John Chrysostom, On the Passion of Our Savior Jesus Christ

In passionem salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi

A sermon of Chrysostom on the passion of our Savior Jesus Christ on the holy and great Sabbath.

When I behold the greatness of the Master and consider the insults of His long-suffering love for mankind, my mind is astonished, how He who received all judgment from the Father stood before Pilate to be judged, how the potter was judged by the clay. For what most unfitting thing did He not endure for our sake? He who bought all things was sold, He who made the tree of life was brought to the tree of death and He who restored a withered hand to health bore being struck by a hand, and He who fashions eyes with spittle and clay endured being spat upon. He endured the pains from the nails, He who made those who came against Him cower with a breath, and gave His back to scourges, He who tormented Egypt with ten plagues.

But O, the ingratitude of the Jews! Is this how you repay the Lord? For what good thing, O Jew, did you not enjoy? Having eaten manna, you offered gall, having received water from the rock, you gave vinegar to drink, being a man born from virgin earth, you do not accept the one born of a virgin, but you nail the judge to the cross as one condemned and you plot to put to death the resurrection. But see all things, even if you are impious toward the power of the crucified one. He was nailed to the tree and moved creation, He was hanging and that which sustains was shaken. I pity your blindness, O Jew. The ground trembled and you, striking him, laughed, the elements were astounded and you paraded the insult; Prophesy to us, Jesus, who is it that struck you. Even the very word trembles recounting the passion, but nevertheless, even trembling it is not silent about what happened, so that those looking on might not be afraid and those hearing might not be ashamed. What then happened upon these things? The sun faded, seeing the creator being put to death. The Master was dying willingly and the light did not wish to live, but the creation was dying with the creator.

But you, not even when these things happened, ran to repentance. A strange and paradoxical matter; above He put the sun to flight and below He was enclosed in a tomb and a stone was placed upon the Rock and death held Life and night hid the true morning star and soldiers guarded the king of heaven as a fugitive and the seals of the Jews guarded the seal of faith. But it was possible to see then an astonishing and paradoxical sight. For the tomb, having received Jesus with a seal, guarded the seals, but did not keep the deposit, so that what was written might be fulfilled: for you will not abandon my soul to Hades; and it is no wonder if for three days the tomb did not hold Jesus, He whose voice raised the four-day-dead Lazarus. To Him be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.

In passionem salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi

Τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου λόγος εἰς τὸ πάθος τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ μεγάλῳ Σαββάτῳ.

Ὅταν τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ δεσπότου θεάσωμαι καὶ τὰς ὕβρεις τῆς ἀνεξικάκου

φιλανθρωπίας λογίσωμαι, ἐξίσταμαι τὴν διάνοιαν, πῶς ὁ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς πᾶσαν τὴν κρίσιν δεξάμενος Πιλάτῳ παρέστη κρινόμενος, πῶς παρὰ τοῦ πηλοῦ ὁ κεραμεὺς ἐδικάζετο. Τί γὰρ τῶν ἀτοπωτάτων δι' ἡμᾶς οὐχ ὑπέμεινεν; ὁ πάντα ἠγορακὼς ἐπιπράσκετο, ὁ τῆς ζωῆς τὸ ξύλον πεποιηκὼς ξύλῳ θανάτου προσήγετο καὶ χειρὶ ῥαπιζόμενος ἔφερεν ὁ χεῖρα ξηρὰν ἀποδιδοὺς ὑγιαίνουσαν καὶ ἐμπτυσμάτων ἠνέσχετο ὁ πτύσματι καὶ πηλῷ δημιουργῶν ὀφθαλμούς. Τὰς ἐκ τῶν ἥλων ὑπέμεινεν ὀδύνας ὁ τοὺς ἐπελθόντας αὐτῷ πτήξας φυσήματι καὶ πληγαῖς ἐξεδίδου τὸν νῶτον ὁ δέκα πληγαῖς βασανίσας τὴν Αἴγυπτον.

Ἀλλ' ὢ τῆς ἰουδαϊκῆς ἀγνωμοσύνης! Ταῦτα Κυρίῳ ἀνταποδίδοτε; τίνος γὰρ ὦ Ἰουδαῖε τῶν ἀγαθῶν οὐκ ἀπήλαυσας; μάννα φαγών, χολὴν προσεκόμισας, ὕδωρ ἐκ πέτρας δεξάμενος, ὄξος τὸ ποτίσαν δέδωκας, ἐκ παρθένου γῆς γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος, οὐ δέχει τὸν ἐκ παρθένου γεννώμενον, ἀλλὰ σταυρῷ προσηλοῖς τὸν κριτὴν ὡς κατάκριτον καὶ θανατῶσαι μελετᾷς τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Ἀλλ' ἴδε πάντα, κἂν ἀσεβῇς εἰς τοῦ ἐσταυρωμένου τὴν δύναμιν. Τῷ ξύλῳ προσηλοῦτο καὶ μετέφερε τὴν κτίσιν, ἐκρέματο καὶ τὸ βαστάζον ἐσάλευεν. Ἐλεῶ σου τὴν τύφλωσιν ὦ Ἰουδαῖε. Τὸ ἔδαφος ἔτρεμε καὶ σὺ ῥαπίζων ἐγέλας, ἐξίστατο τὰ στοιχεῖα καὶ σὺ τὴν ὕβριν ἐπόμπευες· προφήτευσον ἡμῖν Ἰησοῦ τίς ἐστιν ὁ παίσας σε. Τρέμει καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ λόγος διηγούμενος τὸ πάθος, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τρέμων οὐ σιωπᾷ τὸ γενόμενον, ἵν' ἀποβλέποντες οὐκ ἐφοβήθησαν καὶ ἀκούοντες οὐκ ἐντραπῶσι. Τί οὖν ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐγένετο; ὁ ἥλιος ἐμαραίνετο τὸν δημιουργὸν ὁρῶν θανατούμενον. Ὁ δεσπότης θέλων ἀπέθνησκε καὶ ζῆν τὸ φῶς οὐκ ἐβούλετο, ἀλλὰ τὸ ποίημα τῷ ποιητῇ συναπέθνησκεν.

Σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ τούτων συμβάντων πρὸς μετάνοιαν ἔδραμες. Ξένον καὶ παράδοξον πρᾶγμα· ἄνω τὸν ἥλιον ἐφυγάδευσε καὶ κάτω συνεκλείετο τάφῳ καὶ λίθος ἐπετίθετο τῇ πέτρᾳ καὶ τὴν ζωὴν ὁ θάνατος ἐκράτει καὶ νὺξ τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἔκρυπτεν ἑωσφόρον καὶ στρατιῶται τὸν βασιλέα τῶν οὐρανῶν ὡς δραπέτην ἐτήρουν καὶ τὴν σφραγῖδα τῆς πίστεως ἐφύλαττον σφραγῖδες Ἰουδαίων. Ἀλλ' ἦν ἰδεῖν τότε ἔκπληκτον καὶ παράδοξον θέαν. Ὁ γὰρ τάφος τὸν Ἰησοῦν μετὰ σφραγῖδος δεξάμενος τὰς μὲν σφραγῖδας ἐφύλαξε, τὴν δὲ παρακαταθήκην οὐκ ἔσωσεν, ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ γεγραμμένον· ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδου· καὶ οὐ θαυμαστὸν εἰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ὁ τάφος τὸν Ἰησοῦν οὐκ ἐκράτησεν οὗπερ ἡ φωνὴ τετραήμερον τὸν Λάζαρον ἤγειρεν. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν».