On the evening of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday Matins, or the service of the 12 Gospels, as this service is usually called, is celebrated. This entire service is dedicated to the reverent remembrance of the saving suffering and death on the cross of the God-Man. Every hour of this day there is a new deed of the Savior, and the echo of these deeds is heard in every word of the service.

In it, the Church reveals to believers the full picture of the Lord’s suffering, starting from the bloody sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane to the Calvary crucifixion. Taking us mentally through past centuries, the Church, as it were, brings us to the very foot of the cross of Christ and makes us reverent spectators of all the torment of the Savior. Believers listen to the Gospel stories with lighted candles in their hands, and after each reading through the mouths of the singers they thank the Lord with the words: “Glory to Your long-suffering, Lord!” After each reading of the Gospel, the bell is struck accordingly.

Passion Gospels: 1) John 13:31-18:1 (The Savior’s farewell conversation with his disciples and His prayer at the Last Supper). 2) John 18:1-28 (The taking of the Savior into custody in the Garden of Gethsemane and His suffering before the high priest Annas). 3) Matthew 26:57-75 (The Savior’s suffering at the hands of the high priest Caiaphas and Peter’s denial). 4) John 18:28-40, 19:1-16 (The Lord’s suffering at Pilate’s trial). 5) Matthew 27:3-32 (Despair of Judas, new suffering of the Lord under Pilate and condemnation to crucifixion). 6) Mark 15:16-32 (The Lord’s Path to Calvary and His Passion on the Cross). 7) Matthew 27:34-54 (About the Lord’s suffering on the cross; the miraculous signs that accompanied His death). 8) Luke 23:23-49 (The Savior’s prayer for enemies and repentance prudent robber). 9) John 19:25-37 (Words of the Savior from the cross to the Mother of God and the Apostle John, death and perforation of the rib). 10) Mark 15:43-47 (The Descent of the Lord's Body from the Cross). 11) 19:38-42 (Nicodemus and Joseph bury Christ). 12) Matthew 27:62-66 (Putting guards at the tomb of the Savior).

In between the Gospels, antiphons are sung that express indignation at the betrayal of Judas, the lawlessness of the Jewish leaders and the spiritual blindness of the crowd. “What reason made you, Judas, a traitor to the Savior? - it says here. - Did He excommunicate you from the apostolic presence? Or did He deprive you of the gift of healing? Or, while celebrating the Supper with the others, He did not allow you to join the meal? Or He washed others’ feet, but despised yours “Oh, how many blessings have you, ungrateful one, been rewarded with?” And then, as if on behalf of the Lord, the choir addresses the ancient Jews:

“My people, what have I done to you or how have I offended you? I opened the sight of your blind, I cleansed the lepers, I raised up a man on a bed. My people, what have I done to you and what have you repaid Me: gall for manna, gall for water [in the desert] - vinegar, instead of loving Me, they nailed Me to the cross; I will not tolerate you anymore, I will call My people, and they will glorify Me with the Father and the Spirit, and I will give them eternal life."

After the sixth Gospel and the reading of the “blessed” with troparia, the canon of the three hymns follows, conveying in a condensed form the last hours of the Savior’s stay with the apostles, the denial of Peter and the torment of the Lord, and the thrice luminary is sung. We present here the irmos of this canon.

Song one:

“To You, the Morning One, who has immutably exhausted mercy for Yourself, and who has bowed down to the passions, the Word of God, grant peace to those who have fallen, O Lover of Mankind.”

“I dedicate the morning to You to the Word of God. Remaining unchanged, You humbled Yourself out of mercy [to us] and dispassionately condescended to endure torment. Give peace to me, the fallen, O Lover of Mankind.”

Song eight:

“The Divine Children have denounced the pillar of malice against God; but on Christ the tottering congregation of lawless people advises in vain, the belly of the One who holds the length is taught to kill. All creation will bless Him, glorifying him forever.”

“The pious youths [in Babylon] dishonored the pillar with the abominable [idol], and the band of lawless [principals] raging against Christ are plotting in vain, intending to kill Him who holds life in His hand, whom all creation blesses, glorifying forever.”

Song nine:

“We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption.”

“More revered than the Cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, who painlessly gave birth to God the Word, the true Mother of God, we magnify You.”

After the canon, the choir sings a touching exapostilary, in which the repentance of the robber is remembered.

“You have made heaven worthy of the prudent thief in one hour, O Lord, and enlighten me with the tree of the cross and save me.”

“You immediately honored the prudent thief with heaven, O Lord! And enlighten me with the tree of the cross and save me.”

Before the end of the service (dismissal), the choir sings the troparion: "Thou hast redeemed us from the legal oath(You delivered us from the curses of the [Old Testament] law) I was nailed to the cross with Your honorable blood and pierced with a spear; Thou hast exuded immortality upon man, O our Savior, glory to Thee."

There is an ancient custom after the last Gospel not to extinguish your candle, but to bring it home burning and with its flame make small crosses at the top of each door of the house (to keep the house from all evil, Ex. 12:22). The same candle is used to light the lamp in front of the icons.

Maundy Thursday. Sermon by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

Before us is a picture of what happened to the Savior out of love for us; He could have avoided all this if only he had retreated, if only he had wanted to save Himself and not complete the work for which He came!.. Of course, then He would not have been Who He really was; He would not be Divine love incarnate, He would not be our Savior; but at what price does love cost!

Christ spends one terrible night face to face with coming death; and He struggles with this death, which comes at Him inexorably, just as a man struggles before death. But usually a person simply dies helplessly; something more tragic was happening here.

Christ had previously said to his disciples: No one takes life from me - I give it freely... And so He freely, but with what horror, gave it away... The first time He prayed to the Father: Father! If this can pass me by - yes blowjob!.. and fought. And the second time He prayed: Father! If Not this cup may pass Me by - let it be... And only for the third time, after a new struggle, He could say: Thy will be done...

We must think about this: it always - or often - seems to us that it was easy for Him to give His life, being God who became man: but He, our Savior, Christ, dies as a Man: not by His immortal Divinity, but by His humanity , a living, truly human body...

And then we see the crucifixion: how He was killed with a slow death and how He, without one word of reproach, surrendered to torment. The only words He addressed to the Father about the tormentors were: Father, forgive them - they do not know What are creating...

This is what we must learn: in the face of persecution, in the face of humiliation, in the face of insults - in the face of a thousand things that are far, far removed from the very thoughts about death, we must look at the person who offends us, humiliates us, wants to destroy us, and turn our souls to God and say: Father, forgive them: they do not know what they are doing, they do not understand the meaning of things...

The final trial of Jesus Christ by Pilate. (Chapter from the “Law of God” by Archpriest Seraphim Slobodsky)

When the Lord Jesus Christ was again brought to Pilate, many people, rulers and elders, had already gathered at the praetorium. Pilate, having called the high priests, rulers and people, said to them: “You brought this Man to me as one who corrupts the people; and so I examined you, and did not find Him guilty of anything of which you accuse Him. I sent Him to Herod, and Herod also found nothing in Him worthy of death. So, it’s better, I will punish Him and let Him go.” It was the custom of the Jews to release one prisoner, chosen by the people, for the Passover holiday. Pilate, taking advantage of this opportunity, said to the people: “You have a custom that I release one prisoner to you for Easter; do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Pilate was sure that the people would ask Jesus, because he knew that the leaders betrayed Jesus Christ out of envy and malice.

While Pilate was sitting in the judgment seat, his wife sent him to say: “Do not do anything to that righteous man, because now in a dream I have suffered a lot for Him.”

Meanwhile, the high priests and elders taught the people to ask for the release of Barabbas. Barabbas was a robber who was put in prison with his accomplices for causing outrage and murder in the city. Then the people, taught by the elders, began to shout: “Release Barabbas to us!”

Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, went out and, raising his voice, said: “Whom do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?” Everyone shouted: “Not Him, but Barabbas!” Then Pilate asked them: “What do you want me to do with Jesus, who is called Christ?” They shouted: “Let him be crucified!” Pilate said to them again, “What evil has He done?” I did not find anything worthy of death in Him. So, having punished Him, I will release Him." But they shouted even more loudly: "Crucify Him! Let him be crucified!" Then Pilate, thinking of arousing compassion for Christ among the people, ordered the soldiers to beat Him. The soldiers took Jesus Christ into the courtyard and, undressing Him, beat Him severely. Then for weeks He wore a scarlet robe (short red robe without sleeves, fastened on the right shoulder ) and, weaving a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head, and gave Him a reed in His right hand, instead of the royal scepter. And they began to mock Him, bowed to Him and said: “Hail, King of the Jews.” at Him and, taking a reed, beat Him on the head and on the face.

After this, Pilate went out to the Jews and said: “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, so that you may know that I do not find any guilt in Him.”

Then Jesus Christ came out wearing a crown of thorns and a scarlet robe.

Pilate said to them: “Here is a man!” With these words, Pilate seemed to want to say: “look how He is tormented and mocked,” thinking that the Jews would take pity on Him. But these were not the enemies of Christ. When the high priests and ministers saw Jesus Christ, they shouted: “Crucify Him!”

Pilate says to them: “Take Him and crucify Him, but I find no guilt in Him.”

The Jews answered him: “We have a law, and according to our law He must die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”

Hearing such words, Pilate became even more frightened. He entered the praetorium with Jesus Christ and asked Him: “Where are you from?”

But the Savior did not give him an answer. Pilate says to Him: “Do you not answer me? Do you not know that I have the power to crucify You and the power to release You?”

Then Jesus Christ answered him: “You would not have had any power over Me if it had not been given to you from above; therefore, the greater sin is on the one who betrayed Me to you.”

After this answer, Pilate became even more willing to free Jesus Christ. But the Jews shouted: “If you let Him go, you are not a friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself a king is an enemy of Caesar.” Pilate, having heard such words, decided it was better to put an innocent Man to death than to expose himself to the royal disfavor. Then Pilate brought Jesus Christ out, sat down on the seat of judgment, which was on the lyphostoton, and said to the Jews: “Here is your King!” But they shouted: “Take and crucify Him!” Pilate says to them: “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests answered: “We have no king except Caesar.”

Pilate, seeing that nothing was helping, and the confusion was increasing, took water, washed his hands in front of the people and said: “I am not guilty of shedding the blood of this Righteous One; see you” (i.e., let this guilt fall on you).

Answering him, all the Jewish people said in one voice: “His blood be on us and on our children.” So the Jews themselves accepted responsibility for the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on themselves and even on their descendants. Then Pilate released the robber Barabbas to them, and handed Jesus Christ over to them to be crucified.

On Thursday of Holy Week in the evening, the Matins of Good Friday is followed with the reading of the Twelve Passion Gospels. This service contains readings and chants that are profound in their meaning and edification, and careful consideration of which will bring the greatest benefit.

Accompanying her Bridegroom to Calvary, the Church provides the narrative to the Evangelists, and in the intervals between readings it itself sings and interprets what is read.

The Passion takes place on the night from Thursday to Friday. This night is the Gethsemane night of the Savior, not yet crucified, but already betrayed and soul plunged into mortal sorrow and anguish. On Easter night, when all the peaceful inhabitants of Jerusalem were in deep sleep, only the high priests and elders of the people could not sleep because of the gloomy thought that tormented their souls: “How to kill the Innocent One.” They waited impatiently for Judas Iscariot to fulfill his promise and when, finally, the inexorable Accuser, Jesus Christ, would be in their hands.

Friday of Holy Week in ancient Christian monuments is called “Great Friday”, “the day of salvation par excellence”, “Easter of the Cross”, “day of the Cross”, “day of suffering”. The remembrance of Christ's saving death on this day dates back to apostolic times. Since ancient times, the veneration of this day has been distinguished by the fact that everyone revered “the day when the Bridegroom was taken away.” The Church treated strictly those who broke the fast on this day. In churches on this day, resolution was performed on the penitents who were under penance, which emphasized that our sins are forgiven solely for the sake of the atoning and saving Sacrifice of Christ the Savior. In some places, services on Good Friday were held outside the city in memory of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ, as the apostle noted, outside the gates I deigned to suffer(Heb. 13 , 12).

In the Good Friday service, as in a strikingly sad picture, the entire Gospel story of the suffering and death of our Lord is depicted: this is a sequential description of the Savior’s Way of the Cross from the moment of the kiss and betrayal by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane to the crucifixion on Golgotha ​​and burial in the garden of Joseph of Arimathea. On this day, the Holy Church brings us to the very foot of the Cross of Christ, erected on Calvary, and makes us reverent spectators of all the torment of the Savior. “The terrible and glorious sacrament is now being seen in action: the intangible is held back; it binds, absolves Adam from the oath; he tests the hearts and bellies, he is unjustly tested; he is shut up in prison, He who shuts the abyss; Pilate stands before him, and the heavenly powers stand before him with trembling; the Creator is strangled by the hand of the creature; on the tree is condemned, judge the living and the dead; the destroyer of hell lies in the tomb" (TP. L. 461). “On Holy and Great Friday,” says the Holy Church in the Synaxarion, “we commit holy and saving and terrible passions, the Lord and God of our Savior Jesus Christ, even for our sake he received: spitting, beating, strangling, vexation, ridicule, scarlet clothing, a cane, a lip, a sett, a nail, a spear, and to this end, the cross and death, which all happened on the heel" (TP. L. 443).

