My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

ON THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST (Part II)By Saint John Chrysostom

"Behold your son... behold your mother."

3. And He, having committed His mother to John, said, "Behold your Son" (John 19:26). O the honor! With what honor did He honor the disciple! When He Himself was now departing, He committed her to the Disciple to take care of. For since it was likely that, being His mother, she would grieve, and require protection, He with reason entrusted her to the beloved. To him, He says, "Behold your mother" (John 19:27). This He said, knitting them together in charity; which the Disciple understanding, took her to his own home. But why made He no mention of any other woman, although another stood there? To teach us to pay more than ordinary respect to our mothers. For as when parents oppose us on spiritual matters, we must not even own them, so when they do not hinder us, we ought to pay them all becoming respect, and to prefer them before others, because they begat us, because they bred us up, because they bear us for ten thousand terrible things. And by these words, He silences the shamelessness of Marcion; for if He were not born according to the flesh, nor had a mother, wherefore takes He such forethought for her alone?

"After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished..."

That is, that nothing was wanting to the Dispensation. For He was everywhere desirous to show that this Death was a new kind if indeed the wholly lay in the power of the Person dying, and death came not on the Body before He willed it; He willed it after He had fulfilled all things. Therefore also He said, "I have power to lay down My life; I have power to take it again" (John 10:18). Knowing therefore that all things were fulfilled, He says,

"I thirst."

Here again fulfilling a prophecy. But consider, I pray, the accursed nature of the bystanders. Though we have ten thousand enemies, and have suffered intolerable things at their hands, yet when we see them perishing, we relent; but they did not even so make peace with Him, nor were tamed by what they saw, but rather became more savage, and increased their irony; and having brought to Him vinegar on a sponge, as men bring it to the condemned, thus they gave Him to drink; since it is on this account that they hyssop is added.

"Having, therefore, received it, He says, It is finished."

Do you see how He does all things calmly, and with power? And what follows shows this. For when all had been completed,

"He bowed His head, (this had not been nailed,) and gave up the spirit."

That is, died. Yet to expire does not come after the bowing the head, but here, on the contrary, it does. For He did not, when He had expired, bow His head, as happens with us, but when He had bent His head, then He expired. By all which things the Evangelist has shown, that He was Lord of all.

"A bone of Him shall not be broken" (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12).

For even if this was said with reference to the lamb of the Jews, still it was for the sake of the reality that the type preceded, and in Him, the prophecy was more fully accomplished. On this account, the Evangelist brought forward the Prophet. For since by continually producing himself as witness he would have seemed unworthy of credit, he brings Moses to help him, and says that neither did this come to pass without a purpose, but was written before of old. And this is the meaning of the words, "A bone of Him shall not be broken." Again he confirms the Prophet's words by his own witness. These things say he, I have told you, that you might learn that great is the connection of the type with the reality.

"After this came Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple."

Not one of the Twelve, but perhaps one of the Seventy. For now, deeming that the anger of the Jews was quenched by the Cross, they approached without fear and took charge of His funeral. Joseph, therefore, came and asked the favor from Pilate, which he granted; why should he not? Nicodemus also assists him and furnishes a costly burial. For they were still disposed to think of Him as a mere man. And they brought those spices whose special nature is to preserve the body for a long time, and not to allow it quickly to yield to corruption, which was an act of men imagining nothing great respecting Him; but anyhow, they exhibited very loving affection. But how did no one of the Twelve come, neither John, nor Peter, nor any other of the more distinguished Disciples? Nor does the writer conceal this point. If anyone says that it was from fear of the Jews, these men also were occupied by the same fear; for Joseph too was, it says, "A secret (disciple) for fear of the Jews". And not one can say that Joseph acted thus because he greatly despised them, but though himself afraid, still he came. But John who was present, and had seen Him expire, did nothing of the kind. It seems to me that Joseph was a man of high rank, (as is clear from the funeral,) and known to Pilate, on which account also he obtained the favor; and then he buried Him, not as a criminal, but magnificently, after the Jewish fashion, as some great and admirable one.

4. And because they were straitened by the time, (since the Death took place at the Ninth Hour, and it is probable, that what with going to Pilate and what with taking down the body, evening would come upon them when it was not lawful to work,) they laid Him in the tomb that was near. And it is providentially ordered, that He should be placed in a new tomb, wherein no one had been placed before, that His Resurrection might not be deemed to be that of some other who lay there with Him; and that the Disciples might be able easily to come and be spectators of what came to pass because the place was near; and that not they alone should be witnesses of His burial, but His enemies also, for the placing seals on the tomb, and the sitting by the soldiers to watch it, were the actions of men testifying to the burial. For Christ earnestly desired that this should be confessed, no less than the Resurrection. Wherefore also the Disciples are very earnest about this, the showing that He died. For the Resurrection, all succeeding time would confirm, but the Death, if at that time it had been partially concealed, or not made very manifest, was likely to harm the account of the Resurrection. Nor was it for these reasons only that He was laid near, but also that the story about the stealing might be proved false.

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BLESSED RESURRECTION TO ALL!

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostom

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With sincere agape in Our Savior Jesus Christ,

The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George