Homily on the Taking Down of the Body of Christ from the Cross #
St. Kirill of Turov
(On Joseph of Arimathea and the Myrrh-Bearing Women, according to the Gospel reading for the third Sunday after Pascha)
After the past feast, another most fitting one has come, bringing the grace of God to the holy Church. For just as chains of gold, adorned with pearls and precious stones, delight the eyes of those who behold them, even more so do the holy feasts—spiritual adornment—delight the hearts of the faithful and sanctify the soul. First, by the Resurrection of Christ, the world was purified and the Pascha began, sanctifying all in faith; then, through Thomas’s touching of Christ’s side, creation was renewed: as soon as he laid his hand upon the wounds, the resurrection of Christ in the flesh was confirmed to all.
And now, let us glorify Joseph the Noble and the myrrh-bearing women, who served the body of Christ after His crucifixion. The Evangelist calls him rich, a native of Arimathea. He was, it says, also a disciple of Jesus, awaiting the kingdom of God. While the voluntary sufferings of the Savior were ongoing, Joseph beheld the dreadful changes in creation: the darkened sun, the quaking earth—and being filled with fear and amazement, he came to Jerusalem.
There he found the body of Christ already on the Cross—naked and beaten—and before Him, with only one disciple of Jesus, stood Mary His mother, who, with anguish of heart and bitter weeping, cried out:
“The world mourns with me, my Son, seeing the unrighteousness of Thy condemnation. Woe is me, my Child, Light and Creator of all creation! How shall I now weep for Thee? Shall I bewail Thy slaughter, or the blows to Thy cheeks, the lashes upon Thy shoulders, the chains and the dungeon, or the spitting upon Thy holy face, which Thou didst endure from blasphemers for Thy good deeds? Woe is me, my Son! Though guiltless, Thou wast mocked and accepted death on the Cross. They crowned Thee with thorns, gave Thee gall mixed with vinegar, and pierced Thy most pure side with a spear! The heavens shuddered, the earth trembled, unable to endure the audacity of the Jews; the sun darkened, the rocks split apart, revealing the hard-heartedness of the Hebrews. I behold Thee, my beloved Child, upon the Cross: Thou hangest naked, breathless, sightless, having neither form nor comeliness, and bitterly am I wounded in soul. Would that I might die with Thee—I cannot bear to see Thee lifeless. No joy shall touch me again, for my Light, my hope and my life, my Son and God, is extinguished upon the Cross.
Where now, my Child, is the message once declared to me by Gabriel: ‘Rejoice, O full of grace, the Lord is with thee,’ calling Thee King and Son of the Most High, Savior of the world, Giver of life to all, and Conqueror of sin? Now I behold Thee, as if a criminal, crucified between two thieves, and pierced in Thy side with a spear—dead; and for this, sorrow overwhelms me. I desire not to live, but to meet Thee in the realm of the dead. Now am I bereft of my hope, my joy, and my delight—my Son and my God. Woe is me! I did not suffer such agony even at Thy wondrous birth, O Master, as I do now, my womb torn asunder as I behold Thy body nailed to the Cross. Thy birth, O Jesus, was glorious, but Thy death now is dreadful: Thou alone wast born of a seedless womb, leaving the seal of my virginity unbroken, and having chosen me as Thy mother in the flesh, yet didst preserve me ever-virgin. I know Thy suffering is for Adam’s sake, yet overcome with sorrow of soul, I weep, marveling at the depth of Thy mystery.
Hearken, O heavens, and the sea with the earth, attend to my weeping lamentation: for this is your Creator, suffering at the hands of the priests, the only Righteous One slain for sinners and lawbreakers. Now, O Simeon, I have understood thy prophecy: for a spear now pierceth my soul, as I behold Thy suffering at the hands of soldiers. Woe is me! Whom shall I call to join my mourning? Or with whom shall I pour out these floods of tears? For all have forsaken Thee—kinsmen, friends, and those who once delighted in Thy wonders, O Christ. Where now is the company of Thy seventy disciples? And where are Thy mighty apostles? One betrayed Thee to the Pharisees by deceit; another, out of fear before the priests, denied Thee with an oath, saying he knew Thee not. And lo, I alone, Thy handmaid, my God, stand weeping before Thee with the keeper of Thy teachings and Thy beloved companion. Woe is me, my Jesus, sweet is Thy name! How does the earth still stand, though first it was founded by Thee upon the waters, when now it bears Thee nailed to the Cross? Thee, who by a gesture of Thy divinity opened the eyes of many blind, and by Thy word raised the dead! Come and behold the mystery of God’s providence: how the Giver of life to all was slain with an accursed death!”