Following the words of the Savior spoken on the night before His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane: Watch and pray, so you don’t fall into misfortune(Matt. 26 , 41), the Church, wanting us to spend this terrible night in vigil and prayer, begins “following the holy and saving passion of Christ our Lord Jesus Christ” the day before, from Thursday to Friday (in fact, if you follow the daily cycle of worship, which starts every day the evening before, this is understandable). The custom of reading the Gospel stories about the sufferings of the Lord on Good Friday exists in Orthodox Church from the beginning of its foundation. According to the words of St. John Chrysostom, this touching gospel is carried out so that “the unbelievers—the pagans—could not say that we preach only about the glorious and notable deeds of Christ, such as signs and wonders, and hide the shameful things.” “On the Day of the Cross,” says the same saint, “we read everything related to the Cross. The grace of the Holy Spirit has arranged it in such a way that everything related to the suffering of the Lord is read with us on a national holiday, namely, on the Great Evening of Easter.” In the hymns placed between the readings of the Gospels, the Holy Church speaks about the terrible events relating to this time and reveals their spiritual meaning. In the Church of Jerusalem in the first centuries of Christianity, this service was performed all night and the Gospel was read in five places: on the Mount of Olives, where the Lord taught the disciples before His suffering, in Gethsemane, where He was taken, and on Golgotha, where He was crucified. In the darkness of the night, with lamps in their hands, believers walked in the footsteps of the Lord in unceasing prayer.

Let us also follow the church hymns that lead us in the footsteps of the Savior, and delve into the meaning of what is happening in the temple. “Having listened carefully to the story of the suffering of Jesus Christ,” says Archpriest Valentin Amfitheatrov, “you will understand that<...>sins created the cross. The nails with which He was nailed are our sins, the thorns from which His crown was woven are all our sins!” “Everything that happened on the tree of the cross,” writes St. Gregory the Theologian, “was a healing for our weakness.<...>Therefore, tree for tree and hands for hand, hands courageously outstretched for the hand that was intemperately extended, hands nailed for the hand that cast out Adam. Therefore, ascension to the cross is for a fall, gall is for eating, a crown of thorns is for evil dominion, death is for death, darkness is for burial and returning to the earth for light." And St. Athanasius the Great explains: "If Jesus Christ came for this in order to bear our mortal sins and our curse, then in what other way could He take the curse upon Himself?<…>if he had not suffered the death reserved for the damned? And this is the Cross, for it is written: cursed before God[any] hanged[on the tree] (Deut. 21 , 23)" .

Reading the 12 Passion Gospels

This reading is compiled from all four Evangelists. The chants of 15 antiphons in the intervals between readings only complement and clarify the course of the Gospel events. The entire service, except for the Gospel readings, is sung as a sign of great spiritual triumph. The Gospel readings were chosen to highlight the suffering of the Savior from different angles and to present their successive stages.

Before showing Christ bloodied, naked, crucified and buried, the Holy Church shows us the image of the God-man in all His greatness and beauty. Believers must know Who is being sacrificed, Who will endure “spitting, and beatings, and strangling, and the cross, and death”: Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him...(In. 13 , 31). To comprehend the depth of Christ’s humiliation, one must understand, as far as this is possible for a mortal man, His height and His Divinity. The First Gospel of the Holy Passion is therefore, as it were, a verbal icon of God the Word reclining at the “Easter of the Crucifixion” and ready to die. Seeing the immeasurable humiliation of her Lord and Savior, the Church at the same time beholds His glory. Already first gospel begins with the words of the Savior about His glorification: Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. This glory, like a kind of light-like cloud, envelops the exalted Cross now standing before us. Like once Mount Sinai and the ancient tabernacle, it surrounds Golgotha. And the stronger the sorrow that the Gospel story tells about, the stronger the glorification of Christ sounds in hymns.

The essence of God is love, therefore it is glorified even in the suffering of the Savior. The glory of love is its sacrifice. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends(In. 15 , 13). Christ lays down His soul for His friends and calls them: You are my friends(In. 15 , 14). The Lord brought people complete knowledge. The fullness of the Divine dwelling in Him bodily through the unity of those who love in Him reveals knowledge about the most important and valuable thing - about God. Those who love one another in Christ receive a revelation of the essence of God. For, abiding in Christ's love, they thereby abide in the Trinitarian Godhead. He who loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him(In. 14 , 23). With the coming of the Father the Holy Spirit is sent down, which comes from the Father and testifies of the Son (cf.: Jn. 15 , 26).

However, it is impossible to love when you are alone. Therefore, the image of God is reflected in human society - in the Church of Christ. The hymns call us to common prayer and to the general glorification of the Lord in order to perceive together “the Holy Passover, which is sacred in us”: “Let us hear all the faithful, convening with high preaching, the uncreated and natural wisdom of God, crying out: taste and understand, as Christ I, cry: gloriously glorified is Christ our God" (TP. L. 424). “Christ established the world, Heavenly and Divine Bread. Come then, lovers of Christ, with mortal lips and pure hearts, let us faithfully eat Easter, which is celebrated in us” (TP. L. 423).

So, the unity of God is reflected in the unity of the Church, and vice versa. Jesus Christ prays for him in His bishop’s prayer: That they all may be one: as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us; and the world also has faith, because You sent Me. And I have given the glory to Me, I have given it to them, that they may be one, as We are one. I am in them, and You are in Me: that they may be perfect in one, and that the world may understand that You sent Me and loved them as You loved Me.(In. 17 , 21-23). What meaning does the Church give to the reading of this Gospel? This text leads us to the recognition of the internal connection of the doctrine of the personality of Christ as the God-man, of the Church as the body of the God-man, and of the nature of the Divinity as the consubstantial (omousia) of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In addition, the above prayer is a prayer for salvation, for to abide in the Father and the Son means to be saved.

Emphasizing the importance of the Gospels being read and the entire service of Holy Week, church hymns encourage us to be especially attentive and focused, leaving at least for a while care everyday: “Let us present our pure feelings to Christ, and as His friends, let us devour our souls for His sake, and not be oppressed by the cares of this world, like Judas, but in our cages let us cry out: Our Father, who is in heaven, deliver us from the evil one” (TP. L. 436).

Having prompted us to pay special attention, the Holy Church again in her hymns glorifies the wife who anointed the Lord with chrism, and cites as an example the betrayal of the wicked money-lover Judas, reminding us that the root of all evil is the love of money(1 Tim. 6 , 10): “Let us serve the mercy of God, like Mary at the supper, and not acquire the love of money, like Judas: that we may always be with Christ our God.

With thirty pieces of silver, Lord, and with a flattering kiss, I ask the Jews to kill Thee. But the lawless Judas did not want to understand" (TP. L. 436).

In the following antiphons, the lesson of humility is again heard, the washing of the feet by the Savior is again recalled: “In Your washing, Christ God, You commanded Your disciple: do this as you see. But the lawless Judas did not want to understand” (TP. L. 437). Further, the need to stay awake is again spoken of: “Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune, as you said to your disciple, Christ our God. But the lawless Judas did not want to understand” (TP. L. 437), since in the next Gospel it will be read about the treacherous taking of the Savior into custody. The topic of spiritual wakefulness is very important. Directly these words of the Savior are addressed to His disciples, but through them - to all Christians. Since Peter turned out to be too bold in his words, as well as the other disciples, Christ exposes their instability as people who spoke rashly, and especially turns his speech to Peter, saying that it will be difficult to remain faithful to the Lord for those who could not stay awake for even one hour . But, having denounced him, he again calms them down, because they dozed off not out of inattention to Him, but out of weakness. And if we see our weakness, we will pray so as not to fall into temptation. All Christians are called to this constant spiritual vigilance; without this constant bearing of their Cross there can be no salvation, for Through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God(Acts 14 , 22). That’s why we hear again: “Having set thirty pieces of silver, the price of the Precious One, He was valued by the children of Israel. Watch and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation; for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak: for this sake, watch” (TP. L. 439).

But the reading of the second Passion Gospel, which tells about the taking of the Savior into custody, is approaching. The solemn procession of ancient Christians spending Holy Week in the Holy Land was at that moment approaching the Garden of Gethsemane, where the betrayal took place. Therefore, in order to remind those praying that the Lord suffers for our sake and that everything happened according to the indescribable Divine Providence, The Holy Church sings: “At the supper the disciples fed, and knew the pretense of tradition; at it you denounced Judas, for you were uncorrected for this; although everyone knew, for you gave yourself up to your will, so that you snatched away the world from the alien: long-suffering, glory to You” (TP. L. 437).

Having thus prepared those praying for a correct understanding of what they read, the Church offers to our attention second Passion Gospel , which talks about the capture of the Savior by the soldiers of the high priest under the leadership of Judas the traitor, about the denial of Peter, about the strangulation of Jesus in the courtyard of Caiaphas and about His imprisonment in the praetorium of Pontius Pilate.

The antiphons that follow the reading of the Gospel again dwell on the fall of Judas: “Today Judas leaves the Teacher, and accepts the devil, is blinded by the passion of the love of money, the darkened Light falls away: for what it is possible to see, the Luminary selling for thirty pieces of silver; but to us the One who suffered for the world has risen. : suffered and compassionate man, Lord, glory to Thee" (TP. L. 437). It is obvious that it is no coincidence that so much attention is paid to the vice of the love of money and the act of Judas. The Holy Fathers speak very decisively on this matter. “Whoever began to serve mammon has already abandoned serving Christ.” That is why this topic arises again and again: “Today Judas feigns piety, and his talents are alienated, this disciple becomes a traitor: flattery covers up in an ordinary kiss, and he prefers the Lord to love, it makes no sense to work for the love of money, a teacher who was a leader of a wicked congregation; but we have the salvation of Christ, let us glorify him" (TP. L. 437-438). In contrast to the act of Judas, Christ’s faithful followers are called to virtues that are opposite to his sinful illness: “Let us acquire brotherly love as brethren in Christ, and not as an unmerciful hedgehog towards our neighbors: lest we be condemned as an unmerciful servant, for the sake of penalties, and like Judas, having repented, we take advantage of nothing.” "(TP. L. 438).

Turning the Savior's speech to His disciples, the Holy Church in the following antiphons again encourages and strengthens the followers of Christ in this hard times; But we, separated from the events described in the Gospel for centuries, are moved to patience and perseverance in temptations: “Today the Creator of heaven and earth said to His disciple: The hour is approaching, and Judas will betray Me, so that no one will deny Me, seeing Me on the cross in the midst of the two thief : For I suffer as a man, and as a Lover of mankind I will save, those who believe in Me... Lord, having come to free passion, you cried out to Your disciple: even if you were not able to watch with Me for a single hour, how you promised to die for My sake, see how; does not sleep, but strives to betray Me to the wicked. Arise, pray, so that no one will deny Me, in vain I am on the cross, long-suffering, glory to You" (TP. L. 438).

Reading third Passion Gospel , which tells how the Savior in the courtyard of the high priest Caiaphas Himself testifies to Himself as the Son of God and accepts strangulation and spitting for this testimony. The renunciation of the Apostle Peter and his repentance are also depicted here. The antiphons that follow the Gospel emphasize that the Divine Sufferer endures these torments voluntarily - for the sake of the salvation of His creation: “When you ate the lawless, while you endured thee, you cried out to the Lord: if you also smite the Shepherd, and scatter twelve sheep, my disciples, you can imagine greater things than twelve legions.” angels. But I am long-suffering, that what My prophets have revealed to you may be fulfilled, unknown and secret: Lord, glory to Thee" (TP. L. 438-439).

The seventh antiphon speaks of the Apostle Peter: “Peter rejected three times what was spoken to him in his mind, but bring to You tears of repentance: God, cleanse me and save me” (TP. L. 439). Here we briefly talk about events that have a very deep, enduring moral significance. Obsessed with fear, Peter forgot about his promises to the Teacher and submitted to human weakness. But there is also a higher meaning in this event. Peter is convicted of a servant, that is, of human weakness, this little slave. The rooster means the word of Jesus, which does not allow us to sleep. The awakened Peter came out of the bishop's courtyard, that is, from a state of blinded mind, and began to cry. While he was in the courtyard of the blinded mind, he did not cry because he had no feeling; but as soon as he came out of it, he came to his senses.

The theme of repentance is very important, and in the hymns of Holy Week it is revealed more clearly than anywhere else. According to the holy fathers, if even the evil Judas could fall before the Cross of Christ and bring sincere repentance for betrayal, he would hear from the most pure lips of the Lord: “Your sins are forgiven.” However, “lawless Judas did not want to understand” God’s mercy. He did not turn, like the Apostle Peter, to the good and merciful Lord. The traitor came to the Pharisees, but did not find sympathy from them. Throwing them pieces of silver, he went and hanged himself - a terrible end!

What lesson can an Orthodox Christian learn from the denial of the Apostle Peter? Many probably asked the question: how could he renounce the Savior? And how do we renounce every minute in word and deed?.. Love of sin keeps us from following Christ and makes our dead soul who does not know Christ.

In the eighth antiphon, the stiff-necked Jews are reproached for not recognizing in Christ their Messiah and Law-giver: “Cry out the iniquities that you hear from our Savior; lay down not the law, and the prophetic teachings; how have you thought to betray Pilate, who is from God, the God of the Word, and deliverer our souls" (TP. L. 439). Those to whom the Law and the Prophets were given, those who saw so many miracles, did not recognize their Savior and their Messiah: “Let those who continually enjoy the cry of Thy gifts be crucified, and accept the evildoer instead of the benefactor, the murderers of the righteous: but Christ was silent, enduring their severity, to suffer even though they save us, as a Lover of Mankind" (TP. L. 439).

It's time to read fourth Passion Gospel . It describes the dialogue between the Savior and Pilate, the scourging of the Lord, His clothing with a crown of thorns and scarlet robe, the mad cries of the crowd: “Crucify, crucify Him!” and handing Him over to be crucified. Once again, already at the threshold of death, He testifies to Himself as the Truth, to which unbelieving skepticism in the person of Pilate replies: “What is truth?” and betrays Christ to torture and outrage.

