THE EVENTS OF THE CROSS After the Lord Christ was tried religiously at the residence of the high priest, He was led to Pilate, the Roman governor, who had the authority to put their verdict into effect, and who, at the persistence of the multitude, condemned Him to death on the cross. 1- His civil trial 1-15. 2- Lord Jesus mocked 16-20. 3- On the way to the cross 21-22. 4- Offering Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink 23. 5- Dividing His garments 24. 6- Crucifying Him between two robbers 25-28. 7- Blaspheming Him 29-32. 8- Darkness over the whole land 33. 9-Lord Jesus breathing His last 34-37. 10- The veil of the temple torn in two from top to bottom 38 11- Confession of the Centurion 39. 12- Women gathering around Him 40-41. 13- Lord Jesus buried 42-47. 1- HIS CIVIL TRIAL After a whole night, in the house of the high priest, suffering their insults and dark thoughts, they decided to deliver Him to the Roman governor to be condemned to death. The evangelist says: “Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and the scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.” ( 1) They arrested Him, and plotted against Him, because He did not give them their heart desire: to save them from the Roman oppression, and to realize the Zionist supremacy in the world. And in order to have Him killed, they delivered Him to the Roman governor, with the accusation that they “found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” (Lk. 23:1,2) They delivered Him to the Roman governor to have Him killed; to be, themselves, delivered in their turn, by God, to ‘Titus’ the Roman, who burnt their city and devastated the temple, for the sake of which they revolted against the Lord Christ, with claim that He intended to destroy it... In them was realized the saying of David the Psalmist: “Give to them according to their deeds and according to the wickedness of their endeavors. Give to them according to the work of their hands; Render to them what they deserve.” (Psalm 28:4) They brought Him to Pilate, with the most serious accusation in those days, that He is reigning Himself a king, something that could not be taken lightly by a governor, lest he would be counted as traitor to Caesar. That is why, “Pilate asked Him, ‘Are You the king of the Jews?’ And He answered and said to him, ‘It is as you say.” ( 2) By that, the Lord Christ did not deny His identity as King; yet - according to the Gospel by St. John - He made it clear to Pilate, that He is a Spiritual King, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” (Jn. 18:36) 5 Pilate expected to listen to a long speech from the Lord Christ, defending Himself against that accusation, that could be punished by death; especially since he heard of Him, as a great teacher, who preached in the temple, on the mountains and on the beaches, who does not lack eloquence or ability to defend Himself. But the Lord Christ kept silent; to be asked again by Pilate, “Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You! But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.” ( 5) St. Ambrose says: [It is a marvelous example, exhorting the hearts of men, to stand insults with a steadfast spirit. The Lord was accused, but said nothing! In His silence, He was right, as He was in no need to defend Himself. Self-defense is only for those who fear defeat. He does not confirm the accusation, but does ignore them as being unexecutable. I wonder, what would He has to fear, if He is not wishing to save Himself, but rather to save all people,... to sacrifice His life to acquire their salvation. Susanna kept silent, and conquered (Dan. 13: 35)! The best cases are those which we are justified without defense1.] Origen says: [He was convinced that His whole life, and His works among the Jews, are far better defense than any words to counteract the false witness2.] The silence of the Lord Christ carried a strength, that captured the heart of Pilate, who wished to release Him, presenting the Jews with several opportunities to reconsider their position. Yet, out of fear, he submitted to their request. Of these opportunities are the following: The first opportunity: He was accustomed to release one prisoner to them, whomever they requested ( 6). So he asked them: “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.” (s 9, 10) But the high priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release to them Barabbas, who, together with others had committed murder in an insurrection. Thus the cup was getting filled more and more, as the Roman desired the release of the Lord, while they were insisting on killing Him! Origen3 sees in the release of Barabbas and the slaying of the Lord Christ, a realization of what came in the book of Leviticus, concerning ‘the day of atonement’ (Lev. 16), when Aaron, the high priest, was to take two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. He was to cast lots for the two goats - one lot for the Lord, and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron was then to bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord, and sacrifices it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as a scapegoat, was to be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement, by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat. In a text attributed to St. Jerome, he repeats Origen’ view, that there were two goats before Pilate: one to be released into the wilderness of hell accompanied by the sins of people, and the other to be slain as a lamb for the remission of sins. Barabbas was to be the portion of ‘Azazel,’ the devil; while Christ was to be the lamb, the portion of God. The second opportunity was, when Pilate, again asked them, hoping that they might reconsider their position, saying to them, “What then do you want me to do with Him Whom you call the King of the Jews? So they cried out again, ‘Crucify Him.’ Then Pilate said to them, ‘Why? What evil has He done? ‘ And they cried out more 1 In Luc 22: 63. 2 Adv. Celsus, pref 1. 3 In Lev. hom 9: 3. 6 exceedingly, ‘Crucify Him” (s 12-14) Pilate speaks to them in their own way, calling the Lord Christ “the king of the Jews.” They should not have rejected that heavenly King, but they persisted on rejecting Him, requesting His crucifixion; so that through their fall, the door would be opened to the Gentiles, according to the words of the apostle Paul: “Through their fall,...salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now, if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!” (Rom. 11:11, 12) Out of ignorance and envy, they were crying, ‘Crucify Him;’ not knowing that they were realizing unintentionally, the prophesies in their hands. They did not know, that within their hands was Abel, who was viciously killed in the field by his own brother; his blood was crying out, not for revenge but for purification of the world. Within their hands was Isaac, carrying the wood for the burnt offering; He is Moses, carrying his rod, not to cross with them the Red Sea, heading towards Jerusalem, but crossing with them death, to grant them a new life in Him, to enter with them into the bosom of God the Father. He is the bunch of grapes carried by Joshua, not as a deposit for the Promised Land, but as an eternal life for those who partake of, and abide in Him. He is Elisha, who threw his wood, not to let the iron ax float from the depths, but to raise up humanity, loaded with sins, to set it free from the depths of hell, drawing it by the cross, the tree of life, to take it back to the heavenly Paradise. The Jews desired to get rid of the Lord Christ through the cross, while the prophets desired to sit beneath the shade of the crucified, saying with the bride: “I sat down in his shade with great delight. And his fruit was sweet to my taste.” (Song 2:3) That cross which drew the hearts of the believers, to sing with the apostle saying: “But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal. 6: 14) Anyhow, Pilate submitted to their request, not out of conviction, but to gratify them: “So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them, and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.” ( 15) He delivered Him to scourges and insults, to hear the Lord say on the mouth of His prophet Isaiah: “I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” (Isaiah 50: 6) And as St. Ambrose says: [He was scourged to spare us the scourge.] 2- JESUS MOCKED “Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and called together the whole garrison. And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head... and struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshipped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.” (s 16-20) What happened on the way to the cross was not meaningless; He Himself planned that way from eternity for our salvation. For our sake, “For the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame.” (Heb. 12:2) Some scholars see that taking off His clothes temporarily, to clothe Him with purple, refers to the casting off of the Jews, who were close to Him according to the flesh. They denied Him; thus casting themselves off Him; so that if they repent and get back to 7 Him with belief, rejecting their material (Zionist) thought; that is to say, became Christians at the end of age, they would again reattach to Him, as the apostle says: “Hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” (Rom. 11:25) St. Ambrose talks to us about the purple garment given to Him by the soldiers, as referring to the victory of the martyrs, as well as to royal authority. It was destined for His body to collect, for our sake, the spilled blood, and to grant us, by His passion, His reign in us1.] St. Jacob El-Serougi comments on these events, saying: [They bared Him of His clothes like shearers; yet He was silent like a lamb in the shearers’ hands! He discarded His clothes, so as to clothe those who left the Paradise naked! Clothed them with His clothes, to remain Himself in disgrace... He knew that they were suitable for the disgraced Adam! They bared Him of His clothes, and clothed Him with a purple robe, the color of blood, to adorn the murdered Groom! They twisted a crown of thorns for His head; that is fitting for Him, as He came to uproot thorns from earth! He carried the curse of the earth, through the crown put on His head; and mightily bore the weight of the whole earth! Sins, transgressions, afflictions, sufferings, and strikes were twisted with the crown of thorns, to be placed on His head to carry! Through the thorns, the curse of Adam was dissolved! He became a curse, in order that the returning heirs would be blessed! Through His crown of thorns, He uprooted the cursed seed of the serpent! Through the crown of thorn, He destroyed the crown of the devil, who desired to become a god over creation! Through His crown of thorns, He