And hearing this, Joseph drew near to the Mother who was weeping bitterly. And she, seeing him, turned to him with supplication, saying: “Go quickly, noble and godly man, to Pilate, the unrighteous judge, and ask that the body of your Teacher—my Son and my God—be taken down from the Cross. Make the effort and accomplish it, you who are a partaker in the teaching of Christ, a secret apostle, one who awaits the kingdom of God. Ask for the lifeless body, already nailed to the Cross and pierced in the side. Have compassion, O faithful one, for the sake of the twofold crown you shall receive after Christ’s resurrection: honor and reverence from the ends of the earth, and eternal life in the heavens.”
And Joseph, moved with compassion by this tearful plea, did not say: “The priests will rise up against me in fury, the Jews will be enraged and stone me, the Pharisees will plunder my possessions, and I shall be cast out from their fellowship.” No, he said nothing of the kind, but cast all aside and, not fearing for his own life, resolved to seek after Christ.
He boldly entered to Pilate and asked him, saying: “Give me, O governor, the body of the stranger Jesus, crucified between two thieves, falsely accused by the priests out of envy and unjustly mocked by the soldiers. Give me the body of Jesus, whom the scribes call the Son of God, and whom the Pharisees proclaimed a king; for above His head you yourself commanded to place a title inscribed: ‘This is the Son of God, the King of Israel.’
“Give me the body of Him whom His own disciple betrayed to the priests for silver, and of whom Zechariah prophesied, saying: ‘Give me my price—or refuse it’; and they appointed thirty pieces of silver—the price of the most precious of the sons of Israel. I ask for the body of Him of whom Caiaphas prophesied that He must die for the whole world—not of his own understanding did he speak thus, but because he was high priest that year, and of such it is written by Jeremiah: ‘The rulers of the earth took counsel against the Lord and against His Christ.’
“They, like Solomon said, ‘plotted and were deceived, for their malice blinded them,’ and they said, ‘Let us seize the righteous man, torment him with mockery and wounds, and condemn him to a dishonorable death.’ I ask for the body of that Jesus who answered your question, saying, ‘I am the Life and the Truth,’ and also: ‘You would have no power over Me, unless it were given you from above.’ Your own wife implored you on His behalf, saying, ‘Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much in a dream because of Him.’
“Give me the body of the Crucified, who when He entered Jerusalem, was greeted by children waving branches, crying out, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ Whose voice the underworld heard, and loosed the soul of Lazarus, who had been dead four days. Of Him Moses wrote in the Law: ‘You shall see your Life hanging before your eyes.’ I desire the lifeless body which was born of a Virgin who knew not man, and yet remained a Virgin still. Of Him Isaiah prophesied to Ahaz: ‘Behold, a Virgin shall conceive in her womb and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel.’ Of Him David foretold, saying: ‘They have pierced My hands and My feet; they have numbered all My bones.’
“Give me the One now dead upon the Cross, of whom you said to the Jews when they demanded His death: ‘I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man,’ and, having washed your hands, you delivered Him to be slain. Of Him the prophet spoke: ‘I gave My back to the smiters and My cheeks to those who struck Me; I turned not My face from shame and spitting.’ I ask for the body of that Nazarene, whom the demons, crying out from the possessed, confessed, saying, ‘What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Son of God? We know Thee, O Holy One of God: art Thou come to torment us before the time?’
“Of Him the heavenly Father bore witness from above, when He was baptized in the Jordan: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ Of Him the Holy Spirit testifies through Isaiah: ‘He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,’ and delivered unto death by transgressors. Grant me to take His body down from the Cross, for I desire to place it in my own tomb. All that was written of Him has now been fulfilled: He has borne our pain, and suffered for us; by His wounds we are all healed. His soul was given up to death, and He was numbered among the transgressors. They said, ‘Let us wipe Him from the memory of the living, and let His name never be remembered.’ Yet God shall remove His sorrow, and shall give Him strength among the mighty, for it is written of Him: ‘By the blood of Thy covenant, Thou hast delivered Thy prisoners out of the pit that hath no water.’”
And having heard all this from Joseph, Pilate marveled, and summoned the centurion, and asked him: “Is the crucified Jesus already dead?” And having confirmed it, he gave the body to Joseph, that he might bury it as he wished.