What is striking in this Gospel passage is the cry of the crowd, thirsting for the death of their Creator: “Let those who ever enjoy the cry of Thy gifts be crucified, and let the villain instead of the benefactor be accepted by the benefactor, the murderers of the righteous” (TP. L. 439). The Lord performed so many miracles throughout the history of the Israeli people, and the majority of these people did not accept Him: “This saith the Lord to the Jews: My people, what have I done to you, or what cold have you suffered? . My people, what have I done to you: and what will you repay Me for manna, gall: for water, for loving Me, nail Me to the cross!..” (TP. L. 440). And if only he had not accepted... His blood be on us and on our children (Matt. 27 , 25)… What terrible words!.. And with what insane frivolity the people pronounce them. The Blood of the Righteous One, which he accepted upon himself, burned the cities with fire, delivered the Israelites into the hands of their enemies and finally scattered them over the face of the earth... But we accept this same Blood in the sacrament of Holy Communion, for us it is the source of immortality and Eternal Life... But His Blood will also be on us, and on our children, to condemnation and destruction, if even after we have been renewed by this most holy Blood, we continue to commit the same sins.

But here, in the midst of terrible sorrow, the words of church hymn are heard put into the mouth of the Savior: “To those who do not tolerate anything else, I will call on My tongues, and they will glorify Me with the Father and the Spirit: and I will give them eternal life” (TP. L. 440). This speaks of the Holy Church of Christ, which will also be gathered from sheep, not even the essence of this court. But and you must be brought to Me, and My voice will be heard, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd(In. 10 , 16).

The next, tenth and eleventh, antiphons mention the terrible natural phenomena that accompanied the suffering of Christ. If people turn out to be insensitive, then inanimate nature cannot help but sympathize with its Creator: “Clad yourself in light like a robe, standing naked in judgment, and receive the stress on the cheek from the hands that created them: but the iniquity of people on the cross nailed the Lord of glory: then the veil of the church was torn , the sun is darker, unable to bear the sight of God, we are annoyed, He is the one who trembles in every way, let us worship Him.

Below is the earth as if it shook, below is the stone as if it became gray, admonishing the Jews, below is the church veil, below is the resurrection of the dead. But grant them, Lord, according to their deeds, for they have learned from You in vain.

Today the church veil for exposing the lawless is torn, and the sun hides its rays, the Lord is being crucified in vain" (TP. L. 439-440).

Fifth Passion Gospel tells about the death of the traitor Judas, about the interrogation of the Lord in the praetorium of Pilate and about His condemnation to death. The thirteenth antiphon speaks of the robber-murderer Barabbas, whom the maddened crowd preferred to the Savior: “The assembly of the Jews asked Pilate to crucify You, O Lord: for You did not find guilt in You, who freed Barabbas, and You righteously condemned the sin of the foul murder that inherited” (TP L. 440). And again the Church reminds us that the Savior suffers for us: “Everyone is terrified and trembles, and every tongue sings, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, struck the priests on the cheek, and gave Him gall: and you will suffer all, to save us from our iniquities by His Blood, as a Lover of Mankind" (TP. L. 440).

Suddenly, amid the sorrow and greatness of this day, a weak human cry is heard. This is the cry of the thief, crucified at the right hand of Christ and comprehending the Divinity of the God-Man crucified with him and compassionate with him. “The thief uttered a small voice on the cross, you gained great faith, you were saved in a single moment, and the first gate of heaven opened below, who accepted repentance, Lord, glory to You” (TP. L. 441).

Like a heartfelt sigh from the whole world, the Church picks it up, and in the hearts of its faithful it grows into a whole song about the prudent thief, sung three times before the 9th Gospel: “The prudent thief, in one hour you have made heaven worthy, and enlighten me with the tree of the cross, and save me" (TP. L. 446).

The words of the last antiphon are imbued with special power: “Today he hangs on a tree, like the one who hung the earth on the waters, the King like the angels is crowned with a crown of thorns; he is clothed in a false scarlet, clothing the clouds of the sky; he is strangled, like the one who freed Adam in the Jordan; the Bridegroom of the Church is nailed with nails “The Son of the Virgin became a copy. We worship Christ with Your passion; we worship Christ with Your passion, show us Your glorious resurrection” (TP. L. 441). And here, among the sufferings darkening the consciousness, like a thin ray of light, a mention appears of what all this suffering is for: “show us your glorious resurrection!”

Having thus strengthened those praying, the Church offers reading sixth Passion Gospel , which talks about the crucifixion itself. In the hymns that follow this Gospel and immediately precede it, the saving meaning of the suffering of the God-Man is revealed: “Your cross, O Lord, is life and intercession for your people, and in hope, we sing to You, our crucified God, have mercy on us” (TP. L. 441 ). In the chants one hears: “Thou hast redeemed us from the legal oath, with Thy venerable Blood, having been nailed to the cross, and pierced with a spear, Thou hast extinguished immortality as a man, Our Savior, glory to Thee” (TP. L. 441). The Lord redeemed us, did everything for our salvation, but this salvation can only be found in the Church of Christ. Therefore, immediately after reading the Gospel story about the crucifixion, we hear comforting words about the Church, filling the whole world with Divine grace: “Thy life-giving ribs, like a fountain flowing from Eden, Thy Church, O Christ, like a verbal one, waters paradise, from here dividing like into the beginning, into the four Gospels, feeding the world, making the creation joyful, and faithfully teaching the tongues to worship Thy Kingdom" (TP. L. 442). Only in the Church, as in the ark of salvation, can one find peace and salvation from eternal death. But peace and salvation can be obtained only on the condition of following Christ: “Thou art crucified for my sake, that thou hast drained away my abandonment; thou hast pierced my ribs, and thou hast drained away the drops of life: thou hast been nailed with nails, that by the depth of Thy passions we assure the height of Thy power , I call Ti: Life-giving Christ, glory to the Savior Cross and Thy passion" (TP. L. 441). Only those who fulfill the Gospel commandment are saved: If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and come after Me.(Matt. 16 , 24).

What else can be added, what else can be usefully extracted from the proposed chants? “Thou hast torn to pieces our handwriting on the cross, O Lord, and having been counted among the dead, thou hast bound the tormentor there, delivering all from the bonds of death by Thy resurrection, by which we have been enlightened, O Lord of mankind, and we cry to Thee: remember us also, O Saviour, in Thy Kingdom” (TP L. 442).

Seventh and Eighth Passion Gospels repeat the events of the Savior's crucifixion, supplementing them with some details. After the eighth Gospel, the three-canticle of Cosmas of Maium is read, which, in particular, again speaks of the disciples of Christ. The eighth song of this three-song contains an important idea that to those who are stronger, a stronger temptation is sent: “From the disciples of every day now, shake off the sleep that thou hast said, O Christ, and watch in prayer, lest ye enter into adversity, and especially Simone: to the strongest, most powerful temptation. Understand Me, Peter: Whom will all creation bless, glorifying forever" (TP. L. 445). Further, we are reminded that we can never rely on ourselves, since only with the help of God can we do anything good: “You have not experienced all the depth of Divine wisdom and reason, but you have not comprehended the abyss of My destinies as a man, the Lord said Do not boast in your poor flesh, for you have denied Me three times, Who will bless all creation, glorifying Him forever” (TP. L. 446). Moreover, Peter was afraid not of the soldiers, but of the maids: “You deny Simone Peter, you will quickly do as you said, and one young woman will come to you and frighten you, the Lord spoke. (TP. L. 446).

The Exapostilary of the Trisong, sung just before the reading of the ninth Gospel, depicts the prudent thief who came to the knowledge of the Truth at the eleventh hour. This teaches a lesson that it is never too late to repent and come to Christ the Savior: “The prudent thief, in one hour you have made heaven worthy, and enlighten me with the tree of the cross, and save me” (TP. L. 448). Jesus receives everyone, giving the same denarius to those workers who came around the eleventh hour. Amen I say to you, today you will be with Me in heaven(OK. 23 , 43).

Reading ninth Passion Gospel , which speaks of the Savior’s dying concerns about His Mother and His death. The Lord, hanging on the cross, adopts His Mother as a son to His beloved disciple. “This was a response to Her boundless sorrow, the spectacle of which was one of the sharpest thorns of the Savior’s martyr’s crown.”

And now - “it is finished.” The Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, hanging on the cross, gave up his ghost. “My cloaks fell on the wounds, but I did not turn away My face from the spitting, I appeared before Pilate’s judgment, and endured the cross for the salvation of the world” (TP. L. 447). The work of redemption of the human race through His suffering on the cross was completed, in everything in accordance with the Old Testament prophecies and foreshadowings. Even inanimate nature could not remain indifferent to the death of its Creator. In the midst of the darkness, a strong underground rumble was heard, and the earth began to shake: “The whole creation, changing with fear, beholding You on the cross, Christ: the sun was darkened, and the foundations of the earth were shaking, all the compassion of the Creator of everything. You who endured the will of us for our sake, O Lord, glory to You” (TP L. 447).

The menacing natural phenomena have ceased. Golgotha ​​is empty. Terrible rumors began to spread throughout the city that the earthquake had damaged the temple, and the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the Sanctuary was torn from top to bottom. This event marked the completion of the Old Testament and the establishment of a new relationship between man and God.

IN tenth And Eleventh Passion Gospels tells about the burial of the Savior. The secret disciples of Christ - Joseph of Arimathea, the “noble counselor”, and Nicodemus - no longer hiding, pay their last respects to their Teacher. These Gospels, like the twelfth, relate to the events of Holy Saturday, therefore church hymns are already imbued with undisguised joy and anticipation of the Bright Resurrection of Christ: “People are taught wickedness and lawlessness; He is given over into the hands of the wicked, and the Lover of Mankind is exalted on the tree, so that even in hell he will free the captives who call: Long-suffering Lord, glory to Thee.

Lord, I ascended You to the cross, fear and trembling attacked the creation, and You forbade the earth to swallow up those who crucified You, but You commanded hell to release the prisoners, for the renewal of men, The Judge of the living and the dead, You came to give life, not death: Lover of mankind, glory to You." (TP. L. 447)

Twelfth Passion Gospel ends the story of the saving Passion of Christ. It talks about how the Jews, fearing deception from the disciples of the Lord, sealed the Tomb and placed a guard at it.

The last Passion Gospel has been read, the Lord has been laid in the tomb, Christ’s disciples have dispersed... The continuation of the holy and saving Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ ends, and with lighted candles Christians leave the church, grieving from what they have experienced, but in the depths of their souls already expecting the Resurrection.

Sequence of the Royal Hours

On Holy and Good Friday, in commemoration of deep sorrow and contrition for our sins, which raised the Only Begotten Son of God to the cross, the Holy Church established that no liturgy should be performed as a solemn service (except for coinciding with this day of the Feast of the Annunciation). But “about the second hour of the day” (that is, at 8 o’clock in the morning) the sequence of the “Holy Hours and Great Heel” takes place. The composition of this order is attributed to St. Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria (5th century), who most likely simply stated it “according to the Apostolic tradition.” This can be confirmed by the fact that information about this sequence was found in a monument dating back to the fourth century, known as the “Pilgrimage of Etheria”: “From the sixth hour to the ninth nothing happens except reading in the following order: first read from the psalms where it is said about the sufferings of the Lord, passages are read from the Epistles or from the Acts of the Apostles, where they speak about the sufferings of the Lord, also from the Gospels, places where He suffers; then passages are read from the prophets, where they say that the Lord will suffer. And so they constantly happen in this order. readings and songs are sung to show all the people<...>that nothing happened that was not foretold, and nothing was predicted that was not completely fulfilled. The readings are constantly alternated with prayers that are adapted to the day." Due to the importance of this service, from ancient times in the Greek Church, and then in the Russian, kings were usually present at it, which is why the sequence itself received the name "Royal Hours."

The hours in general represent a service that is intended for the liturgical glorification of sacred times and dates connected with the work of our salvation. From a liturgical point of view, the Hours of Great Friday are integral to the vespers of this day, which is already vespers on Holy Saturday, which emphasizes the continuity of the events of sacred history in accordance with the narrative of the Gospel. Thus, in the first hour, the condemnation of the Savior and His betrayal to Pilate are prayerfully remembered. On the third - the torment of the Lord in the praetorium of the Roman procurator; on the sixth - the crucifixion of Jesus Christ among two thieves and His suffering on the cross; on the ninth - the death of the Savior, the miraculous events that accompanied it, and the defeat of eternal death. A careful and thoughtful consideration of the sequence of the Hours of Great Friday can be of great benefit, since it, like all other services of Holy Week, reveals to us the meaning of the saving suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On first hour Mostly the events of the Gethsemane night are remembered: the capture of the Savior, the scattering of the disciples and the denial of the Apostle Peter. After the usual psalm at the first hour (Ps. 5 ) two psalms are read containing a prophecy about the futile uprising of the princes of the earth on the Lord and on His Christ(Ps. 2 , 2) and about the Savior’s suffering on the cross (Ps. 21 ). The suffering of the God-man is depicted so vividly that it cannot but amaze: All who saw Me mocked Me, saying with their lips, nodding their heads: I trust in the Lord, may He deliver Him, may He save Him, as He wills Him(Ps. 21 , 8-9); For the multitude of the wicked have taken possession of Me, they have possessed Me, they have dug up My hands and My nose, and have worn out all My bones: but they have looked upon and despised Me. You have divided My garments for yourself, and cast lots for My clothing.(vv. 17-19). The following verses (20-22) have a different character: But You, Lord, do not remove Your help from me; attend to my intercession. Deliver my soul from the weapon, and my only begotten from the hand of the dog. Save me from the mouth of the lion, and my humility from the horn of the unicorn. Further it speaks of the glory of the Lord following His humiliation: All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the tongues of the fatherland will bow before Him. For the Lord is the Kingdom and He has tongues(vv. 28-29). The Holy Church of Christ is foreshadowed, which will call all people who do not have the wealth of knowledge of God and piety: My praise comes from You, in the great church we will confess to You, I will offer my prayers before those who fear Him. The squalor will eat and be satisfied, and those who seek Him will praise the Lord; their hearts will live forever and ever.(vv. 26-27). This is a prophecy about the mysterious meal of the life-giving Body and Blood of Christ. Following the psalms, the troparion is read: “I crucify you, Christ, the torment perishes, the power of the enemy is quickly trampled: lower is an angel, lower is a man, but the Lord Himself saved us, glory to you” (TP. L. 449), which emphasizes the Divinity of the Savior . In the proverb of the first hour we hear Zechariah’s prophecy about the Savior’s betrayal to suffering and death for thirty pieces of silver (see: Zech. 11 , 10-13). With the Apostolic Reading the Church glorifies the power of the Cross: Brothers, let me not boast except about the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom the world was crucified, and to the world. In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision can do anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And the Elites live by this rule; peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God(Gal. 6 , 14-16). And the Gospel tells us about the delivery of the Savior to Pilate, about the suffering, death and removal of the Lord from the cross (see: Matt. 27 , 1-56).

