The word “Cross”
is foolishness to those that perish, but to us who are
saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:23).
For he that is spiritual judges all things, but the
natural man receives not the things of the Spirit. For it
is foolishness to those who do not receive in faith and
who do not consider God's goodness and omnipotence,
but search out divine things with human and natural
reasonings. For all the things that are of God are above
nature and reason and conception. For should any one
consider how and for what purpose God brought all things
out of nothing and into being, and aim at arriving at that
by natural reasonings, he fails to comprehend it. For
knowledge of this kind belongs to spirits and demons. But
if any one, under the guidance of faith, should consider
the divine goodness and omnipotence and truth and wisdom
and justice, he will find all things smooth and even, and
the way straight.
But without faith it is impossible
to be saved (Hebrews 11:6). For it is by
faith
that all things, both human and spiritual, are sustained.
For without faith neither does the farmer cut his furrow,
nor does the merchant commit his life to the raging waves
of the sea on a small piece of wood, nor are marriages
contracted nor any other step in life taken. By faith we
consider that all things were brought out of nothing into
being by God's power. And we direct all things, both
divine and human, by faith. Further, faith is assent free
from all meddlesome inquisitiveness.
Every action, therefore, and performance of
miracles
by Christ are most great and divine and marvelous: but the
most marvelous of all is His precious Cross. For no other
thing has subdued death, expiated the sin of the first
parent, despoiled Hades, bestowed the resurrection,
granted the power to us of contemning the present and even
death itself, prepared the return to our former
blessedness, opened the gates of Paradise, given our
nature a seat at the right hand of God, and made us the
children and heirs of God, save the Cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ. For by the Cross all things have been made
right. So many of us, the apostle says, as were baptized
into Christ, were baptized into His death Romans 6:3, and
as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put
on Christ. Galatians 3:27 Further,
Christ is the power
of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24).
Lo! The death of Christ, that is, the Cross, clothed us
with the enhypostatic wisdom and power of God. And the
power of God is the Word of the Cross, either because
God's might, that is, the victory over death, has been
revealed to us by it, or because, just as the four
extremities of the Cross are held fast and bound together
by the bolt in the middle, so also by God's power the
height and the depth, the length and the breadth, that is,
every creature visible and invisible, is maintained.
This was given to us as a sign on our forehead, just as
the circumcision was given to Israel: for by it we
believers are separated and distinguished from
unbelievers. This is the shield and weapon against, and
trophy over, the devil. This is the seal that the
destroyer may not touch you (Exodus 12:23), as says
the Scripture. This is the resurrection of those lying in
death, the support of the standing, the staff of the weak,
the rod of the flock, the safe conduct of the earnest, the
perfection of those that press forwards, the salvation of
soul and body, the aversion of all things evil, the patron
of all things good, the taking away of sin, the plant of
resurrection, the tree of eternal life.
So, then, this same truly precious and august tree, on
which Christ has offered Himself as a sacrifice for our
sakes, is to be worshipped as sanctified by contact with
His holy body and blood; likewise the nails, the spear,
the clothes, His sacred tabernacles which are the manger,
the cave, Golgotha, which brings salvation, the tomb which
gives life, Sion, the chief stronghold of the churches and
the like, are to be worshipped. In the words of David, the
father of God, We shall go into His tabernacles, we
shall worship at the place where His feet stood. And
that it is the Cross that is meant is made clear by what
follows, Arise, O Lord, into Your Rest. For the
resurrection comes after the Cross. For if of those things
which we love, house and couch and garment, are to be
longed after, how much the rather should we long after
that which belonged to God, our Savior, by means of which
we are in truth saved.
Moreover we worship even the image of the precious and
life-giving Cross, although made of another tree, not
honoring the tree (God forbid) but the image as a symbol
of Christ. For He said to His disciples, admonishing them,
Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven
Matthew 24:30, meaning the Cross. And so also the angel of
the resurrection said to the woman, You seek Jesus of
Nazareth which was crucified (Mark 16:6). And the
Apostle said, We preach Christ crucified (1
Corinthians 1:23). For there are many Christs and many
Jesuses, but One crucified. He does not say speared but
crucified. It behooves us, then, to worship the sign of
Christ. For wherever the sign may be, there also will He
be. But it does not behoove us to worship the material of
which the image of the Cross is composed, even though it
be gold or precious stones, after it is destroyed, if that
should happen. Everything, therefore, that is dedicated to
God we worship, conferring the adoration on Him.
The tree of life which was planted by God in Paradise
pre-figured this precious Cross. For since death was by a
tree, it was fitting that life and resurrection should be
bestowed by a tree. Jacob, when He worshipped the top of
Joseph's staff, was the first to image the Cross, and
when he blessed his sons with crossed hands (Hebrews
11:21) he made most clearly the sign of the cross.
Likewise also did Moses' rod, when it smote the sea in
the figure of the cross and saved Israel, while it
overwhelmed Pharaoh in the depths; likewise also the hands
stretched out crosswise and routing Amalek; and the bitter
water made sweet by a tree, and the rock rent and pouring
forth streams of water (Numbers 20), and the rod that
meant for Aaron the dignity of the high priesthood (Exodus
4): and the serpent lifted in triumph on a tree as though
it were dead, the tree bringing salvation to those who in
faith saw their enemy dead, just as Christ was nailed to
the tree in the flesh of sin which yet knew no sin. The
mighty Moses cried, You will see your life hanging on
the tree before your eyes, and Isaiah likewise, I
have spread out my hands all the day unto a faithless and
rebellious people (Isaiah 65:2). But may we who
worship this obtain a part in Christ the crucified. Amen.