twisted a crown for the daughter of the Gentiles, the bride He betrothed from among the idols, and gave her His name! With a reed, they struck the exalted Head, that caused the angels to tremble! Behold, how much the Lord Christ had from the sinners?! That ignorant man, how did he dare to spit on His face?! That also happened for the sake of Adam, who was the one worthy of being spat on, because of his iniquity!2] 3- ON THE WAY TO THE CROSS The evangelists tell us: “They compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a skull.” (s 21, 22) If the word ‘Simon’ means “to hear,” or “to obey,” and the word ‘Cyrenian,’ referring to a Gentile town in Libya, means “heir;” Simon the Cyrenian refers to the Church of the New Covenant, that became a heir through the obedience of faith. She came of the Gentiles to share with her Christ His cross, and to enjoywith Himthat great honor. 1 In Luc 23. 2 .434 ، الحب الإلهي، 1967 ، ص 432 8 The Lord Christ bore His cross (Jn. 19: 17) on His shoulder, as a sign of His reign, as told by Isaiah: “The government will be upon His shoulder.” (Isaiah 9:6) He was symbolized by Isaac who carried the wood of the burnt offering to the place of sacrifice (Genesis 22:6). Along the way, when the Lord fell under the weight of the cross, the soldiers compelled Simon the Cyrenian to carry it; becoming a reference to the Church that share with her Groom, His Passion, to enjoy the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His heavenly glories. They brought Him to the Place Golgotha, that is translated as the place of the skull ( 22), claimed to be the burial place of Adam. As though the Lord Christ was raised on a tree, in order to grant life to Adam, who lost his life because of the tree. St. Cyril of Jerusalem believes that nomenclature reminds us of the fact that the crucified is: “The head of all principality and power.” (Col. 2:10) The Head suffered above the place of the skull!1 4- OFFERING HIM WINE MINGLED WITH MYRRH TO DRINK “They gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.” ( 23) That was the custom of the Romans, as a way of numbing the senses, to spare the one crucified feeling the whole weight of pain. But the Lord came, for our sake, to carry, willingly, the pain; to bend, on our account, under its weight. 5- DIVIDING HIS GARMENTS “And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.” ( 24) If His garments refer to the Church, the Body of Christ, dividing them among the Roman soldiers, without tearing it apart, refers to the Church extended to all nations. They are numerous, but should be free of tearing or dissension. St. Cyril the Great says: [The four corners of the world, divided among them the garment of the Word, namely, His Body, which also remained intact, symbolized by the “tunic” (Jn. 19: 23). As the Only-Begotten Son divides His Body, by which He sanctifies the souls and bodies, of those partaking of the Communion, into little portions as needed... Yet His Body is One, live in the whole Church, undivided; as is stated by Paul (1 Cor. 1:13). This is the significance of the sacrament concerning Christ2.] Some Church Fathers see in the division of the garments among the soldiers, a reference to the enjoyment of the one faith, by all categories: priests, virgins, widows, and married. 6- CRUCIFYING HIM BETWEEN TWO ROBBERS “Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the inscription of His accusation was written above: ‘the king of the Jews’ With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.” (s 25-28) St. Mark considers that the crucifixion started from the time the Jews cried out before Pilate, ‘Crucify Him,’ and Pilate granted them their request..., although raising Him on the cross took place at the sixth hour. That is why St. Jerome and St. Augustine3, see, by saying that St. Mark putting the responsibility of His crucifixion on عظة 1 .23:13 2 .(24 ، آلام المسیح وقیامته في إنجیل القدیس یوحنا (تفسیر یو 23:19 3 St. Augustine: In Ioan tr 117: 1. 9 the Jewish who crucified Him with their tongues, before the Romans execute their verdict! The inscription of His accusation was written on the cross, ‘The King of the Jews,’ that was not haphazardness, as the Jews got annoyed and asked Pilate to change it to: ‘Who claimed to be the King of the Jews.’ But they could not, by the cross, deprive Him of His reign; the cross came to establish His kingdom in us! St. Ambrose says: [The crucified Jesus Christ, and His royal glory were radiating from the cross1.] St. Cyril of Jerusalem tells us, concerning His crucifixion between two robbers: [Referring to the two robbers who were crucified with Him, it was written, “He was numbered with transgressors” (Isaiah 53). They were both transgressors, but one of them is no more; the other, who rejected salvation until the end, though his hands were tied, yet his tongue kept blaspheming... For one, it was the end of his life, but the beginning of his repentance and salvation. After rebuking his partner, he said to Jesus: “Lord, remember Me when you come into your kingdom.” (Lk. 23:42) Remember Me, O Lord, to you I cry out; the eyes of my mind are closed, but remember me! I do not say remember my deeds, for which I am frightened... Everyone is kind to his fellow traveler;... I do not say remember me now, but when you come into your kingdom. What power has illuminated your soul? Who taught you to worship the despised, who was crucified with you?2] St. Cyril