In touching chants three o'clock The Church either reproaches the ungrateful Jews, then remembers the rejection and repentance of Peter, then depicts the surprise of the heavenly armies looking at the suffering of the Creator, then conveys to us the last words of the Savior Himself.

The psalms of this hour contain a prophecy of the unjust judgment of Jesus Christ: Having stood up to Me as a witness to unrighteousness, even without knowledge, I questioned Me. The reward of My wicked cart is good, and the childlessness of My soul(Ps. 34 , 11-12) and about the death of the traitor (see: Ps. 108 ). The Prokeimenon depicts the greatest submission of God the Son to the Heavenly Father: “For I am ready for wounds, and I will endure my illness before me” (TP. L. 453). In the proverb, the reading of the prophet Isaiah depicts that greatest righteous man who goes to his free death resignedly and unquestioningly: I put My cloaks on wounds and My doe on blows, but I did not turn My face away from the cold of spitting, and the Lord was My helper; For this reason I was not ashamed, but set my face like a hard stone and knew that I would not be ashamed(Isa. 50 , 6-7). By reading the Apostle, the Church reveals the mystery of the death of the God-Man, showing its cause and fruits: Christ was our weakling, but in time He died for the wicked. Hardly anyone will die for the righteous<...>God forms His love for us, since Christ died for us while we were sinners. Much more, having now been justified by His Blood, we will be saved from wrath by Him. If we had been defeated, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, and more and more, having been reconciled, we will be saved in His life(Rome. 5 , 6-10). The Gospel of Mark, as in the first hour, tells of the betrayal, suffering and death of the Lord of glory.

Depicting the work of our salvation accomplished by the Son of God, the Church, like a child-loving mother, does not leave us without teaching and offers moral lessons, teaching us to see in worship not only a prayerful remembrance of the Gospel story, but also useful for our personal salvation. Thus, in the troparions of this hour, the theme of repentance is again heard, our personal repentance, which should be kindled by the example of the Apostle Peter: “For the sake of the Jews, your friend and neighbor Peter rejected you, Lord, and cried out to you in tears: do not keep silent about my tears, for you have decided to preserve the faith generously , and do not save: accept our repentance as well, and have mercy on us" (TP. L. 453).

On six o'clock The Holy Church fixes our gaze on the image of the state of the soul of the Divine Sufferer ascended to the Cross and exhausted on it under the weight of our sins. In the psalms of this hour (see: Ps. 53 And 139 ) prophecies about the sufferings of the Savior on the cross are heard again and the glory that follows them is heard again. The words of the “Old Testament evangelist” - the prophet Isaiah, who depicted the suffering of Christ for 800 years as clearly as if he himself was standing at the cross, are stunning in their power: ...There is no form of Him lower than glory; and I saw Him, and not in the name of appearance or kindness, but His appearance was dishonorable, more debased than all the sons of men...(Isa. 53 , 2-3). Moreover, the prophet also says that the Lord’s suffering is for our sake, because of our sins and for the sake of our salvation: This one bears our sins and suffers for us<...>The same ulcer was for our sins and tormented for our iniquities, the punishment of our peace was on Him, by His ulcer we were healed<...>in His humility His judgment will be taken, and His generation will be confessed; as if His belly was lifted up from the earth, because of the iniquities of My people He was led to death<...>and was imputed with the lawless, and bore the sins of many, and was quickly betrayed for their iniquities(Isa. 53 , 4-5, 8, 12). The Old Testament reading ends with a prophecy about the many His followers saved by the suffering of the Lamb of God: Rejoice, O barren child, shout and cry, O woman without stomach pain, for many are more empty children than those who have husbands(Isa. 54 , 1), which can be understood as a foreshadowing of the Church of Christ.

The apostolic reading says that the Son of God became incarnate, let him abolish by death the power of death, that is, the devil; and he will deliver these, who have feared death through their whole life, to blame for their work<...>may the High Priest be merciful and faithful to those who come to God, to cleanse the sins of men. Having suffered in it, I myself was tempted, and perhaps I can help those who are tempted(Heb. 2 , 14-18).

Gospel narrative (see: Lk. 23 , 32-49) again describes the crucifixion, suffering and death of the Savior, but in this narrative we see repentance - the repentance of the prudent thief, the repentance of the centurion and the repentance of the people who “came together to see this spectacle.” Here we hear the words of the Savior spoken by Him from the cross: Father, let them go, they don’t know what they’re doing(OK. 23 , 34). The Lord teaches us through this love - love not only for our neighbors, but even for our enemies. Church hymns draw our attention to this Divine forgiveness, contrasting it with human malice and cruelty: “Come, Christ-bearing people, we see that Judas the traitor, with the lawless priests, conspires against our Savior: today I am guilty of death, having created the Immortal Word, and having betrayed Pilate, to crucified in the place with his forehead. And this suffering cried out to our Savior, saying: Forgive them, Father, this sin, so that the pagans from the dead will understand My resurrection" (TP. L. 456).

The following edification is offered to us in the prayer of the sixth hour, composed by St. Basil the Great. It once again says that the Lord suffered for the sake of our salvation, and we can only accept this salvation: “God and Lord of hosts, and the Creator of all creation, even for the mercy of Thy unconditional mercy, Thy only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, was sent down for the salvation of our race: and by His Honest Cross the handwriting of our sins was torn to pieces, and thereby conquering the beginnings and powers of darkness, the Lord Himself, the Lover of Mankind<...>Our souls are wounded by Thy love...” (TP. L. 456). This prayer is read not only as part of the Great Friday Hours, but throughout the entire church year, always reminding us of what the Lord has done for us.

On nine o'clock the psalms depict the actions of the crucifiers, who given, says the prophet on behalf of the Lord, for my food, gall, and for my thirst, you give me something to drink(Ps. 68, 22), and the dying prayer of the Savior (see: Ps. 69 ). The prophecy of Jeremiah, in addition to the suffering of Christ, symbolically predicts vengeance for the death of the Righteous One. The reading of the Apostle says that now those who believe in Christ have received boldness to enter into the Holy Blood of Jesus Christ, a new and living way, which He renewed for us with the veil, that is, with His flesh(Heb. 10 , 19-20). The Gospel narrative from John once again describes in detail the labor of the Cross of the Son of God. The sequence of the hours of Great Friday ends with the reading of the prayer of the ninth hour, exceptional in depth and content: “Master Lord Jesus Christ our God<...>Hanging on the life-giving tree, to the prudent thief, who made the entrance to paradise, and who destroyed death by death, cleanse us, sinners and unworthy Thy servant.<...>forgive us our sins<...>Yes<...>We will reach eternal peace, where there is a home for all who rejoice...” (TP. L. 460). The words of this prayer remind us why God the Word was incarnate, and emphasize that it is in salvation, precisely in the perception of what the Lord has done for us, and lies the meaning of our life.

Thus, the sequence of the hours of Great Heel teaches us that “everything predicted by the prophets about the suffering of the Lord turns out to be<...>accomplished" for the sake of our salvation. Such a detailed analysis of this part of the service of Holy Week shows us what great wisdom of God, preserved by the Holy Spirit in the Church of Christ, is contained in any part of it, even if not so significant at first glance. From here it is necessary to conclude that How attentively an Orthodox Christian should pay attention to church services, which truly are the treasury of the Church.

Vespers of Good Friday

The removal from the cross and burial of the most pure and life-giving body of our Lord Jesus Christ by Joseph and Nicodemus followed, according to the instructions of the Evangelist, I'll be back too late(Mk. 15 , 42). Therefore, the evening service is established to be performed on this day “at ten o’clock in the afternoon,” that is, at four o’clock in the afternoon. It glorifies and pleases the suffering, death and burial of the Savior. In the first centuries of Christianity, Holy and Good Friday was called Easter of the Crucifixion or Easter of the Cross, according to the words of the Apostle Paul: for our Passover was devoured for us, Christ(1 Cor. 5 , 7). Only from the 2nd century did the Easter of the Resurrection, the Easter of common triumph and joy, begin to separate from this Easter.

At the evening service, the Church remembers His saving suffering and death that have already taken place and glorified the Lord. The very first hymns of Vespers take us to the events that took place on Golgotha. “The terrible and glorious sacrament is now being seen in action: the Intangible is held back; the one who releases Adam from the oath is bound; the one who tests the hearts and wombs is unjustly tested: the one who shuts the abyss is shut up in prison; Pilate stands before him, and the heavenly powers stand before him in trembling; the Creator is strangled by the hand of the creature; he is condemned to the tree. Judge the living and the dead; the Destroyer of Hell lies in the tomb" (TP. L. 461).

Stichera on Lord I cried contain two main thoughts: the glorification of the Savior’s suffering on the cross as the greatest and in its essence incomprehensible miracle and the depiction of the suffering of the Mother of God, Who prepared for believers the precious body and the life-giving Blood of the Lord. Using the example of the Mother of God, the Holy Church teaches us a very important lesson: “Just as God the Father sends the immaterial Son and the Word, born by Him without a mother, to earth for salvation, so the Mother of the God-Man gives to the slaughter her only begotten and only Son, her firstborn, born by Her without a father, God the Father gives an example of the complete opposite to sinners who are ready to destroy the whole world in order to give their children sinful and transient carnal “happiness.” The Mother of God, overshadowed by His glory, also acts according to the example of God the Father: She gives for crucifixion and death. food for the faithful of His beloved Son - in contrast to other mothers who, for the sinful carnal happiness of their children, give them the flesh and blood of “strangers” to be cruelly torn to pieces and eaten. For God and the Mother of God there are no strangers through the word spoken from the cross: Woman, behold, your son and behold, your mother(In. 19 , 26-27) - all humanity who believes in Her has been adopted by Her."

At the entrance with the Gospel the prokeimenon is proclaimed: I divided my garments for myself, and cast lots for my clothes(Ps. 21 , 19) with the verse: God, my God, consider me, where have you forsaken me?(Ps. 21 , 2). The last dying cry of the Son of God, dying on the cross, pierces our hearts with unbearable pain: God, My God, consider Me, where You have forsaken Me. The Son of God was abandoned by His Heavenly Father. His abandonment by God is full of great tragedy. All this should remind us how the Lord suffered and endured for our sake. Every person, every one of us, had to go through these torments, but the Savior took all the torment and all the death upon Himself - for the sake of all of us, for my sake. Can we consciously sin after what God has done for us, can we consciously violate God’s decrees and resist His holy will? Of course not!..

In the proverbs, the Old Testament righteous rise before us: Moses, praying for the criminal people of Israel, as a prototype of the Great Intercessor for the entire human race (see: Ex. 33 , 11-23), and Job, after his hardships and sufferings, crowned with the great mercies of God and a prototype of the Divine Sufferer, who through his sufferings ascended into His glory and returned us to God (see: Job. 42 , 12-16). In the third reading from the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah, again describing the suffering of Christ, speaks of His glorification: This is what the Lord says:<...>Behold, My Child will understand and will be exalted and greatly glorified. As many will be horrified at You<...>Thus the multitude of nations will be amazed at Him, and the king will stop his mouth. For those who have not heard about Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand(Isa. 52 , 4, 13-15).

After the prophetically educational prokemena: “I have laid Me in the pit of the grave, in the dark places and the shadow of death” (TP. L. 463), also taken from the life of the Old Testament righteous Joseph the Beautiful, the apostolic word about the Cross as the power and glory of Christians is read: We preach Christ crucified, for the Jews it was a temptation, and for the Greeks it was madness; by Christ himself, who was called Jew and Greek, God's power and God's wisdom(1 Cor. 1 , 23-24). The meaning of this reading is to recognize the insignificance of worldly, purely human wisdom before the crucified God-man, “God’s power and God’s wisdom.”

Next, the Gospel is read, compiled from the narratives of different Evangelists, which repeats and concentrates all the most important things that are said in the Gospel about the suffering and death of the Lord Savior. It is customary to listen to this Gospel reading with lit candles. The stichera that follows depicts Joseph of Arimathea taking down the most pure body of the Lord from the cross. And immediately after this comes the verse: The Lord reigns, clothed in beauty. The Lord reigns, and “all-laughing hell” (the next stichera) is horrified at the sight of Him: its shutters are broken, its tombs are opened and the dead rise rejoicing. The 2nd and 3rd stichera are dedicated to this mysterious descent of the Lord into hell and His glorification. Having thus received edification, believers are called upon to once again follow the Savior, crucified but feared by the powers of hell.