Having purchased linen cloths, Joseph took the body of Jesus down from the Cross. Nicodemus also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, worth a hundred silver coins; together, they wrapped the body of Christ in the linens and anointed it with myrrh. And Joseph cried out, saying: “O never-setting Sun, Christ, Creator of all and Master of creation! How do I dare to touch Thy holy body, when even the heavenly powers, who serve Thee with fear, dare not touch Thee? With what linens shall I wrap Thee, who shroudest the earth in darkness and coverest the heavens with clouds? Or what ointments shall I pour upon Thy holy body, to which Persian kings once brought gifts of incense and myrrh, worshiping Thee as God, foreseeing Thy death for the whole world?
“What funeral songs shall I sing for Thy departure, when the seraphim on high already chant with unceasing voices? How shall I, with mortal hands, bear Thee who upholdest all creation? How shall I lay Thee in my humble tomb, Thou who by Thy word didst establish the circle of the heavens, and who sittest with the Father and the Holy Spirit upon the cherubim? Yet all things Thou doest according to Thine eternal counsel, and all Thou sufferest by Thine own will. For now Thou goest down into Hades, to raise up Adam and Eve, who fell through sin, and to lead back into paradise all the dead by the power of Thy divinity. Therefore, crying out thus and taught by the Holy Spirit, I will bury Thee, proclaiming: ‘Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, who wast slain—have mercy on us!’”
And they laid Him in the tomb, and rolled a great stone to the entrance of the sepulchre. Mary Magdalene and Mary the wife of James both sat watching where He was laid.
And when the Sabbath was over, and the sun had already risen, the women came with their spices—this being the fourth time they had come. For the first time, as Matthew says, “in the evening of the Sabbath,” two women came to look at the tomb; and then there was a great earthquake when an angel rolled away the stone, and the guards, struck with fear, became like dead men. Then Jesus Himself appeared to them, saying: “Rejoice! Go, both of you, tell My brethren to go into Galilee, and there they shall see Me.”
Again, around midnight, others came to confirm what they had heard from Mary Magdalene about Christ’s resurrection. Concerning them, Luke wrote: “Very early they came to the tomb and found the stone rolled away,” and two angels stood before them and said: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.”
Then, just before dawn, other women came again and saw two angels inside the tomb, where the body of Jesus had lain. About this, John the Theologian said: “Having heard from the women, Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb, while it was still dark.” Mark speaks of all the myrrh-bearing women, who came with spices on the Sabbath. Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right, and they were amazed. But he said to them: “Be not amazed! This fear is not for you, but for the lawless priests and the soldiers who guard this place. You, behold the empty tomb and declare to the apostles: ‘Christ is risen!’ Behold, the linen cloths lie here without the body. Proclaim the resurrection of Jesus in the flesh. Be messengers of the salvation of mankind. Say to the apostles: ‘Today, salvation has come to the world!’”
No longer grieve, nor mourn as though for one dead, but rejoice and be glad in the living God. I shall declare to you the mysteries of God’s love for mankind—how for Adam, who had fallen into corruption, He suffered. For this, He came down from heaven, was incarnate, and became man, that He might renew the decaying and raise it to the heights of heaven.
Adam, heeding the counsel of the enemy, sought to become God—and was cursed. But this One, obeying the Father, though God, became man, that He might destroy the serpent and draw man near to God. Adam, stretching forth his hands to the forbidden tree, took from it deadly fruit, and becoming a slave to sin, fell from Eden into Hades. But Christ stretched forth His hands on the Cross and freed mankind from sin and death. Though guiltless, He was delivered up, to redeem those enslaved to the devil by sin.
He tasted gall mixed with vinegar on a reed, to reduce the weight of men’s transgressions. His side was pierced with a spear, to take away the flaming swords that barred the way to paradise. From His side flowed blood and water, to cleanse the filth of the flesh and sanctify souls. He was bound and crowned with thorns, to break the devil’s bonds upon men and destroy the thorns of the enemy’s deceptions. He darkened the sun, shook the earth, and caused all creation to mourn, that He might shatter the vaults of hell and lead forth from its gloom the souls imprisoned there, turning the weeping of Eve into joy.
He was laid in the tomb as one dead—and granted life to the condemned. A stone sealed with guards closed the tomb, that the gates and locks of Hades might be broken down to their foundations. He was visibly guarded by soldiers—but invisibly descended into Hades and bound Satan. The angelic hosts followed Him with cries: “Lift up your gates, O ye princes, that the King of Glory may enter!” Some loosed the souls of the captives from prison; others, binding the hostile powers, cried out: “O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory?” And the demons, stunned and speechless, wailed: “Who is this King of Glory, who comes upon us with such power?”