the Great says: [Two robbers were crucified with Him, started by mocking Him; one of them likened, in his behavior the evil Jews, while the other, admirably took a different trend. He believed in Him; and amid his bitter suffering, condemned the vicious attitude of the Jews, and the blaspheming words of his partner crucified with him. Confessing his sins, and admitting that he is justly receiving the due reward of his deeds, he condemned his evil ways, to be forgiven by God, saying with the Psalmist: “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. And You forgive the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5) He presented Christ with a blameless testimony, rebuked the Jews for their lack of God’s love, and condemned the verdict of Pilate, saying, “This man has done nothing wrong.” (Lk. 23:41) What a beautiful confession!... He gained the inheritance of saints, and his name is now written in heaven; after having been condemned to death, he was numbered among the dwellers of the exalted city3.] Some scholars see in the two robbers, a reference to the nations of the Jews and the Gentiles; one of them was condemned to death through the Mosaic Law, while the other, through the natural law. The Lord Christ was crucified between them, to bind them together in Him, being a Cornerstone for the catholic (universal) Church, offering His blood a price for unity in Him! 7- BLASPHEMING HIM “And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!’ Likewise the chief priests also, together with the scribes, mocked and said among themselves, ‘He saved others; Himself He can not save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.’ And those who were crucified with Him reviled Him” (s 29-32) 1 In Luc 23: 33-49. عظة 2 .31 :13 3 In Luc Ser. 153. 10 All forces, with no exception, mocked the cross: those who passed by, the high priests the scribes, and even the two robbers who were crucified with Him, they all reviled Him. It was not possible for them to apprehend the secret of salvation, or to appreciate the work of God. They considered the cross as His end; thus He became in their eyes a deceitful and a swindler; if unable to save Himself, how could He make Himself a King?! Probably the evil one, starting to apprehend the danger he faced, as the Lord was raised on the cross; and feeling that heaven and earth were watching the events, he hastened to persuade his followers to seek a visible sign, namely, that He descends from the cross, that they may believe in Him. But the Lord, who in many occasions refused to perform a ‘show’ sign, did not care for their blasphemy, that would become a testimony against them. They would be condemned through their very behavior, certain aspects of which are the following: (1) The passers-by were blaspheming Him, saying, ‘You, who destroy the temple and build it in three days.’ This phrase quickly spread throughout the events; so that when the resurrection takes place, no one could deny His saying, that He would raise the temple of His Body in three days! The blasphemers themselves, therefore, have spread the testimony for His resurrection, during the bitter most moments of crucifixion. (2) The high priests, together with the scribes, confessed that He “saved others.” That was the testimony of the Jewish religious leaderships, during the moments of weakness. (3) Those people said, “Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” In a comment attributed to St. Jerome: [They saw Him rising from His tomb, yet, they did not wish to believe that He could descend from the cross. How far is your lack of faith, you Jews? I will set you, yourselves, to judge yourselves! What would be more amazing: A dead man to rise from the tomb, or a living one to descend from the cross?! You sought a little thing, to be faced with a greater one. But your lack of faith, would not be healed through more signs than you gave seen1.] 8- DARKNESS OVER THE WHOLE LAND “Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.” ( 33) As the Creator was raised on the cross by the hands of His creation, that intended to get rid of Him through its denial, it deprived itself of the Sun of righteousness, so that darkness came into the hearts, demonstrated by the veiling of sun from the sixth until the ninth hour. The book of Genesis mentions that Adam and Eve, after falling, “Heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Gen. 3: 8) Some exegetes believe that Adam listened to the verdict of death at the ninth hour. It is as though, at the moments Adam and his wife hid from the face of the Lord God, and apprehended that they became condemned to death, darkness fell over the whole land. The new Adam carried the same verdict, as He was nailed to the tree! The darkness here, refers to the power given to the followers of darkness over the Lord Christ, for a certain time, as He says: “This is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Lk. 22:53) Tertullian addresses the Jews, saying: [There was darkness over the whole land 1 Cf. Catena Aurea. 