The last stichera from the highest heights and from the hellish underworld leads us again to the tomb of our Savior. The Holy Church, as it were, mentally transports us to the time and place where these sacred events of our salvation took place - to Golgotha ​​and to the garden of Joseph of Arimathea, preparing us by singing the touching stichera: “For you, who is clothed with light like a robe, I will take down Joseph from the tree with Nicodemus , and seeing the dead naked unburied, we accept the compassionate cry, sobbing with the words: alas for me, Sweetest Jesus, Whose sun hung in the distance on the cross, having seen the darkness, and the earth shook with fear, and the church veil was torn apart: but behold, now I see Thee, for my sake the will of death has risen How I will bury You, my God, or with what kind of shroud I will wrap my arms around Your incorruptible body, or with which song I will sing Your bountiful exodus; .464). In these stichera, which end Great Heel and begin Great Saturday, the events of the coming day are already heard: Christ’s presence in the flesh in the tomb, but in the soul in hell and victory over him: “When you were carnally confined in the tomb, even though you were indescribable by the nature of the Divinity, and indefinite, you have concluded the treasures of death, and you have exhausted all the kingdoms of hell, O Christ; then you have honored this Saturday with divine blessing and glory, and you have vouchsafed it to Your Lordship" (TP. L. 463-464).

At the end of these hymns, before the removal of the Shroud, depicting the removal of the deceased God-Man from the cross and His position in the tomb, the dying song of the righteous Simeon the God-Receiver is sung or read, who predicted to the Most Pure Mother of God and that terrible hour when Her soul " weapons will pass".

After this, while singing the troparion “Blessed Joseph,” the clergy, accompanied by the laity (depicting Joseph and Nicodemus), lift the Shroud from the Throne and carry it to the middle of the Church. During the removal of the Shroud, the choir sings the troparion: “The noble Joseph took down Your Most Pure Body from the tree, wrapped it in a clean shroud, and covered it with stench in a new tomb, and laid it” (TP. L. 464). At the end of this chant, the Shroud is kissed, around which the breath of angelic wings can already be seen: “An angel appeared to the myrrh-bearing women at the tomb, crying: peace is fitting for the dead, but Christ has appeared alien to corruption” (TP. L. 464).

The Lord was laid in the tomb. The execution site was empty. The disciples, except for beloved John, scattered in fear. And now, as if making up for what the Gospel narrative is silent about, the Church at Little Compline, which is customary to celebrate immediately after Vespers, offers its children the canon “on the crucifixion of the Lord, and on the lamentation of the Most Holy Theotokos,” the creation of Simeon Logothet. The God-man Jesus Christ, during His inner suffering, grieved so deeply that an Angel appeared to strengthen Him (see: Lk. 22 , 43). The Lord of life and death said to His disciples: My soul is sorrowful unto death(Matt. 26 , 38). The women who accompanied the Lord to Golgotha ​​wept and sobbed so bitterly that the suffering Lord consoled them: Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but rather weep for yourself and your children.(OK. 23 , 28). Could the Most Holy Virgin Mary remain indifferent and calm, looking at the inexpressibly terrible torment of Her Son? At this terrible time, the prophecy of the Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, spoken by him back in the days of the infancy of Her Divine Son, was fulfilled in all its power over Her: and a weapon will pierce your very soul(OK. 2 , 35) - a weapon of indescribable grief and sadness. This deepest sorrow and lamentation of the Mother of God was expressed by Simeon Logothet in the canon of Compline for Good Friday. In the troparia of this canon, the Holy Church puts into the most pure lips of the Mother of God sorrowful words that could only come from the depths of a wounded mother’s heart at the sight of the Son and God, “drawn to the slaughter,” and then “dead and lifeless”: “Come on, Child, Why are you making a quick move? Is there food for another marriage in Cana?.. Am I going with You, Child, or rather will I wait for You? Give me a word, the Word, do not silently pass by Me, keeping Me pure: For You are My Son and God." (TP. L. 466).

“I see You now, My beloved Child and beloved, hanging on the cross, and I am hurt with a bitter heart,” for “Now My hope, joy and joy, My Son and Lord, have been deprived. Alas for Me, I am sick at heart” (TP. L. 464 ).

The Gospel says little about the suffering of the Mother of God on the cross. Standing at the cross of Jesus were His Mother and His Mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.(In. 19 , 25). That's all. Only according to the words of adoption to the beloved disciple, to whom the Mother of God entrusted: Woman, behold, your son(In. 19 , 26), it is clear what kind of sorrow the Mother of God endured, having lost everything with Her Son. The Evangelist, completely absorbed in the central image of Christ, could not say more. But even in what they are told, the depth of the Ever-Virgin’s suffering is hidden.

Although the Mother of God saw Her Son die on the cross and was humanly tormented, but, as once in Cana of Galilee, she believed in the Divinity of Her Son: “Now heal My spiritual ulcer, My Most Pure Child, crying with tears: rise again, and quench My illness and sadness, Lord, you can do as much as you want, and do it, even if you were buried by your will” (TP. L. 466-467). And at the very end of the canon, which is all a monologue of the Mother of God, the answer of Her Divine Son is heard: “Oh, how the abyss of bounties is hidden from You, the Lord spoke to the Mother in secret; for although I will save My creation, I deign to die. But I will also rise again, and I will magnify You , like the God of heaven and earth" (TP. L. 467). Hearing “in secret” this answer, the Ever-Virgin exclaims: “I will sing of Your mercy, O Lover of Mankind: and I bow to the riches of Your mercy, Master: for although You might save Your creation, Thou didst lift up death, O Most Pure One, but by Thy resurrection, O Savior, have mercy on us all” (TP. L .467). The canon ends with this mysterious conversation between the Son and Mother. Compline ends, and with it the Great Heel services.

“You, Lord, on the Cross tore up our promissory note and, being numbered among the dead, defeated the demon there (in hell), delivering everyone from the shackles of death by Your Resurrection, by which we were enlightened, O philanthropic Lord, and we cry to You: “Remember us, Savior, in Your Kingdom!"

“You, Christ, now said to the disciples: “Drive away sleep from your eyelashes, stay awake in prayer, so as not to be in danger.” And especially to Simon (since the strongest is a greater test): “Peter, be confident in Me, in That "Whom will all creation bless, glorifying forever."

"You have not fully grasped the depth of Divine wisdom and intelligence, man. And I have not comprehended the multitude of My definitions,” said the Lord. “You think in a worldly way—you have nothing to boast about, for you will deny Me three times, the One whom all creation will bless, glorifying forever.”

“You deny, Simon Peter, and you do this as soon as you are recognized. And the maid, alone coming up to you, will frighten you,” said the Lord. “However, having wept bitterly, you will meet Me with mercy, the One whom all creation will bless, glorifying forever."

Ilyin V.N. Sealed coffin. Easter incorruptibility. Sergiev Posad, 1995. P. 56.

“The whole creation was changed with fear, seeing You, Christ, hanging on the Cross: the sun darkened and the foundations of the earth shook - everything had compassion for the Creator of the world. You suffered voluntarily for us, Lord, glory to You!”

“Why are the wicked and criminal people plotting in vain? Why was the Giver of Life condemned to death? It is a great absurdity that the Creator of the world is betrayed into the hands of the pagans and the Lover of Mankind is mounted on the cross to free the prisoners in hell, crying: “Long-suffering Lord, glory to Thee!”

"For a multitude of dogs surrounded Me (just as a mad dog does not recognize its owner), a crowd of wicked people surrounded Me. (The torturers) counted all My bones, and the people looked on and hated Me. They divided My clothes among themselves by lot."

“But You, Lord, do not deprive Me of Your help, hasten to intercede for Me. Deliver My life from the sword and My only life from dogs. Save Me, humiliated, from the mouths of lions and from the horns of unicorns.” (The unicorn is a symbol of strength and ferocity.)

“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the nations of the nations will worship before Him, for the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations.”

“My praise is for You, in the Church of Christ I will solemnly glorify You; I will offer up my prayers before those who fear Him. Let those who seek Him eat (the Body and Blood of Christ) (that is, those who do not have the wealth of knowledge of God and piety) and be satisfied and praise the Lord, and their hearts will be quickened for the eternal life to come.”

“Christ, while we were still weak, at a certain time died for the wicked, for hardly anyone will die for the righteous (...). But God proves His love for us by the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Therefore moreover, now, having been justified by His Blood, we will be saved from wrath by Him. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life.

“Because of fear of the Jews, Your closest friend Peter denied You and cried out, sobbing: “Do not ignore my tears, for I promised to keep faith in You, O Generous One, and did not keep it.” And accept our repentance in the same way and save us ".

“There was neither appearance nor greatness in Him. And we saw Him, and there was neither a pleasant appearance nor attractiveness in Him. But He was despised and humiliated more than all people.”

“He took upon Himself our sins and suffers in our place (...) He was wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities. The punishment of our peace (was) on Him, and by His stripes we were healed (...) His love for people was revealed in humiliation But no one knew His origin, so His life was taken away from (His) people. For the transgressions of My people He was counted among the evildoers, and He bore the sins of many, and was executed for their crimes.”

“Rejoice, you barren woman, you who never give birth, shout and shout, you who were not in labor, for she who is abandoned has many more children than she who has a husband.”

“In order by death to deprive the one who has the power to destroy souls, that is, the devil, and to deliver those who from the fear of death throughout their lives were subject to slavery (...) in order to be a merciful and faithful High Priest before God to cleanse the sins of the people. For, as He Himself suffered and was tempted, so He can help those who are tempted.”

“Come, Christ-bearing people, let us see what agreement Judas, the traitor, entered into with the criminal priests against our Savior: today they recognized the Immortal Word as worthy of death and, having delivered (Him) to Pilate, crucified him on the executioner’s place. And, enduring this, our Savior loudly exclaimed: “Father, forgive them this sin, so that the pagans may know My Resurrection from the dead!”

“God and Lord of the (heavenly) powers and Creator of all creation, for the sake of Thy mercy and unchanging mercy, Who sent Thy only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to save the human race, and by His Honest Cross tore apart the list of our sins, and thereby defeated the demons; “O Lord, Lover of Mankind (...) inflame our souls with love for You.”

“And they gave me gall for food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

The same as is read at the 1st hour on Maundy Thursday.

“Boldness to enter into the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus Christ, a new and living way, which He again revealed to us through the veil, that is, His flesh.”

“A terrible and incredible mystery is apparently being accomplished today: the Intangible is detained, the One who frees Adam from the curse is tied up, the One who searches the hearts and innermost thoughts is subjected to unrighteous interrogation, the One who closed the abyss of hell is locked in prison, the One who closes the abyss of hell is locked in Pilate, the One Who stands before the Heavenly Powers with trepidation, the Creator is tortured by the hand of creation ( His own), the One who judges the living and the dead is sentenced to crucifixion; the Conqueror of hell is placed in the grave.”

Ilyin V.N. Decree. op. P. 66.

"...My God, hear Me! Why have You forsaken Me?"

“Thus says the Lord: “Behold, My servant will prosper, and will be exalted, and will be great.” (...) So He will make many nations astonished; kings will shut their mouths before Him, for they will see what was not told to them, and they will know what they have not heard."

“They placed Me in the depths of hell, with people condemned to torment.”

“But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

"The Lord reigns, clothed with splendor."

“When Joseph and Nicodemus, clothed with light, took you down from the Cross and saw you dead, naked, unburied, they wept in deep compassion and sobbed and said: “Woe is me, dear Jesus! The sun could not look at You hanging on the Cross for a long time, and soon it darkened, and the earth trembled with fear, and the church veil was torn. But now I see You voluntarily accepting death for my sake. How will I bury You, my God? What kind of shroud will I wear? With what hands will I touch Your incorruptible body? What songs will I sing at Your death, O Merciful One? I glorify Your sufferings and sing Your burial (together with) the Resurrection, exclaiming: “Lord, glory to You!”

“The eminent Joseph, having taken Your most pure Body from the Cross, wrapped (It) in a clean shroud and anointed It with incense, and laid it in a new tomb.”

The troparion “Blessed Joseph” is pronounced secretly by the priest in the altar after the great entrance at each liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and Basil the Great, since the great entrance means the Savior’s Entry on the Cross, and the placing of the Gifts on the throne and covering them with air means His burial.”

“The angel, presenting himself at the tomb to the myrrh-bearing women, exclaimed: “Myrrh (is appropriate) to bring to the dead, but Christ turned out to be alien to corruption.”

Holy and Good Friday

12 Gospels of the Holy Passion of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ:

Gospel 1: John 13:31 - 18:1

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.”

32 If God was glorified in Him, God also will glorify Him in Himself, and will soon glorify Him.

33 Children! I won't be with you for long. You will seek Me, and, as I said to the Jews, that where I go, you cannot come, [so] I tell you now.

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, [so] let you also love one another.

35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

36 Simon Peter said to Him: Lord! where are you going? Jesus answered him: Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now, but later you will follow Me.

37 Peter said to Him: Lord! Why can’t I follow You now? I will lay down my soul for You.

38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for Me?” Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you have denied Me three times.

1 Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, and believe in Me.

2 In My Father's house are many mansions. But if it were not so, I would have told you: I am going to prepare a place for you.

3 And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you also may be.

4 But where I am going you know, and you know the way.

5 Thomas said to Him: Lord! we don’t know where you’re going; and how can we know the way?

6 Jesus said to him: I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

7 If you knew Me, you would also know My Father. And from now on you know Him and have seen Him.

8 Philip said to Him: Lord! show us the Father, and it is enough for us.

9 Jesus said to him, “I have been with you so long, and you do not know Me, Philip?” He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, show us the Father?

10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you, I do not speak from Myself; The Father abiding in Me, He does the works.

