I. You have heard, dearly beloved brethren, the Scripture of the Hebrew Exodus, and the words of the mystery; how the Lamb was immolated, how the people was saved, and how Pharaoh was scourged through the mystery. Understand, beloved, how the mystery of the Pasch is at once new and old, temporal and eternal, corruptible and incorrupt, mortal and immortal. Old indeed according to the Law, but new according to the Word; temporal through the figure, eternal through the glory; corruptible because of the victim of the flock, incorruptible because of the Lord's life; mortal because of the burial, immortal because of the resurrection; old indeed is the Law, but new is the Word. Temporal is the figure, but everlasting is the grace;
corruptible are the sheep, incorruptible is the Lord. For he was crushed as a lamb, but raised up as God. For as a sheep he was led to the victim, but he was not a sheep; And as a lamb without voice (Isa. LIII, 7), but he was not a lamb. For those things were done in figure, but these are found more truly. For in place of a lamb the Lord was made, and in place of a beast a man, but the man is Christ, in whom all things are contained. And Isaiah says: As a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer, without voice, so he opened not his mouth. In his humility his judgment was taken away. But who shall declare his generation (Ibid. 7, 8)?
Many indeed and very many other things were foretold by the prophets concerning the Pasch, the mystery of Jesus Christ, to whom be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen. II. For he himself, led as a lamb and slain as a sheep, redeemed us, as it were from Egypt, from the worship of the world, and saved us from the hand of the devil, as from the hand of Pharaoh; and he sealed our souls with his own spirit, and the members of our body with his precious blood. This is he who clothed death with confusion, and set the devil in mourning. This is he who smote iniquity and injustice, as Moses condemned Egypt with barrenness. This is he who snatched us from servitude to liberty, from darkness to light, from death to life, from tyranny to a perpetual kingdom.
This is he who in many men suffered many things; this is he who was slain in Abel, and in Isaac was bound by the feet, and in Jacob sojourned as a stranger, and in Joseph was sold, and in Moses was wrapped up, and in the river was exposed by his mother, and in the lamb was slaughtered, and in David was persecuted, and in the prophets was dishonored. This is he who was buried in the earth, and rising from the dead ascended to the heights of the heavens. This is the lamb without voice; this is he who was taken from the flock to the victim, who was immolated in the evening, who was buried in the night. This is Jesus Christ our Lord, who rose from the dead, and from the nethermost sepulchre raised up man to life. This man therefore was slain in the midst of Jerusalem. By whom?
By Israel. For what cause? Because he healed their lame, and cleansed their lepers, and gave light to their blind, and raised up their dead. III. What hast thou done, O Israel, so new an injustice? Thou hast dishonored him who had made thee noble; thou hast brought to ignominy him who had glorified thee; thou hast silenced him who had proclaimed thee; thou hast slain him who had given thee life. Is it not written: Thou shalt not shed innocent blood, lest thou die most wretchedly (Jer. XXII, 3)? Therefore, says Israel, I have done this, because it behooved him to suffer (Acts XVII, 3). Thou errest, O Israel, when thou thinkest thus. It behooved him to suffer, but not through thee; it had behooved him to be afflicted with insults, but not through thee;
it had behooved him to be hung upon the cross on the gibbet, but it ought by no means to have been done by thy right hand. With this voice, O Israel, thou oughtest to have cried out to the Lord: O Lord, if thy will has so decreed that thy Son should suffer, yet let him by no means suffer through me. Let him plainly be judged by foreigners; let him be transfixed with nails by the uncircumcised, by any tyrant whatsoever. Far be it that through me this expiation should be perpetrated. With this voice, O Israel, thou wast by no means willing to proclaim, nor didst thou refrain from laying thine own hands upon thy Lord. Thou wast not afraid of his works; no shame smote thee, when the withered hand was restored whole to its own body.
Neither when the closed eyes had been opened, nor when the dissolved members were consolidated again by his voice. But neither wast thou ashamed of that recent miracle, that one already four days dead rose from the sepulchre at the command of his voice. IV. O Israel, thou hast seen such wonders of Christ, and ever didst remain in unbelief. Thou indeed, passing over all these things, didst prepare thyself for the slaughter of the Lord. Thou didst prepare for him most sharp nails, lying witnesses, gall too and a sword, as for a murderous robber. Thou didst inflict stripes also upon his little body, and upon his head thou didst place a crown of thorns, and those good hands of his, which had fashioned thee from the dust, thou didst bind with chains;
And that good mouth of his, through which you were fed with life, you on the contrary fed with gall. On the great feast-day you slew your Lord. And you—you were enjoying the banquet, while he endured the hunger of famine; you were drinking wine and eating bread, while he had gall and vinegar; you were splendid in body, while he was wasted with sorrows; you were exulting, while he was afflicted; you were singing psalms, while he was being condemned; you were leading the dances, while he was being laid in the tomb; you indeed were lying on a soft couch, while he lay in the sepulchre and the bier. O most impious Israel, why have you perpetrated this strange injustice?
You slew your Lord by subjecting him to new sufferings; your Sovereign, your Maker, who honoured you, who gave you the name of Israel. Yet you were found to be no Israel at all, for you neither saw the Lord nor were willing to understand God. Did you not know, O Israel, that this is the Firstborn of God, who was begotten before the morning star? This is he who led you into Egypt, and there, preserving you, supplied you with nourishment. This is he who was sent to you, who healed your suffering ones, who raised the dead. This is he against whom you acted wickedly, whom you butchered. This is he whom you sold. Therefore, O Israel, because you did not tremble over your Lord, when assailed by your enemies you trembled.
Over the Lord you had no fear, over the Lord you did not wail, yet over your dead sons you lamented. Because you forsook the Lord, you will not be found by him; you dashed the Lord to the ground, and you too shall be dashed to the earth. And you indeed lie upon the earth, but he, rising from the dead, was borne up to the height of heaven. Now therefore come, all you families of men who are mingled with transgressions, and receive the remission of your sins. For the Lord says to you: I am your remission, I am the Pasch of salvation, I am the Lamb who was slain for you; I am your redemption, I am life, I am your salvation, I am your resurrection. I am your King; I will raise you up again by my right hand.
This is our Lord, who made heaven and earth; who was hung upon the wood, who was buried in the earth, who rose from the dead, ascended to the heights of the heavens, and lives and reigns with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.