 2.17). As for you, today your faith has led to obedience, today is your salvation. Wood caused Adam to fall; wood leads you into Paradise. Don't be afraid of the serpent; he will not cast you out, for he has already fallen from heaven. I do not say to you, ‘Today you will depart’, but ‘Today you will be with me.’ Take heart, you will not be cast out. Do not fear the flaming sword; it defers to its Master. How great and inexplicable the pardon! The faithful Abraham had not yet entered, but the thief does. Moses and the prophets had not yet entered, but the lawless thief does. Even before you Paul expressed his wonder: ‘Where sin abounded, grace abounded even more’ (Rom 5.20). Those who bore the ‘heat of the day’ had not yet entered, but the one who came about the eleventh hour did. Let no one grumble at the householder, for he says: ‘Friend, I do you no wrong. Have I not the right to do what I choose in my own lands?’ (Mt 20.12, 13, 15 slightly adjusted). The thief wishes to act justly, but death intervenes. It is not only good works that I look for; I have accepted faith. I came to ‘pasture my flock among the lilies’, I came to pasture it ‘in the gardens’ (cf. Cant 6.2–3). I have found my sheep; it was lost, but I take it on my shoulders. For he believes, since he said himself: ‘I have strayed like a lost sheep’ (Ps 118 (119).176). ‘Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom.’
32 In the Canticle I have already sung to my bride about this garden. This is what I said to her. ‘I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride’ (Cant 5.1 (LXX)). ‘In the place where he was crucified there was a garden’ (Jn 19.41). And what do you take from there? ‘I gathered my myrrh’ (Cant 5.1 (LXX)), drinking wine mixed with myrrh, and vinegar; and when I had taken them, I said: ‘It is finished’ (Jn 19.30). For the mystery is fulfilled, Scripture is fulfilled, sins are redeemed.
For ‘when Christ appeared as High Priest of the good things to come, he entered once for all into the Holy Place through the greater and more perfect tent not made by hands, that is, not of this creation, not through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, and obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ash of a heifer sprinkles the profaned and sanctifies them for the purification of the flesh, how much more the blood of Christ?’ (Heb 9.11–14). And again: ‘So, brethren, having confidence to enter the Holy Place in the blood of Jesus through the new and living way which he opened for us through the veil, the veil of his flesh’ (Heb 10.19–20). And since the flesh which was his veil had been dishonoured, this was the reason why the symbolic veil of the Temple was rent asunder, as Scripture records: ‘And behold, the veil of the Temple was split in two from top to bottom’ (Mt 27.51); for not even a small piece of it was left intact. For since the Master said: ‘Behold, your house is left empty’ (Mt 23.38), the house was destroyed.
33 The Saviour endured these things, ‘having made peace through the blood of the cross’ for ‘things in heaven and things on earth’ (cf. Col 1.20). For we were God's enemies through sin, and God had decreed that the sinless one should die. For one of two things had to happen, either that God in his truthfulness would destroy the whole race, or that in his loving kindness he would cancel their condemnation.
But observe God's wisdom. He maintained both the truth of the condemnation and the power of his loving-kindness. Christ ‘took our sins in his body on the wood, so that’ through his death ‘we might die to sins and live to righteousness’ (1 Pet 2.24). The one who died for us was not insignificant. He was not a visible sheep, he was not a mere man, he was not only an angel; he was God made man. The lawlessness of sinners was not as great as the righteousness of the one who died for them. The sins we committed were not as great as the justice he wrought when he laid down his life for us, laying it down when he chose and taking it up again when he chose (cf. Jn 10.18).
Are you looking for proof that he did not yield his life to force, or give up his spirit involuntarily? He addressed these words to his Father: ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ I commit it, so as to take it up again. ‘And so saying, he gave up his spirit’ (Lk 23.46), but not for long, for soon he rose again from the dead.
34 The sun was eclipsed, because of the Sun of justice. The rocks were split, because of the spiritual Rock (cf. 1 Cor 10.4). The tombs were opened and the dead rose again, because of the one who was ‘free among the dead’ (Ps 87 (88).5 (LXX)). He has ‘released’ his ‘prisoners from the waterless pit’ (Zech 9.11 (LXX)). So do not be ashamed of the crucified, but boldly make your own the words: ‘He bears our sins and suffers for us’, and ‘by his bruises we have been healed’ (Is 53.4, 5. (LXX)). Let us not be ungrateful to our benefactor. And again: ‘Because of my people's sins he was led to death, and I shall give the wicked in return for his burial and the rich in return for his death’ (Is 53.8–9 (LXX)). For this reason Paul says clearly: ‘that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried and rose on the third day according to the Scriptures’ (1 Cor 15.3–4).
35 But we are looking for a clear indication of the place of his burial. Was the tomb man-made? Is it raised above the ground like royal tombs? Was the tomb made of piled stones? And what was set over it? Give us, prophets, the precise facts about the grave: where is it, and where shall we look for it? They reply: ‘Look upon the solid rock which you have quarried’ (Is 51.1 (LXX)), look upon it and see. You have in the gospels: ‘In a carved tomb’ (Lk 23.53), where the rock had been quarried. And what happened? What was the door of the tomb like? Again, another prophet tells us: ‘They killed my life in the pit, and placed a stone over me’ (Lam 3.53 (LXX)). I, the chosen, precious corner-stone, I, the stone to trip up the Jews and bring salvation to believers, I lie for a short time within the stone (cf. Is 28.16; 8.14; 1 Pet 2.6, 8). Thus the tree of life was planted in the earth, so that the cursed earth might enjoy the blessing, and the dead be redeemed.