11 in the middle of the day; thus, “Your feasts turned into mourning; and all your songs into lamentations.” (Amos 8:10) After the passions of Christ, you were scattered and taken, as though, into captivity, as foretold by the Holy Spirit1.] St. Cyril the Great says: [They worked on delivering the Author of life to death; so they crucified the Lord of glory. But, as they nailed the Lord of all to the cross, the sun withdrew from over their heads, and the light was clothed with darkness, as previously indicated by the prophet Amos through divine inspiration (Amos 5: 18)... That should have been a clear sign for the Jews, that the minds of His crucifiers became darkened, as “Hardening in part has happened to Israel.” (Rom. 11:25) The prophet David, in his love for God, cursed them, saying, “Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see.” (Psalm 69:23) Yes! Creation itself mourned its Lord; the sun was darkened, the rocks were split, and the temple itself, seemed to be saddened, as its veil was torn in two from top to bottom. That was what God meant, saying through the prophet Isaiah: “I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering” (Isaiah 50:3)2] 9- JESUS BREATHING HIS LAST “And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?,’ which is translated, ‘My God, why have You forsaken Me?.’ Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, ‘Look, He is calling for Elijah.’ Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying,. ‘Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down. And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.” (s 34-37) According to the flesh, the Lord Christ was totally exhausted, and could not, at that time, cry out with such loud voice. But He did, to proclaim that what was going on their hands, was not out of weakness on His part, but a satisfaction of His divine work, that He stated beforehand through His prophets. The words, “My God, Why have You forsaken Me?,” do not indicate despair, as some may assume, as the Son is never separated from the Father. But He wanted to demonstrate how horrible was the sin, that He carried in our place, and that made Him, the beloved Son, seem as being fallen under the wrath of God. With that cry, He is also reminding them of the psalm twenty-second, that narrated the events of the crucifixion. With that cry, He offered the Jews a final warning, to reconsider what they were doing, before He breathes His last; hoping that they would apprehend that He is the Messiah, the Fulfiller of the prophesies, and would thus retreat. As to their assumption that He was calling for Elijah, The person of the prophet Elijah was connected to Christ, as a forerunner, to prepare the way for Him. Likewise, the Jews saw in Elijah their helper in heaven, who intercedes on behalf of the afflicted and the persecuted. So, as they assume, He was asking for His intercession! 10- THE VEIL OF THE TEMPLE TORN IN TWO FROM TOP TO BOTTOM “Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” ( 38) Why was the veil of the temple torn, as the Lord Christ breathed His last? (1) The Lord Christ has already proclaimed that He lays down His life through His power, and not out of weakness, saying, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down 1 An Answer to Jesus 10. 2 In Luc hom 153. 12 of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” (Jn 10:18) The events of the cross came to proclaim that; as said by St. John Chrysostom: [That cry tore the veil and opened the graves. That was not an insult to the temple, but a proclamation that they are unworthy of dwelling in it; as He previously delivered it to the Babylonians1.] By His cry, He proclaimed His power, and tore the veil of the temple, confirming the grief of the temple for what the worshippers in it were doing, declaring its rejection of their worship, after they have covered their hands with the innocent blood, in envy and viciousness! (2) The apostle Paul presents us with a theological concept of the tearing down of the veil of the temple, in his epistle to the Hebrews; that is the opening up for us, of the heavenly sanctuaries, through the sacrifice of the Cross. The veil that is a divider between the holy place and the Holy of Holies, refers to the inability of man to enjoy the divine heavenly sanctuaries. The Lord Christ came to open up the way to heaven by His blood, to enter with us into the bosom of His Father, to enjoy His sanctuaries. Of His words: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Heb. 6:19, 20) In a text attributed to St. Jerome: [The veil of the temple was torn, and the heavens were opened.] St. Ambrose says: [The veil of the temple was torn in two, to let our souls and spirits cross over to God, to see Him face-to-face, and to behold the hidden secrets2.] (3) The tearing down of the veil of the temple, may probably mean the opening of the door to the Gentiles, who could not possibly share with the Jews in worshipping in the temple. That what the apostle Paul proclaim by saying: “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace; and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity” (Ephes. 2:14-16) 11- CONFESSION OF THE ROMAN CENTURION “Now when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this Man was the Son of God!” ( 39) How amazing! the Roman centurion believed in the Crucified Lord Christ, when he saw Him crying and breathing His last. As though he apprehended through that, that He did not die out of weakness, but with power and authority. St. Augustine says: [The soul of the intercessor revealed that the verdict of sin had no power on it; as it did not leave the body without, but according to its free will. The soul had been united hypostatically with the Word of God3.] In a text attributed to St. Jerome, [Some last became first; the Gentiles believed while the Jews denied, rendering their last evil, far worse than their first4.] 