John Chrysostom, On Peter's Denial

an inheritance, the message of immortality, and the pledge of the seat at the right hand. And who is the witness of this? The Lord Himself, saying: When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself; that is, when I am crucified, then all will believe in me. You just heard another, clearer testimony pointing to the cross, from the prophet Isaiah crying out and saying: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent. What is the sheep? Who is the lamb? What is the slaughter? What is the shearing? Who are the slaughterers and shearers? The Lord Christ is the sheep and the lamb, symbolically: a sheep, because of the fleece of baptism; a lamb, because of the sacrifice in the flesh; the slaughter is of the side that heals the side. Who are the slaughterers and shearers? Sadducees and Pharisees; for first they sheared him with blasphemy, then they murdered him with malice. For just as in the present day a man who is being shorn both remains without pain and is found to be beautiful; so also Christ, receiving the blow, received it as a shearing, not enduring pain, and announcing the beauty of the resurrection. About him it is written, You are the most handsome of the sons of men. And Jeremiah uttered things in harmony with Isaiah, saying: I was like a gentle lamb led to be sacrificed. He was necessarily called a lamb, 59.616 as one who did not rebel against the passion, as one who did not kick against the slaughter. But although the Jews slaughtered him, we have bought our provision; and theirs is the crime, but ours the achievement; theirs the blow, but ours the freedom; theirs the punishment, and ours the blessing. The light appears, Christ is remembered. Today is fulfilled also the prophetic saying of David, fitting for the present cross. They gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Call to mind, therefore, beloved, how the Lord, hanging on the cross, cried out, saying, "I thirst;" and immediately one ran, and filling a sponge with vinegar and gall, offered it to the Lord. And why indeed did the Lord suffer thirst, He who made the steep rock become a pool? Because what was written also had to be fulfilled: "They gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." Such are the wine-vats of the Jewish vine; for their vine is from the vine of Sodom, and their branch from Gomorrah. For their wine-vats are vinegar and bitterness, but our vintage is sweetness and immortality. Wherefore also the prophet, exhorting, said: Taste and see that the Lord is good. 2. What then is the remaining question? And the Lord, having called his disciples to him, said to them face to face: On this night you will fall away because of me. For it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. Do you see how all things are testified to, how all things are certain, how nothing is idle, how nothing is undone? You will all fall away because of me. For it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. O the precision of the Holy Spirit! For even if the prophet cried out, nevertheless the Spirit dictated the matter. He did not say: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will perish; but he said, And they will be scattered; that is, for a little while they will fall away; but after not long they will hold fast to the faith, calling the Lord shepherd; since he is the good shepherd, who left the ninety-nine sheep, and came for the one that was lost; that is, who left the heavenly powers, and came for the lost Adam. And the apostles were also called sheep, as obedient to the saving staff, and grazing on the Lord's body, and being penned in the fields of the kingdom of heaven. For just as at the present time when a wolf has entered a flock, and seized a sheep, the rest

