THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
God, who communicated in various manners and at different times to our ancestors through the prophets, has in these latter days spoken to us through His Son, whom He has designated as heir of all things and through whom He created the ages (Heb. 1:1-2). Some, who rightly recognized that the Son is truly God, willingly humbled Himself, taking on flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:14), and received His precious and divine grace. The Scripture affirms, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Conversely, others who rejected the Savior’s life-giving teachings lost their hope and tragically faced destruction for having shamefully denied the Redeemer of all.
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Such were the unfortunate Jews, lamented by the prophet Jeremiah, who exclaimed, “Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep for the slain of the daughter of my people!” (Jeremiah 9:1). They had the potential to be honored and to serve as an example; however, bereft of true joy, were they not rendered unworthy of being listed among the living? The prophet mourned for them out of love and compassion, shedding tears for their condition. Thus, there exists no good left among them, and wayward Israel has collapsed from its very foundations; for Christ has turned to the Gentiles, while the obstinate Jews are scarcely saved in the barest number. This is prophetically expressed by Isaiah: “Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah” (Isaiah 1:9).
Moreover, the power of the law can be discerned even from the words of Moses in the book of Deuteronomy, where it is stated: “If anyone is found slain in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess, lying in the field, and it is not known who killed him, then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance to the cities which are around the slain man. And it shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man, the elders of that city shall take a heifer which has never been worked and which has not pulled with a yoke; and the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and there they shall kill the heifer in the valley. Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister to Him and to bless in the name of the Lord. And by their word every controversy and every assault shall be settled” (Deuteronomy 21:1-9). For our sake, Immanuel was afflicted and died for our transgressions, as revealed in the Scriptures, suffering in the land of Judah and outside the gates of Jerusalem. Yet, those who perpetrated the crime did not comprehend it nor understood how or in what way it was executed. Why does the law say it this way? The actions against Christ are undeniably the result of the Jews' malevolence. They led Him to Pontius Pilate and condemned themselves, shouting out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” (John 19:6) and again insisted, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend!” (John 19:12). His divinely inspired disciples boldly testified before God and His heavenly Father regarding their cruelty, declaring, “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together” (Acts 4:27). Blessed Peter flatly reproached the people of Judea, stating that “the Prince of Life you killed, whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 3:14-15).
Why does the law assert that they did not know the one who had killed? These utterances carry a deep mystery, comprehensible only to those who grasp the truth about Christ; the Jewish leaders and those complicit in their malevolent decision believed they had prevailed over Christ contrary to His will. They attributed their actions to their own stubbornness, rejoicing as though they were victors, oblivious to the fact that He willingly endured suffering, submitting to the Father’s will, and offered Himself for our sake. He stated explicitly to Pilate, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11). Thus, the Father permitted the Son to be given over and, in a manner of speaking, allowed the martyrdom of Immanuel. In the Psalms, Christ is depicted as saying to His heavenly Father about the Jews' wickedness, “Those whom You smite, they are in rebellion; and the suffering of those smitten by You is greater” (Psalm 68:27). Let not the murderer of the Lord take pride in themselves. They did not conquer Christ through their own strength; rather, let them learn the true lesson from Moses: they did not recognize the identity of the one who killed. Behold Immanuel wounded in the land of Judah. This sacred mystery was fulfilled in those events, not because of them, but rather it remains revered among the Gentiles.