36 So we should not be afraid to acknowledge the Crucified. We should boldly trace the cross with our fingers as a seal on our forehead and over everything: over the bread we eat, the cups we drink, when we come in and when we go out, before we go to sleep, when we go to bed and when we get up, on journeys and at rest. It is a powerful protection; to suit the poor, it costs nothing; to suit the weak, it costs no labour, since it comes as a gift from God; it is a sign for the Faithful and a terror to demons. For ‘in it he triumphed over them’, ‘openly making an example of them’ (Col 2.15 adjusted). For when they see the cross, they remember the Crucified; they fear the one who crushed the dragon's heads (cf. Ps 73.14 (74.13)). Do not despise the seal because it is a free gift; no, honour the Benefactor all the more because of it.
37 If you ever get into a controversy and have no arguments to put forward, let your faith remain unshaken. Turn polymath, and use the prophets to silence the Jews, and their own myths to silence the Greeks. The Greeks worship people who were struck by thunderbolts. A thunderbolt does not come from heaven at random. If they are not ashamed to worship those whom God abhors and strikes, should you be ashamed to worship God's beloved Son who was crucified for you?
It would embarrass me to speak about these so-called gods; besides, time compels me to pass over this subject and leave it to experts. But as for heretics, let them be silenced. If anyone says that the cross was a fantasy, turn away from him. Hold in abhorrence anyone who says that the crucifixion was an illusion. For if the crucifixion was an illusion, and salvation comes from the cross, then our salvation is illusory too. ‘But if Christ is not risen, we are still in our sins’ (1 Cor 15.17 adjusted). If the cross is an illusion, the ascension is also an illusion; and if the ascension is an illusion, so is the second coming, and everything in the end is unfounded.
38 So first take the cross as an indestructible foundation on which to build the rest of the faith. Do not deny the Crucified. For if you do deny him, you will find many to give you the lie. The traitor Judas will be the first to give you the lie; for the betrayer knows that he was condemned to death by high priests and elders. The thirty pieces of silver testify. Gethsemani, where the betrayal took place, testifies. I shall not yet mention the Mount of Olives, where they used to go by night to pray. The moon gives its testimony by night. So do the day and the sun which suffered eclipse, because it could not bear to see the conspirators’ crime. You are given the lie by the fire by which Peter stood to warm himself; if you deny the cross, the eternal fire is waiting for you. I speak hard words, lest you experience a hard fate. Remember the swords approaching him in Gethsemani, lest you experience an eternal sword. You will be given the lie by the house of Caiaphas, which in its present abandonment shows the power of the one who was once condemned there.
On Judgment Day Caiaphas himself will stand against you. The servant who gave Jesus the blow will stand against you; so will those who bound him and led him away. Herod and Pilate will stand against you, saying in effect: ‘Why do you deny the one who was falsely accused before us by the Jews, though we knew he had done nothing wrong? For I, Pilate, washed my hands that day.’ The perjured witnesses will stand against you, together with the soldiers who dressed him in the purple garment and crowned him with thorns and crucified him on Golgotha and cast lots for his tunic. You will be given the lie by Simon of Cyrene, who carried the cross behind Jesus.
39 Of all the stars the sun in its eclipse will give you the lie; of all things on earth the wine mixed with myrrh, of all reeds the reed, of all plants the hyssop, of all sea-creatures the sponge, of all trees the wood of the cross. You will be given the lie, as I have said, by the soldiers who nailed him to the cross and cast lots for his garments; by the soldier who opened his side with the spear; by the women who were present that day; by the veil of the Temple which was torn in two that day; by Pilate's praetorium, now abandoned through the power of the one who was crucified that day; by holy Golgotha here, the pre-eminent, which is still visible today and still shows how the rocks were split because of Christ that day; by the grave nearby, where he was laid; by the stone which was placed over the door and still lies next to the tomb today; by the angels who were there that day; by the women who adored him after the resurrection; by Peter and John, who ran to the tomb, and Thomas, who put his hand into Christ's side and his fingers into the prints of the nails. For it was for our sake that he felt them so carefully; by God's providence he was there to seek what you were to seek though you were not there.
40 As witnesses of the cross you have the twelve apostles, the whole earth and the world of humanity which believes in the Crucified. The very fact that you are here today should convince you of the power of the Crucified. For who brought you together today? Where are the soldiers? Where are the chains which constrained you? What was the sentence which compelled you? It was the saving standard of Jesus, the cross, which brought you all together. It enslaved the Persians and tamed the Scythians; to the Egyptians, instead of cats and dogs and many forms of error, it brought knowledge of God. To this very day it cures diseases; to this very day it drives out demons, and overthrows the tricks of potions and spells.
41 The cross is destined to come again with Jesus from heaven. The King's standard will lead the way, so that the Jews may ‘look on him whom they pierced’ (Jn 19.37 adjusted), and recognizing by his cross the one they had dishonoured, may repent and lament. Tribe by tribe they will lament, for when they do repent it will no longer be the time for repentance. But let us boast of the cross and take pride in it, adoring the Lord who was sent and crucified for us, and adoring too God the Father who sent him, together with the Holy Spirit, to whom is the glory for ever and ever. Amen.