11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; but if not so, then believe Me by the very works.

12 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me, the works that I do will he do also, and greater works than these will he do, because I go to My Father.

13 And whatever you ask of the Father in My name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever,

17 The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; and you know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.

18 I will not leave you orphans; I'll come to you.

19 A little while longer, and the world will see Me no more; and you will see Me, for I live, and you will live.

20 On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me; and whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father; and I will love him and appear to him Myself.

22 Judas - not Iscariot - said to Him: Lord! What is it that You want to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him.

24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; The word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father who sent Me.

25 These things I spoke to you while I was with you.

26 But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have said to you.

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

28 You have heard that I said to you: I am going away from you and will come to you. If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I said: I am going to the Father; for My Father is greater than Me.

29 And behold, I told you before it happened, so that when it happened, you might believe.

30 It is already a little while for me to speak with you; For the prince of this world comes and has nothing in Me.

31 But so that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father commanded Me, so I do: get up, let us go from here.

1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

2 Every branch of Me that does not bear fruit He cuts off; and every one that bears fruit he cleanses, that it may bear more fruit.

3 You have already been cleansed through the word that I preached to you.

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it is in the vine, so neither can you unless you are in Me.

5 I am the vine, and you are the branches; He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

6 Whoever does not abide in Me will be cast out like a branch and wither; and such [branches] are collected and thrown into the fire, and they burn.

7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

8 By this will My Father be glorified, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples.

9 As the Father has loved Me, and I have loved you; abide in My love.

10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

12 This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 You are My friends if you do what I command you.

15 I no longer call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have told you everything that I have heard from My Father.

16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you.

17 This I command you, that you love one another.

18 If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before you.

19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

20 Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you too; If they have kept my word, they will also keep yours.

21 But they will do all these things to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

23 He who hates Me also hates my Father.

24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else had done, they would not have had sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.

25 But let the word that is written in their law be fulfilled: They have hated Me without cause.

26 But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me;

27 And you also will testify, because you were with Me from the beginning.

1 I told you these things so that you would not be offended.

2 They will drive you out of the synagogues; the time even comes when everyone who kills you will think that he is serving God.

3 They will do this because they have not known either the Father or Me.

4 But I have told you this so that when that time comes, you will remember what I told you about it; I didn’t tell you this at first, because I was with you.

5 But now I go to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me: Where are you going?

6 But because I told you this, your heart was filled with sorrow.

7 But I tell you the truth: it is better for you that I go; for if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you; and if I go, I will send Him to you,

8 And He will come and convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment:

9 about sin, because they do not believe in Me;

10 about the truth, that I go to My Father, and you will no longer see Me;

11 about judgment, that the prince of this world is condemned.

12 I still have much to say to you; but now you cannot contain it.

13 When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you the things to come.

14 He will glorify Me, because He will take of Mine and proclaim it to you.

15 All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that he will take from Mine and tell it to you.

16 Soon you will not see Me, but again soon you will see Me, for I go to the Father.

17 Then [some] of His disciples said to one another, “What is this that He says to us: A little while later you will not see Me, and again a short time later you will see Me, and, “I am going to the Father?”

18 So they said, “What is this that He says, “soon”? We don't know what he says.

19 Jesus, realizing that they wanted to ask Him, said to them: Are you asking one another about this, which I said: A little while later you will not see Me, and again a little while later you will see Me?

20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will mourn and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

21 When a woman gives birth, she suffers sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to a baby, she no longer remembers the sorrow for joy, because a man was born into the world.

22 So now you also have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you;

23 And on that day you will not ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you.

24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

25 Hitherto I have spoken to you in parables; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in parables, but will tell you directly about the Father.

26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you:

27 For the Father Himself loves you, because you loved Me and believed that I came from God.

28 I came from the Father and came into the world; and again I leave the world and go to the Father.

29 His disciples said to Him: Behold, now You speak plainly, and speak no parables.

30 Now we see that You know everything and do not need anyone to question You. Therefore we believe that You came from God.

31 Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?”

32 Behold, the hour is coming, and has already come, that you will be scattered, each to his own [side], and you will leave Me alone; but I am not alone, for the Father is with Me.

33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but take heart: I have overcome the world.

1 After these words Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven and said: Father! the hour has come, glorify Your Son, that Your Son also will glorify You,

2 Because You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He may give eternal life to all that You have given Him.

3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

4 I glorified You on earth, I completed the work that You gave Me to do.

5 And now glorify Me, O Father, with You, with the glory that I had with You before the world was.

6 I have made known Your name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world; They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

7 Now they have understood that everything that You have given Me is from You,

8 For the words that You gave Me I delivered to them, and they received and understood truly that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

9 I pray for them: I do not pray for the whole world, but for those whom You have given Me, because they are Yours.

10 And all that is mine is yours, and yours is mine; and I was glorified in them.

11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father! keep them in Thy name, [those] whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are.

12 While I was at peace with them, I kept them in Your name; those whom You gave Me I have kept, and none of them perished except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

13 Now I come to You, and I say these things in the world, so that they may have My complete joy in themselves.

14 I have given them Your word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

15 I do not pray that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from evil.

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them by Your truth; Your word is truth.

18 As You sent Me into the world, [so] I also sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I consecrate Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

20 I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in Me through their word,

21 That they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, [so] that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

22 And the glory which You gave Me, I have given them: that they may be one, even as We are one.

23 I am in them, and You are in Me; that they may be perfected in one, and that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them as You loved Me.

24 Father! whom You have given Me, I want them to be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

25 Righteous Father! and the world did not know You; but I have known You, and these have known that You sent Me.

26 And I have made your name known to them, and will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Gospel 2: John 18:1-28

1 Having said this, Jesus went out with His disciples beyond the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, into which He and His disciples entered.

2 And Judas, his betrayer, also knew this place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples.

3 So Judas, having taken a troop of [soldiers] and ministers from the chief priests and Pharisees, comes there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

4 And Jesus, knowing all that would happen to Him, went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”

5 They answered: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them: It is I. And Judas, His betrayer, stood with them.

6 And when he said to them, “It is I,” they retreated back and fell to the ground.

7 Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” They said: Jesus of Nazareth.

8 Jesus answered: I told you that it was I; So, if you are looking for Me, leave them, let them go,

9 That the word He spoke might be fulfilled: Of those whom You gave Me, I have not destroyed any.

10 Now Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.

11 But Jesus said to Peter, Sheathe your sword; Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?

12 Then the soldiers and the captain and the officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound him,

13 And they took Him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.

14 It was Caiaphas who gave advice to the Jews that it was better for one man to die for the people.

15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus; This disciple was known to the high priest and entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.

16 And Peter stood outside the door. Then another disciple, who was known to the high priest, came out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.

17 Then the servant servant said to Peter, “Are you not one of this man’s disciples?” He said no.

18 Meanwhile the servants and servants, having kindled a fire, because it was cold, stood and warmed themselves. Peter also stood with them and warmed himself.

19 The high priest asked Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.

20 Jesus answered him: I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where Jews always meet, and I did not say anything secretly.

21 Why are you asking Me? ask those who heard what I said to them; behold, they know that I have spoken.

22 When He had said this, one of the servants who was standing close struck Jesus on the cheek, saying, “Is this the answer you give to the high priest?”

23 Jesus answered him, “If I have said something bad, show me what is bad.” What if it’s good that you beat Me?

24 Annas sent Him bound to the high priest Caiaphas.

25 Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Then they said to him, “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” He denied and said: no.

26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with Him in the garden?”

27 Peter denied again; and immediately the rooster crowed.

Gospel 3: Matthew 26:57-75

57 And those who took Jesus took Him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders were assembled.

58 And Peter followed Him at a distance, unto the court of the high priest; and going inside, he sat down with the servants to see the end.

59 The chief priests and elders and the whole Sanhedrin sought false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death,

60 and were not found; and, although many false witnesses came, they were not found. But finally two false witnesses came

61 And they said: He said: I can destroy the temple of God and build it in three days.

62 And the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Why don’t you answer?” What do they testify against You?

63 Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to Him: I adjure You by the living God, tell us, Are You the Christ, the Son of God?

64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast spoken; I even say to you: from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He is blaspheming!” What more need do we need witnesses? Behold, now you have heard His blasphemy!

66 what do you think? They answered and said: He is guilty of death.

67 Then they spat in His face and buffeted Him; others struck Him on the cheeks

68 And they said: Prophesy to us, O Christ, who struck You?

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a certain maid came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.”

70 But he denied it before everyone, saying, “I don’t know what you are saying.”

71 And as he went out of the gate, another saw him, and said to those who were there, “This one also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

72 And he again denied with an oath that he did not know this Man.

73 A little while later those standing there came and said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for your speech also convicts you.”

74 Then he began to swear and swear that he did not know this man. And suddenly the rooster crowed.

75 And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. And going out, he wept bitterly.

Gospel 4: John 18:28- 19:16

28 They took Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning; and they did not enter the praetorium, so as not to be defiled, but so that [they could] eat the Passover.

Gospel 5: Matthew 27:3-32

Gospel 6: Mark 15:16-32

Gospel 7: Matthew 27:33-54

36 And they sat and watched Him there;

Gospel 8: Luke 23:32-49

Gospel 9: John 19:25-37

Gospel 10: Mark 15:43-47

43 Joseph came from Arimathea, a famous member of the council, who himself expected the Kingdom of God, and dared to go to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

44 Pilate was surprised that He had already died, and calling the centurion, he asked him how long ago he had died?

45 And having learned from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.

46 He bought a shroud and took him off, wrapped him in the shroud, and laid him in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, and rolled the stone to the door of the tomb.

47 But Mary Magdalene and Mary of Josiah looked where they laid Him.

Gospel 11: John 19:38-42

38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, but secretly out of fear from the Jews, asked Pilate to take down the body of Jesus; and Pilate allowed it. He went and took down the body of Jesus.

39 Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also came and brought a composition of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred liters.

40 So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in swaddling clothes with spices, as the Jews are wont to bury.

41 In the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.

42 They laid Jesus there because of the Friday of the Jews, because the tomb was near.

Gospel 12: Matthew 27:62-66

62 On the next day, which followed Friday, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered to Pilate

63 and said: Master! We remembered that the deceiver, while still alive, said: after three days I will rise again;

64 So command that the tomb be guarded until the third day, so that His disciples, coming at night, do not steal Him and say to the people: He has risen from the dead; and the last deception will be worse than the first.

65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go and protect it as best you can.

66 They went and set a guard at the tomb, and put a seal on the stone.

Sequence of hours on Holy and Great Friday

Hour 1. Galatians 6:14-18

14 But I do not want to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but there is a new creation.

16 To those who walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and on the Israel of God.

17 However, let no one burden me, for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus on my body.

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Matthew 27:1-56

3 Then Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He was condemned, and repented, and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

4 Saying: I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. They said to him: What is that to us? take a look yourself.

5 And throwing away the pieces of silver in the temple, he went out, went and hanged himself.

6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not permissible to put them in the church treasury, because it is the price of blood.”

7 Having taken counsel, they bought a potter's land with them for the burying of strangers;

8 Therefore that land is called “the land of blood” to this day.

9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him that was valued, Whom the children of Israel valued,

10 And they gave them for the potter's land, as the Lord said to me.

11 Jesus stood before the governor. And the ruler asked Him: Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus said to him: You speak.

12 And when the chief priests and elders accused Him, He answered nothing.

13 Then Pilate said to Him, Do you not hear how many testify against You?

14 And he did not answer a single word, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

15 On the holiday [of Easter], the governor had the custom of releasing to the people one prisoner whom they wanted.

16 At that time they had a famous prisoner called Barabbas;

17 So when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?

18 For he knew that they had betrayed Him out of envy.

19 While he was sitting in the judgment seat, his wife sent him to say: Do not do anything to that righteous One, because today I have suffered much for Him in a dream.

20 But the chief priests and elders stirred up the people to ask Barabbas and to destroy Jesus.

21 Then the governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said: Barabbas.

22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ? Everyone tells him: let him be crucified.

23 The ruler said, “What evil has He done?” But they shouted even more loudly: let him be crucified.

24 Pilate, seeing that nothing helped, but the confusion was increasing, took water and washed his hands before the people, and said: I am innocent of the blood of this righteous one; look you.

25 And all the people answered and said, His blood be on us and on our children.

26 Then he released Barabbas to them, and beat Jesus and handed him over to be crucified.

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus to the praetorium and gathered the whole army against him.

28 And having undressed Him, they put purple robe on Him;

29 And having woven a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head and put a reed in His right hand; and, kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying: Hail, King of the Jews!

30 And they spat on Him and took a reed and beat Him on the head.

31 And when they had mocked Him, they took off His scarlet robe, and clothed Him with His own garments, and led Him away to be crucified.

32 As they went out, they met a certain Cyreneite named Simon; this one was forced to bear His cross.

33 And having come to the place called Golgotha, which means: Place of Execution,

34 They gave Him vinegar mixed with gall to drink; and, having tasted it, did not want to drink.

35 And those who crucified Him divided His garments, casting lots;

36 And they sat and watched Him there;

37 And they put an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.

38 Then two thieves were crucified with Him: one on the right side, and the other on the left.

39 And those who passed by cursed Him, shaking their heads

40 and saying: He who destroys the temple and in three days builds it up! save yourself; if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.

41 Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes and elders and Pharisees, mocked and said:

42 he saved others, but he cannot save himself; if He is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him;

43 trusted in God; Let him now deliver Him, if He pleases Him. For He said: I am the Son of God.

44 Also the thieves who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

45 From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour;

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice: Or, Or! Lama Savakhthani? that is: My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me?

