Catena Aurea on Mark
Lecture 5
29. And they that passed by railed on Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
30. Save thyself, and come down from the cross.”
31. Likewise also the Chief Priests mocking said among themselves with the Scribes, “He saved others; himself he cannot save.”
32. “Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” And they that were crucified with Him reviled Him.
Pseudo-Jerome: The foal of Judah has been tied to the vine, and his clothes dyed in the blood of the grape, [Gen 49:11] and the kids tear the vine, blaspheming Christ, and wagging their heads. Wherefore it is said: “And they that passed by railed on Him, wagging their heads and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple.”
TheophylactFor the passers by blasphemed Christ, reproaching Him as a seducer. But the devil moved them to bid Him come down from the Cross; for he knew that salvation was being won by the Cross, therefore he again proceeded to tempt Christ, so that if He came down from the Cross, he might be certain that He is not truly the Son of God, and so the salvation, which is by the Cross, might be done away. But He being truly the Son of God, did not come down; for if He ought to have come down, He would not have ascended there at all; but since He saw that in this way salvation must be effected, He underwent the crucifixion, and many other sufferings, unto the finishing of His work. It goes on: “Likewise also the Chief Priests mocking said among themselves with the Scribes, He saved others, himself he cannot save.” They said this, to do away with His miracles, as though those which He had done were but the semblance of them, for by working miracles He saved many.
BedeThus also they confess, though against their will, that He saved many. Therefore your words condemn you, for He who saved others could have saved Himself. It goes on: “Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.”
Pseudo-Jerome: Afterwards they saw Him arise from the grave, though they would not believe that He could come down from the tree of the Cross. Where, O Jews, is your lack of faith? Your own selves I appeal to; your own selves I bring as judges. How much more wonderful is it that a dead man should arise, than that one yet living should choose to come down from the cross. Ye asked but small things, till greater should have come to pass; but your want of faith could not be healed by signs much greater than those for which you sought. Here “all have gone out of the way, all are become abominable.” [Ps 13:3] Wherefore it goes on: “And they that were crucified with Him reviled.”
Augustine, de. Con. Evan. 3, 16: How can this be, when according to Luke one only reviled Him, but was rebuked by the other who believed on God; unless we understand that Matthew and Mark, who touched but slightly on this place, put the plural for the singular number?
TheophylactOr else, both at first reviled Him, then one recognizing Him as innocent, rebukes the other for blaspheming Him.
Lecture 6
33. And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?
35. And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, “Behold, he calleth Elias.”
36. And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink, saying, “Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.”
37. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
BedeThis most glorious light took away its rays from the world, lest it should see the Lord hanging, and lest the blasphemers should have the benefit of its light. Wherefore it goes on: “And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.”
Augustine, de. Con. Evan. 3, 17: Luke added to this account the cause of the darkness, that is, the darkening of the sun.
TheophylactIf this had been the time for an eclipse, some one might have said that this which happened was natural, but it was the fourteenth moon, when no eclipse can take place. There follows: “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.”
Pseudo-Jerome: At the ninth hour, the tenth piece of money which had been lost is found, by the overturning of the house.
BedeFor when Adam sinned, it is also written that he heard the voice of the Lord, walking in paradise, in the cool after mid-day [Gen 3:8]; and in that hour when the first Adam by sinning brought death into the world, in that same hour the second Adam by dying destroyed death. And we must observe, that our Lord was crucified, when the sun was going away from the center of the world; but at sunrise He celebrated the Mysteries of His Resurrection; because He died for our sins, but rose again for our justification. Nor need you wonder at the lowliness of His words, at the complaints as of one forsaken, when you look on the offense of the cross, knowing the form of a servant. For as hunger, and thirst, and fatigue were not things proper to the Divinity, but bodily afflictions; so His saying, “Why hast Thou forsaken me?” was proper to a bodily voice, for the body is never naturally wont to wish to be separated from the life which is joined to it. For although our Saviour Himself said this, He really shewed the weakness of His body; He spoke therefore as man, bearing about with Him my feelings, for when placed in danger we fancy that we are deserted by God.
TheophylactOr, He speaks this as man crucified by God for me, for we men have been forsaken by the Father, but He never has. For hear what He says; “I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” [John 16:32] Though He may also have said this as being a Jew, according to the flesh, as though He had said, Why hast thou forsaken the Jewish people, so that they have crucified Thy Son? For as we sometimes say, God has put on me, that is, my human nature, so here also we must understand “Thou hast forsaken me,” to mean my nature, or the Jewish people. It goes on: “And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.”
BedeThese however I suppose were Roman soldiers who did not understand the peculiarity of the Hebrew tongue, but, from His calling Eloi, thought that Elias was called by Him. But if the Jews are understood to have said this, they must be supposed to do this, as accusing Him of folly in calling for the aid of Elias. It goes on: “And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take Him down.” John shews more fully the reason why the vinegar was given to the Lord to drink, saying, that Jesus said, “I thirst,” [John 19:28] that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. They however applied a sponge full of vinegar to His mouth.
Pseudo-Jerome: Here he points out a similitude for the Jews; a sponge on a reed, weak, dry, fit for burning; they fill it with vinegar, that is, with wickedness and guile.
AugustineMatthew has not related, that the man who brought the sponge filled with vinegar, but that the others spoke about Elias; from whence we gather that both said it.
Pseudo-Jerome: Though the flesh was weak, yet the heavenly voice, which said, “Open me the gates of righteousness,” [Ps 117:19] waxed strong. Wherefore there follows: “And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.” We who are of the earth die with a very low voice, or with no voice at all; but He who descended from heaven breathed His last with a loud voice.
TheophylactHe who both rules over death and commands it dies with power, as its Lord. But what this voice was is declared by Luke: “Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit.” For Christ would have us understand by this, that from that time the souls of the saints go up into the hands of God. For at first the souls of all were held in hell, till He came, who preached the opening of the prison to the captives.