12- WOMEN GATHERING AROUND HIM 1 In Matt. hom 88. 2 In Luc 23: 33-49. 3 De Trinit 4: 13. 4 Cf. Catena Aurea. 13 “There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses and Salome, who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.” (s 40, 41) Origen says, there were three women mentioned by name: Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, and a third, called by St. Matthew, ‘mother of Zebedee’s sons, was mentioned as Salome by St. Mark. Anyhow, while the disciples refrained from following the crucified, even from afar, the women were following Him, and some of them got the honor of enjoying the Christ risen from the dead, before the disciples did. By that, the gospel gave the woman back her dignity, and proclaimed her sanctity, after suffering a long history of bitter resentment on the part of the world. 13- BURIAL OF LORD JESUS “Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. And when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. Then He (Joseph) brought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jose observed where He was laid.” (s 43 - 47) The body had to be taken down before sunset, as the crucifixion took place on Friday the ‘preparation day’, on which the Jews prepare for the Sabbath rest. On that day the Lord was crucified, on the sixth day. Thus, as God created all creation in six days, to take rest on the seventh day, so also He was raised on the cross, renewing His creation on the same sixth day, to enter with it into the secret of the true rest. The crucifixion of the Lord on the sixth day, ‘the preparation day,’ may embrace our commitment, to be carried by the cross to Him, as long as we are still in this world, by making of all our life ‘a preparation day;’ to stay with Him on the cross until we breathe our last. And when our worldly life comes to its end, He would send His angel, as though ‘Joseph of Arimathea,’ to lay our body to rest for a short while, until it is raised again on the great day of the Lord. The Lord did not wish, His body to be wrapped by His disciples, lest there would be accusation, that they stole the body before burying it. But He was wrapped by an honorable righteous man. St. Ambrose comments on the wrapping of the Lord’s body, saying: [The righteous man anointed the body of Christ with spices and wrapped it with linen! Righteousness is the clothing of the Church (the body of Christ), and innocence is its beauty. So, you too, clothe yourself with the glorious body of the Lord, to become righteous! If you believe in His death, then wrap Him in full divinity; anoint Him with myrrh and spices, the sweet fragrance of Christ (2 Cor. 2:15). Joseph of Arimathea wrapped Him in a new linen, probably the new sheet, seen by Peter descending from heaven, and in it were all kinds of four-footed animals, beasts, and birds of the earth (Acts 10: 11). By it, the Church was wrapped, uniting the different peoples in the same faith… 14 He was placed in a new tomb, in Joseph’s tomb, as Christ did not have His own burial place; A tomb is set for those under the law of death, but the Conqueror of death has no tomb of His own. The death of Christ has its own nature, different from that of other humans; that is why, He is not to be buried with others, but in a separate tomb by Himself. Through the Lord’s incarnation, He is unified with the whole humanity, yet, with some difference. He likened us in His birth, yet, differed in being conceived by a virgin... Who would be this Joseph, in whose tomb Christ was buried? He is surely that righteous man who surrendered his tomb to Christ, to give the Son of Man somewhere to lay His head (Lk. 9:58), and there, to find rest... “A throat is an open tomb” (Psalm 5:9); That is the throat of a man without faith, who utters dead words; but, in the depths of man, there is a tomb, hewn by the righteous, so that the Word of God would enter into the hearts of nations through faith... A rock is to be placed on the door of the tomb, to keep it closed; As Christ is well wrapped in our souls, He has to be carefully kept, lest we lose Him. The tomb was hewn in a rock; that is established upon the steadfast faith in God. Not every one can wrap Christ. That is why the pious women stayed afar; yet they carefully observed where He was laid, so as to come later to anoint Him with spices. In their love, they were the last to leave the tomb, and the first to return to it1.] Finally the burial of the Lord Christ by Joseph of Arimathea, represents a pious spiritual experience, that is fitting for us to live by every day. This Joseph came from Rama, said to be ‘Ramathaim Zophim’ (1 Sam. 1: 1) - ‘Ramallah’ nowadays. As the word ‘Rama’ in Hebrew means a “high place.” No one could enjoy that honor, unless he comes from the heavenly high places; that is to say comes from Rama; enjoying heavenly life, as his home and where he is raised. How could he carry the body of the Lord, if he does not have the heavenly spiritual mark? What is that body which we carry, but our life, being ourselves, members of His body, which we wrap in linen, namely in true purity, anoint with the sweet fragrance of Christ, and enter with it into the Lord Christ Himself, as though into the rock. Thus our life would carry the power of His resurrection, and would be in the company of angels, as angels were inside the tomb of the Lord.
Welcome