47 Some of those standing there, hearing this, said, “He is calling Elijah.”

48 And immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, and putting it on a reed, gave Him to drink;

49 And others said, “Wait, let’s see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook; and the stones dissipated;

52 and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were resurrected

53 And coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

54 But the centurion and those who were with him guarding Jesus, seeing the earthquake and everything that happened, were greatly afraid and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

Hour 3. Romans 5:6-11

6 For Christ, while we were still weak, at the appointed time died for the ungodly.

7 For hardly anyone will die for a righteous man; maybe someone will decide to die for a benefactor.

8 But God demonstrates His love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more therefore now, having been justified by His blood, we will be saved from wrath through Him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we will be saved by His life.

11 And not only this, but we glory in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Gospel of Mark 15:16-41

16 And the soldiers took Him into the courtyard, that is, into the praetorium, and gathered the whole army,

17 And they clothed Him in scarlet, and wove together a crown of thorns, and laid it on Him;

18 And they began to greet Him: Hail, King of the Jews!

19 And they beat Him on the head with a reed, and spat on Him, and knelt down and worshiped Him.

20 When they had mocked Him, they took off His scarlet robe, clothed Him in His own garments, and led Him out to crucify Him.

21 And they forced a certain Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming from the field, to carry His cross.

22 And they brought Him to the place of Golgotha, which means: Place of the Execution.

23 And they gave Him wine and myrrh to drink; but He did not accept.

24 Those who crucified Him divided His garments, casting lots as to who should take what.

25 It was the third hour, and they crucified Him.

26 And the inscription of His guilt was: King of the Jews.

27 They crucified two thieves with Him, one on His right and the other on His left.

28 And the word of the Scripture was fulfilled: He was numbered among the evildoers.

29 Those passing by cursed Him, nodding their heads and saying: Hey! destroying the temple, and building in three days!

30 save yourself and come down from the cross.

31 In like manner the chief priests and the scribes mocked each other and said, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself.”

32 Let Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe. And those crucified with Him reviled Him.

33 At the sixth hour darkness came over all the land and [continued] until the ninth hour.

35 When some of those standing there heard it, they said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”

36 And one ran, filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.

37 Jesus cried out loudly and gave up the ghost.

38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

39 The centurion who stood opposite Him, seeing that He had thus cried out, gave up the ghost, said: Truly this man was the Son of God.

40 There were also women who looked from afar: among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and Josiah, and Salome,

41 who even while He was in Galilee followed Him and served Him, and many others who came with Him to Jerusalem.

Hour 6. Hebrews 2:11-18

11 For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of One; therefore He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying:

12 I will proclaim Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the church I will sing praises to You.

13 And again: I will trust in Him. And one more thing: here I am and the children whom God gave Me.

14 And just as the children share in flesh and blood, He also took part in the same, so that by death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

15 and deliver those who, through the fear of death, were subject to slavery all their lives.

16 For He does not receive angels, but He receives the seed of Abraham.

17 Therefore He had to become in every way like the brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest before God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

18 For just as He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted.

Gospel of Luke 23:32-49

32 They also led two evildoers with Him to death.

33 And when they came to the place called Skull, there they crucified Him and the evildoers, one on the right and the other on the left.

34 Jesus said: Father! forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. And they divided His garments by casting lots.

35 And the people stood and watched. The leaders also mocked them, saying: He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ, God's chosen one.

36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up and offering Him vinegar

37 and saying: If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.

38 And there was an inscription over Him, written in Greek, Roman, and Hebrew words: This is the King of the Jews.

39 One of the evildoers who were hanged cursed Him and said: If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.

40 The other, on the contrary, calmed him down and said: Or are you not afraid of God, when you yourself are condemned to the same thing?

41 And we [are condemned] justly, because we accepted what was worthy of our deeds, but He did nothing bad.

42 And he said to Jesus: Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom!

43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

44 Now it was about the sixth hour of the day, and darkness fell over all the land until the ninth hour:

45 And the sun was darkened, and the curtain of the temple was torn in the middle.

47 But the centurion, seeing what was happening, glorified God and said, “Truly this man was a righteous man.”

48 And all the people who had gathered to see this spectacle, seeing what was happening, returned, beating their breasts.

49 But all those who knew Him, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood afar off and looked on.

Hour 9. Hebrews 10:19-31

19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter into the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus Christ, in a new and living way,

20 which He revealed to us again through the veil, that is, His flesh,

21 and [having] a great priest over the house of God,

22 Let us approach with a sincere heart in full faith, having cleansed our hearts from an evil conscience by sprinkling and washing our bodies with clean water,

23 Let us hold fast the confession of hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

24 Let us be considerate of one another, encouraging one another to love and good deeds.

25 Let us not forsake meeting ourselves together, as is the custom of some; but let us exhort [one another], and all the more as you see the day approaching.

26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins,

27 but a certain terrible expectation of judgment and the fury of fire ready to devour the opponents.

28 [If] one who rejects the law of Moses, in the presence of two or three witnesses, without mercy [is punished] with death,

29 How much more severe punishment do you think will be liable to the one who tramples on the Son of God and does not consider holy the Blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insults the Spirit of grace?

30 We know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And one more thing: The Lord will judge His people.

31 It is terrible to fall into the hands of the living God!

Gospel of John 18:28 - 19:37

28 They took Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning; and they did not enter the praetorium, so as not to be defiled, but so that [they could] eat the Passover.

29 Pilate came out to them and said, “What do you accuse this man of?”

30 They answered him, “If He had not been an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.”

31 Pilate said to them, “Take Him, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,”

32 That the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spoke, indicating by what kind of death He would die.

33 Then Pilate again entered the praetorium, and called Jesus, and said to Him: Are you the King of the Jews?

34 Jesus answered him, “Are you saying this on your own, or have others told you about Me?”

35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your people and the chief priests delivered You up to me; what did you do?

36 Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world; If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would fight for Me, so that I would not be betrayed to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from here.

37 Pilate said to Him, “So are You a King?” Jesus answered: You say that I am a King. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I came into the world, to testify to the truth; everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.

38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And having said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them: I find no guilt in Him.

39 It is your custom that I give you one at Passover; Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?

40 Then they all shouted again, saying, “Not Him, but Barabbas.” Barabbas was a robber.

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and [ordered] him to be beaten.

2 And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and clothed Him in scarlet robe,

3 And they said: Rejoice, King of the Jews! and they struck Him on the cheeks.

4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.”

5 Then Jesus came out wearing a crown of thorns and a scarlet robe. And [Pilate] said to them: Behold, Man!

6 When the chief priests and ministers saw Him, they shouted: Crucify Him, crucify Him! Pilate says to them: Take Him and crucify Him; for I find no fault in Him.

7 The Jews answered him: We have a law, and according to our law He must die, because He made Himself the Son of God.

8 When Pilate heard this word, he was more afraid.

9 And he entered the praetorium again and said to Jesus: Where are you from? But Jesus did not give him an answer.

10 Pilate says to Him, “Are you not answering me?” Don’t you know that I have the power to crucify You and the power to release You?

11 Jesus answered: You would have no power over Me unless it had been given to you from above; therefore there is greater sin on him who delivered Me to you.

12 From this [time] Pilate sought to release Him. The Jews shouted: if you let Him go, you are not a friend of Caesar; Anyone who makes himself a king is an opponent of Caesar.

13 When Pilate heard this word, he brought Jesus out and sat down at the judgment seat, in a place called Liphostroton, or in Hebrew Gavvatha.

14 Then it was the Friday before Easter, and it was six o’clock. And [Pilate] said to the Jews: Behold, your King!

15 But they shouted: Take him, take him, crucify him! Pilate says to them: Shall I crucify your king? The high priests answered: We have no king except Caesar.

16 Then at last he handed Him over to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him away.

17 And, bearing His cross, He went out to a place called Skull, in Hebrew Golgotha;

18 There they crucified Him and two others with Him, on this side and on the other, and Jesus in the middle.

19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and placed it on the cross. It was written: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

20 This inscription was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Roman.

21 But the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write: King of the Jews, but what He said: I am the King of the Jews.

22 Pilate answered, “What I wrote, I wrote.”

23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four parts, a piece for each soldier, and a tunic; The tunic was not sewn, but entirely woven on top.

24 So they said to each other, “Let us not rend it, but let us cast lots for it, whose it will be, so that what is said in the Scripture may be fulfilled: They divided my garments among themselves, and cast lots for my clothing.” This is what the warriors did.

25 Standing at the cross of Jesus were His Mother and His Mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 Jesus, seeing His Mother and the disciple standing there, whom He loved, said to His Mother: Woman! Behold, Your son.

27 Then he said to the disciple: Behold, your mother! And from that time on, this disciple took Her to himself.

28 After this Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst.”

29 There stood a vessel full of vinegar. [The soldiers] filled a sponge with vinegar and put it on hyssop, and brought it to His lips.

30 When Jesus tasted the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” And, bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.

31 But since [then] it was Friday, the Jews, so as not to leave the bodies on the cross on Saturday - for that Saturday was a high day - asked Pilate to break their legs and take them off.

32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with Him.

33 But when they came to Jesus, when they saw Him already dead, they did not break His legs,

34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

35 And he who saw it bore witness, and his testimony is true; he knows that he speaks the truth so that you may believe.

36 For this was done, that the scripture might be fulfilled: Let not his bone be broken.

37 Also in another [place] the Scripture says: They will look at Him whom they have pierced.

On Holy and Great Friday at Vespers

1 Corinthians 1:18 - 2:2

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and destroy the understanding of the prudent.

20 Where is the wise man? where is the scribe? where is the questioner of this century? Has not God turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness?

21 For when the world through [its] wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believed.

22 For both the Jews demand miracles, and the Greeks seek wisdom;

23 But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks,

24 For those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God;

25 For the foolish things of God are wiser than men, and the weak things of God are stronger than men.

26 Look, brethren, who you are who are called: there are not many [of you] wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;

27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong things.

28 And God chose the base things of the world and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are.

29 so that no flesh should boast before God.

30 From Him you also are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,

31 So that it may be as it is written: He who boasts, boast in the Lord.

1 And when I came to you, brethren, I came to proclaim to you the testimony of God, not in excellence of speech or wisdom,

2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified,

Matthew 27:1-38

1 When the morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people had a meeting concerning Jesus, to put Him to death;

2 And having bound Him, they took Him away and handed Him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor.

3 Then Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He was condemned, and repented, and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

4 Saying: I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. They said to him: What is that to us? take a look yourself.

5 And throwing away the pieces of silver in the temple, he went out, went and hanged himself.

6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not permissible to put them in the church treasury, because it is the price of blood.”

7 Having taken counsel, they bought a potter's land with them for the burying of strangers;

8 Therefore that land is called “the land of blood” to this day.

9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him that was valued, Whom the children of Israel valued,

10 And they gave them for the potter's land, as the Lord said to me.

11 Jesus stood before the governor. And the ruler asked Him: Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus said to him: You speak.

12 And when the chief priests and elders accused Him, He answered nothing.

13 Then Pilate said to Him, Do you not hear how many testify against You?

14 And he did not answer a single word, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

15 On the holiday [of Easter], the governor had the custom of releasing to the people one prisoner whom they wanted.

16 At that time they had a famous prisoner called Barabbas;

17 So when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?

18 For he knew that they had betrayed Him out of envy.

19 While he was sitting in the judgment seat, his wife sent him to say: Do not do anything to that righteous One, because today I have suffered much for Him in a dream.

20 But the chief priests and elders stirred up the people to ask Barabbas and to destroy Jesus.

21 Then the governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said: Barabbas.

22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ? Everyone tells him: let him be crucified.

23 The ruler said, “What evil has He done?” But they shouted even more loudly: let him be crucified.

24 Pilate, seeing that nothing helped, but the confusion was increasing, took water and washed his hands before the people, and said: I am innocent of the blood of this righteous one; look you.

25 And all the people answered and said, His blood be on us and on our children.

26 Then he released Barabbas to them, and beat Jesus and handed him over to be crucified.

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus to the praetorium and gathered the whole army against him.

28 And having undressed Him, they put purple robe on Him;

29 And having woven a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head and put a reed in His right hand; and, kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying: Hail, King of the Jews!

30 And they spat on Him and took a reed and beat Him on the head.

31 And when they had mocked Him, they took off His scarlet robe, and clothed Him with His own garments, and led Him away to be crucified.

32 As they went out, they met a certain Cyreneite named Simon; this one was forced to bear His cross.

33 And having come to the place called Golgotha, which means: Place of Execution,

34 They gave Him vinegar mixed with gall to drink; and, having tasted it, did not want to drink.

35 And those who crucified Him divided His garments, casting lots;

36 And they sat and watched Him there;

37 And they put an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.

38 Then two thieves were crucified with Him: one on the right side, and the other on the left.

Gospel of Luke 23:39-43

39 One of the evildoers who were hanged cursed Him and said: If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.

40 The other, on the contrary, calmed him down and said: Or are you not afraid of God, when you yourself are condemned to the same thing?

41 And we [are condemned] justly, because we accepted what was worthy of our deeds, but He did nothing bad.

42 And he said to Jesus: Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom!

43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Matthew 27:39-54

39 And those who passed by cursed Him, shaking their heads

40 and saying: He who destroys the temple and in three days builds it up! save yourself; if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.

41 Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes and elders and Pharisees, mocked and said:

42 he saved others, but he cannot save himself; if He is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him;

43 trusted in God; Let him now deliver Him, if He pleases Him. For He said: I am the Son of God.

44 Also the thieves who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

45 From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour;

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice: Or, Or! Lama Savakhthani? that is: My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me?