κληρονομίαν, τῆς ἀθανασίας τὸ μήνυμα, καὶ τῆς ἐκ δεξιῶν καθέδρας τὸ ἐνέχυρον. Καὶ τίς ὁ τούτου μάρτυς; Αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος λέγων· Ὅταν ὑψωθῶ, πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν· τουτέστιν, ὅταν σταυρωθῶ, τότε πάντες εἰς ἐμὲ πιστεύσουσιν. Ἤκουες ἀρτίως ἄλλην ἐναργεστέραν μαρτυρίαν συντείνουσαν εἰς τὸν σταυρὸν, Ἡσαΐου προφήτου βοῶντος καὶ λέγοντος· Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος. Τί τὸ πρόβατον; τίς ὁ ἀμνός; τίς ἡ σφαγή; τίς ἡ κούρευσις; τίνες οἱ σφαγιασταὶ καὶ κουρευταί; Πρόβατον καὶ ἀμνὸς ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς, τυπικῶς· πρόβατον, διὰ τὸν πόκον τοῦ βαπτίσματος· ἀμνὸς, διὰ τὴν ἔνσαρκον θυσίαν· σφαγὴ ἡ τῆς πλευρᾶς τὴν πλευρὰν ἰωμένη. Τίνες οἱ σφαγιασταὶ καὶ κουρευταί; Σαδδουκαῖοι καὶ Φαρισαῖοι· πρῶτον γὰρ παρεκούρευσαν τῇ βλασφημίᾳ, εἶθ' οὕτως ἐφόνευσαν τῇ βασκανίᾳ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ κουρευόμενος καὶ ἀνώδυνος μένει καὶ ὡραιόμορφος εὑρίσκεται· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν πληγὴν δεχόμενος, ὡς κουρὰν ἐδέξατο, ὀδύνην μὴ ὑπομείνας, καὶ τὴν εὐμορφίαν τῆς ἀναστάσεως μηνύσας. Περὶ αὐτοῦ γέγραπται, Ὡραῖος κάλλει παρὰ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Συνῳδὰ δὲ καὶ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου Ἱερεμίας ἐφθέγξατο εἰπών· Ἐγὼ ὡς ἀρνίονἄκακον ἦλθον τοῦ θύεσθαι. Ἀρνὸς ἀναγκαίως προσηγο 59.616 ρεύθη, ὡς μὴ στασιάσας περὶ τὸ πάθος, ὡς μὴ λακτίσας περὶ τὴν σφαγήν. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ὡς Ἰουδαῖοι ἔσφαξαν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ὠψωνίσαμεν· κἀκείνων μὲν τὸ ἔγκλημα, ἡμῶν δὲ τὸ κατόρθωμα· ἐκείνων τὸ ῥάπισμα, ἡμῶν δὲ ἡ ἐλευθερία· ἐκείνων ἡ τιμωρία, καὶ ἡμῶν ἡ εὐλογία. Τὸ φῶς παραγίνεται, ὁ Χριστὸς μνημονεύεται. Σήμερον πληροῦται καὶ τὸ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ προφητικὸν λόγιον, ἁρμόζον εἰς τὸν παρόντα σταυρόν. Ἔδωκαν εἰς τὸ βρῶμά μου χολὴν, καὶ εἰς τὴν δίψαν μου ἐπότισάν με ὄξος. Φέρε οὖν ἐν μνήμῃ, ἀγαπητὲ, ὡς ὁ Κύριος κρεμασθεὶς ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ ἐβόησε λέγων, ∆ιψῶ· καὶ εὐθέως εἷς δραμὼν, καὶ πληρώσας σπόγγον ὄξους καὶ χολῆς, προσήνεγκε τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ τί δήποτε ὁ Κύριος τὴν δίψαν ἐβάλλετο, ὁ τὴν ἀκρότομον πέτραν λιμνᾶσθαι παρασκευάσας; Ἐπειδὴ ὃ ἦν γεγραμμένον, ἔδει καὶ πληρωθῆναι· Ἔδωκαν εἰς τὸ βρῶμά μου χολὴν, καὶ εἰς τὴν δίψαν μου ἐπότισάν με ὄξος. Τοιαῦτα τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς ἀμπέλου τὰ ὑπολήνια· Ἐκ γὰρ ἀμπέλου Σοδόμων ἡ ἄμπελος αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ κληματὶς αὐτῶν ἐκ Γομόῤῥας. Ἐκείνων γὰρ τὰ ὑπολήνια, ὄξος καὶ πικρία, ὁ δὲ ἡμέτερος τρυγητὸς, γλυκύτης καὶ ἀθανασία. ∆ιὸ καὶ προτρεπόμενος ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγε· Γεύσασθε, καὶ ἴδετε. ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ Κύριος. βʹ. Τί οὖν λοιπὸν τὸ ζητούμενον; Ὁ δὲ Κύριος προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ, εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς κατὰ πρόσωπον· Ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ σκανδαλισθήσεσθε ἐν ἐμοί. Γέγραπται γάρ· Πατάξω τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ διασκορπισθήσονται τὰ πρόβατα τῆς ποίμνης. Ὁρᾷς, πῶς πάντα μεμαρτυρημένα εἰσὶ, πῶς πάντα βέβαια, πῶς οὐδὲν ἀργὸν, πῶς οὐδὲν ἄπρακτον; Πάντες σκανδαλισθήσεσθε ἐν ἐμοί. Γέγραπται γάρ· Πατάξω τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ διασκορπισθήσονται τὰ πρόβατα τῆς ποίμνης. Ὢ τῆς ἀκριβείας τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος! Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἐβόησεν, ἀλλ' ὅμως τὸ Πνεῦμα ὑπηγόρευσε τὸ πρᾶγμα. Οὐκ εἶπε· Πατάξω τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ ἀπολοῦνται τὰ πρόβατα· ἀλλ' εἶπε, Καὶ διασκορπισθήσονται· τουτέστι, Πρὸς ὀλίγον σκανδαλισθήσονται· μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ τῆς πίστεως κρατήσουσι, ποιμένα τὸν Κύριον καλοῦντες· ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς, ὁ καταλιπὼν τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα πρόβατα, καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὸ πεπλανημένον· τουτέστιν, ὁ καταλιπὼν τὰς ἐπουρανίους δυνάμεις, καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὸν πεπλανημένον Ἀδάμ. Πρόβατα δὲ καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι προσηγορεύθησαν, ὡς πειθόμενα τῇ σωτηρικῇ βακτηρίᾳ, καὶ χλοαζόμενα τὸ Κυριακὸν σῶμα, καὶ μανδρευόμενα εἰς τὰ πεδία τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ παρόντι χωρήσαντος λύκου εἰς ἀγέλην, καὶ πρόβατον ἁρπάσαντος, τὰ λοιπὰ