He destroyed the prince of darkness and, seizing all his treasure, laid waste the city of death, the womb of Hades, and reclaimed the souls of sinners held there with Adam. He rose, leaving the seal of the tomb untouched, just as He was born, leaving His Mother’s virginity unbroken.
Let there be no fear for you, but let there be fear for the guards who became as dead! For now all is fulfilled—Jesus is risen in divine majesty and first appeared to the women who had come before the rest, saying in royal voice: “Rejoice, both of you!” And He commanded His apostles to go to Galilee, where He would sanctify them all, and in the flesh with which He shall return again, ascend into heaven to judge the world.
This, then, is all that the angel said to the myrrh-bearing women concerning Christ, which we have now passed on.
Let us now glorify Joseph the ever-honored, the noble and wondrous. Blessed art thou indeed, O glorious and marvelous Joseph, who attained such blessedness and great joy both on earth and in heaven! Worthily didst thou serve, like a cherub, the body of God—though those angelic beings, bearing Him invisibly upon their shoulders, veil their faces in awe. But thou, O Joseph, art greater than the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—for they only heard His voice and were exalted in honor above all, while thou didst wrap the very body of God in linen cloths.
I praise thy hands, O Joseph, which held the body of the Son of God and Creator of the universe. Moses, unable to gaze upon His face, hid himself in the cleft of the rock and was told, “Thou shalt see my back parts”; and on Mount Tabor, with Elijah, he beheld Christ and testified that He was both God and man. More blessed art thou, O great Joseph, than King David—for David brought the ark of the covenant from Shiloh, but feared to place it in his house; yet thou didst not carry the tabernacle of the Law, but God Himself didst thou take down from the Cross and, rejoicing, lay Him in thy tomb.
Blessed and sanctified also is the sepulchre prepared by thee, O Joseph, in which our Savior Christ dwelt! And it is no longer a tomb, but a throne of God, a heavenly altar, the resting place of the Holy Spirit, and the bed of the heavenly King. Around it, said Solomon, stand mighty warriors, skilled in battle, with swords at their sides—thus he described the ranks of saints who fight against heretics and Jews for Christ’s sake.
Blessed art thou, O Joseph, accomplisher of the divine mystery, fulfiller of prophetic foretellings! For He whom the Law and Prophets portrayed in types and parables—Him didst thou anoint with myrrh upon His holy wounds. Blessed art thou, O Joseph, for Him who gave life by His word and spread out the heavens with water—Him, as a lifeless man, didst thou lay beneath a stone in thy tomb, believing in His resurrection on the third day.
Blessed also is thy city, Arimathea, from which thou camest to minister to the Son of God! What praise shall we offer that is worthy of thy blessedness? With whom shall we compare such a righteous man? Shall I call thee heaven? Yet thou art brighter than heaven in godliness—for during Christ’s Passion the heavens darkened and withdrew their light, but thou didst triumphantly bear God in thine arms. Shall I call thee a blooming earth? Yet even it was shaken in fear, while thou, with Nicodemus, didst reverently wrap the body of God in sweet-smelling linens and lay Him to rest.
Shall I call thee an apostle or an elder? For thou didst show an example to them all in thy ministry—censing and bowing with prayer before the all-pure body of Christ, crying: “Arise, O Lord, help us, deliver us for Thy name’s sake!” Shall I call thee a hieromartyr, for thou didst show such love for Christ? Though thy breast was not pierced by sword nor thy blood shed by blade, yet by thy preference and faith thou didst lay down thy life for Christ. And indeed, they would have seized and torn thee apart—but Jesus preserved thee, for when thou didst bury His body, thou didst fear neither the wrath of the Jews nor the threats of the priests nor the violence of the cruel soldiers. Thou didst not grieve over thy great wealth, nor spare thy life, believing in the resurrection on the third day.
Greater than all art thou in faith toward Christ. Therefore, pray also for us who glorify thee and honor thy memory with the myrrh-bearing women and celebrate thy feast!
Grant, O saint, thy help to us all. Be a protector for our city from every evil, bestow victory on our ruler over his adversaries, and guard him from all visible and invisible enemies. For our bodies, ask peace and health, and with that, salvation for our souls. Deliver us from every need, sorrow, misfortune, and from all evil assaults. Entreat from God the forgiveness of our many sins, that He may free us from eternal torments and make us partakers of the future blessings of eternal life, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom be glory with the Father and the all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.