47 Some of those standing there, hearing this, said, “He is calling Elijah.”

48 And immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, and putting it on a reed, gave Him to drink;

49 And others said, “Wait, let’s see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook; and the stones dissipated;

52 and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were resurrected

53 And coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

54 But the centurion and those who were with him guarding Jesus, seeing the earthquake and everything that happened, were greatly afraid and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

Gospel of John 19:31-37

31 But since [then] it was Friday, the Jews, so as not to leave the bodies on the cross on Saturday - for that Saturday was a high day - asked Pilate to break their legs and take them off.

32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with Him.

33 But when they came to Jesus, when they saw Him already dead, they did not break His legs,

34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

35 And he who saw it bore witness, and his testimony is true; he knows that he speaks the truth so that you may believe.

36 For this was done, that the scripture might be fulfilled: Let not his bone be broken.

37 Also in another [place] the Scripture says: They will look at Him whom they have pierced.

Matthew 27:55-61

55 There were also many women there, watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving Him;

56 Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Josiah, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

57 When evening came, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also studied with Jesus;

58 He came to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered the body to be given up;

The Service of the Twelve Gospels is a Lenten service held on the evening of Holy Thursday.

The reading of the Passion Gospels has some peculiarities: it is preceded and accompanied by singing corresponding to their content: “Glory to your long-suffering, Lord,” announced by the gospel, listened to by believers with lit candles.

On the evening of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday Matins, or the service of the 12 Gospels, as this service is usually called, is celebrated. This entire service is dedicated to the reverent remembrance of the saving suffering and death on the cross of the God-Man. Every hour of this day there is a new deed of the Savior, and the echo of these deeds is heard in every word of the service. In him The Church reveals to believers the full picture of the Lord’s suffering, starting from the bloody sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane to the Calvary crucifixion. Taking us mentally through past centuries, the Church, as it were, brings us to the very foot of the cross of Christ and makes us reverent spectators of all the torment of the Savior.

Its content is the gospel of the suffering and death of the Savior, selected from all the evangelists and divided into twelve readings, according to the number of hours of the night, which indicates that believers should spend the whole night listening to the Gospels, like the apostles who accompanied the Lord to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Believers listen to the Gospel stories with lighted candles in their hands, and after each reading through the mouths of the singers they thank the Lord with the words: “Glory to Your long-suffering, Lord!” After each reading of the Gospel, the bell is struck accordingly.

Before showing Christ bloodied, naked, crucified and buried, the Holy Church shows us the image of the God-man in all His greatness and beauty. Believers must know Who is being sacrificed, Who will endure “spitting, and beating, and strangulation, and the cross, and death”: Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him... (John 13:31). To comprehend the depth of Christ’s humiliation, one must understand, as far as this is possible for a mortal man, His height and His Divinity.

Cross of Christ

First Gospel of the Holy Passion- there is therefore, as it were, a verbal icon of God the Word, reclining on the “Easter of the crucifixion” and ready to die. Seeing the immeasurable humiliation of her Lord and Savior, the Church at the same time beholds His glory. Already the first Gospel begins with the words of the Savior about His glorification: Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. This glory, like a kind of light-like cloud, envelops the exalted Cross now standing before us. Like once Mount Sinai and the ancient tabernacle, it surrounds Golgotha. And the stronger the sorrow that the gospel story tells about, the stronger the glorification of Christ sounds in hymns.

The essence of God is love, therefore she is glorified even in the suffering of the Savior. The glory of love is its sacrifice. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. Christ lays down His life for His friends and calls them: You are My friends (John 15:14). The Lord brought people complete knowledge. The fullness of the Divine living in Him bodily through the unity of those who love in Him reveals knowledge about the most important and valuable thing - about God. Those who love one another in Christ receive a revelation of the essence of God. For, abiding in Christ's love, they thereby abide in the Trinitarian Godhead. He who loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him (John 14:23). With the coming of the Father, the Holy Spirit is sent down, who proceeds from the Father and bears witness to the Son (cf. John 15:26).

However, it is impossible to love when you are alone. That's why the image of God is reflected in human society - in the Church of Christ. The hymns call us to common prayer and to the general glorification of the Lord in order to perceive together “the Holy Passover, which is sacred in us”: “Let us hear all the faithful, convening with high preaching, the uncreated and natural wisdom of God, crying out: taste and understand, as Christ I, cry: gloriously glorified is Christ our God.” “Christ established the world, Heavenly and Divine Bread. Come, lovers of Christ, with mortal lips and pure hearts, let us faithfully celebrate Easter, which is celebrated in us.”

So, the unity of God is reflected in the unity of the Church, and vice versa. Jesus Christ prays about this in His hierarchal prayer: That they may all be one: as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us; and the world also has faith, because You sent Me. And I have given the glory to Me, I have given it to them, that they may be one, as We are one. I am in them, and You are in Me: that they may be perfect in one, and that the world may understand that You sent Me and loved them as You loved Me (John 17:21-23). What meaning does the Church give to the reading of this Gospel? This text leads us to the recognition of the internal connection of the doctrine of the personality of Christ as the God-man, of the Church as the body of the God-man, and of the nature of the Divinity as the consubstantial (omousia) of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In addition, the above prayer is a prayer for salvation, for to abide in the Father and the Son means to be saved.

Emphasizing the importance of the read Gospels and the entire service of Holy Week, church hymns encourage us to be especially attentive and focused, leaving at least for a while the cares of everyday life: “Let us present our pure feelings to Christ, and as His friends, let us devour our souls for His sake, and not by the cares of everyday life.” We are oppressed like Judas, but in our cages we cry out: Our Father who is in heaven, deliver us from the evil one.”

Having prompted us to pay special attention, the Holy Church again in her hymns glorifies the wife who anointed the Lord with chrism, and cites as an example the betrayal of the wicked money-lover Judas, reminding us that the root of all evil is the love of money(1 Tim. 6:10): “Let us serve God by the mercy, like Mary at the supper, and let us not acquire the love of money, like Judas: that we may always be with Christ our God. With thirty pieces of silver, Lord, and with a flattering kiss, I ask the Jews to kill Thee. But the lawless Judas did not want to understand.”

In the following antiphons, the lesson of humility is again heard, the washing of the Savior’s feet is again recalled: “In Your washing, Christ God, You commanded Your disciples: do this as you see. But the lawless Judas did not want to understand.” Further, the need to stay awake is again spoken of: “Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune, as you said to your disciple, Christ our God. But the lawless Judas did not want to understand,” since the next Gospel will read about the treacherous taking of the Savior into custody. The topic of spiritual wakefulness is very important. Directly these words of the Savior are addressed to His disciples, but through them - to all Christians.

Since Peter turned out to be too bold in his words, as well as the other disciples, Christ exposes their instability as people who spoke rashly, and especially turns his speech to Peter, saying that it will be difficult to remain faithful to the Lord for those who could not stay awake for even one hour . But, having denounced him, he again calms them down, because they dozed off not out of inattention to Him, but out of weakness. And if we see our weakness, we will pray so as not to fall into temptation. All Christians are called to this constant spiritual vigilance; without this constant bearing of our Cross there can be no salvation, for through many sorrows we must enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). That’s why we hear again: “Having laid down thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One Who was Priced, He was valued by the children of Israel. Watch and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak: for this reason, watch” (TP. L. 439).

But it's getting closer reading of the second Passion Gospel, which tells about the taking into custody of the Savior. The solemn procession of ancient Christians spending Holy Week in the Holy Land was at that moment approaching the Garden of Gethsemane, where the betrayal took place. Therefore, in order to remind those praying that the Lord suffers for our sake and that everything happened according to the ineffable Providence of God, the Holy Church sings: “At the supper the disciples fed, and knew the pretense of tradition, at which you exposed Judas, who was therefore uncorrected for this: know it Although you gave yourself up to everyone by your will, you snatched away the world from the alien: long-suffering, glory to You.”

Having thus prepared those praying for a correct understanding of what is being read, the Church brings to our attention the second Passion Gospel, which speaks of the capture of the Savior by the soldiers of the high priest under the leadership of Judas the traitor, the denial of Peter, the strangulation of Jesus in the courtyard of Caiaphas and His imprisonment in the praetorium of Pontius Pilate.

The antiphons that follow the reading of the Gospel again dwell on the fall of Judas: “Today Judas leaves the Teacher, and accepts the devil, is blinded by the passion of the love of money, the darkened Light falls away: how can you see, Selling the luminary for thirty pieces of silver; but to us the One who suffered for peace has risen. Let us cry out to the Unman: you who have suffered and have compassion, O Lord, glory to Thee.” It is obvious that it is no coincidence that so much attention is paid to the vice of the love of money and the act of Judas. The Holy Fathers speak very decisively on this matter. “Whoever began to serve mammon has already abandoned serving Christ.”

That is why this topic arises again and again: “Today Judas feigns piety, and his talents are alienated, this disciple becomes a traitor: flattery covers up in ordinary kisses, and he prefers the Master to love, it is senseless to work for the love of money, a teacher who was a teacher of a lawless congregation; But we who have the salvation of Christ, let us glorify him.”

In contrast to the act of Judas, Christ’s faithful followers are called to virtues that are opposite to his sinful illness: “Let us acquire brotherly love as brethren in Christ, and not as an unmerciful hedgehog towards our neighbors: lest we be condemned as an unmerciful servant, for the sake of penalties, and like Judas, having repented, we take advantage of nothing.” "

Turning the Savior's speech to His disciples, the Holy Church in the following antiphons again encourages and strengthens the followers of Christ in this difficult time; But we, separated from the events described in the Gospel for centuries, are moved to patience and perseverance in temptations: “Today the Creator of heaven and earth said to His disciple: The hour is approaching, and Judas will betray Me, so that no one will deny Me, seeing Me on the cross in the midst of the two thief : I suffer as a man, and I will save as a Lover of Mankind, those who believe in Me... Lord, having come to free passion, you cried out to Your disciple: even if you were not able to watch with Me for one hour, since you promised to die for My sake; See how Judas is not sleeping, but is trying to betray Me to the lawless. Arise, pray, so that no one will deny Me, in vain I was on the cross, long-suffering, glory to You.”

The third Passion Gospel is read, telling about how the Savior in the courtyard of the high priest Caiaphas Himself testifies of Himself as the Son of God and accepts being strangled and spat on for this testimony. The renunciation of the Apostle Peter and his repentance are also depicted here. The antiphons that follow the Gospel emphasize that the Divine Sufferer endures these torments voluntarily - for the sake of the salvation of His creation: “When you ate the lawless, while you endured, you cried out to the Lord: if you also smite the Shepherd, and scatter twelve sheep, my disciples, you can imagine greater things than twelve legions.” angels. But I will endure long, that what My prophets have revealed to you may be fulfilled, unknown and secret: Lord, glory to Thee.”

The seventh antiphon says about the Apostle Peter: “Peter denied three times what was spoken to him in his mind, but bring to You tears of repentance: God, cleanse me and save me.” Here we briefly talk about events that have a very deep, enduring moral significance. Obsessed with fear, Peter forgot about his promises to the Teacher and submitted to human weakness. But there is also a higher meaning in this event: Peter is convicted of a servant, that is, of human weakness, this little slave. The rooster means the word of Jesus, which does not allow us to sleep. The awakened Peter came out of the bishop's courtyard, that is, from a state of blinded mind, and began to cry. While he was in the courtyard of the blinded mind, he did not cry because he had no feeling; but as soon as he came out of it, he came to his senses.

The topic of repentance is very important, and in the hymns of Holy Week it is revealed as clearly as nowhere else. According to the holy fathers, if even the evil Judas could fall before the Cross of Christ and bring sincere repentance for betrayal, he would hear from the most pure lips of the Lord: “Your sins are forgiven.” However, “lawless Judas did not want to understand” God’s mercy. He did not turn, like the Apostle Peter, to the good and merciful Lord. The traitor came to the Pharisees, but did not find sympathy from them. Throwing them pieces of silver, he went and hanged himself - a terrible end!

What lesson can an Orthodox Christian learn from the denial of the Apostle Peter? Many probably asked the question: how could he renounce the Savior? And how do we renounce every minute in word and deed?.. Love of sin keeps us from following Christ and makes our soul dead, not knowing Christ.

In the eighth antiphon, the stiff-necked Jews are reproached for not recognizing in Christ their Messiah and Lawgiver: “Cry out the iniquity that you hear from our Savior; shall not lay down the law, and the prophetic teaching; How could you think of betraying Pilate, who is from God, God the Word, and the deliverer of our souls.” Those to whom the Law and the Prophets were given, those who saw so many miracles, did not recognize their Savior and their Messiah: “Let those who continually enjoy the cry of Thy gifts be crucified, and let the evildoer instead of the benefactor be accepted to the benefactor, the murderers of the righteous: but Christ art thou who was silent, enduring their severity, to suffer even though they save us, as a Lover of Mankind.”

Coming reading time of the fourth Passion Gospel. It describes the dialogue between the Savior and Pilate, the scourging of the Lord, His clothing with a crown of thorns and scarlet robe, the mad cries of the crowd: “Crucify, crucify Him!” and handing Him over to be crucified. Once again, already at the threshold of death, He testifies of Himself as the Truth, to which unbelieving skepticism in the person of Pilate replies: “What is truth?” - and betrays Christ to torture and abuse.

What is striking in this Gospel passage is the cry of the crowd, thirsting for the death of their Creator: “Let those who continually enjoy the cry of Thy gifts be crucified, and let the evildoer be accepted instead of the benefactor, the murderers of the righteous.” The Lord performed so many miracles throughout the history of the Israeli people, and the majority of these people did not accept Him: “This says the Lord to the Jews: My people, what have I done to you? or why do you feel cold; I enlightened your blind, cleansed your lepers, raised your living husband on his bed. My people, what have I done to you, and what will you repay Me; for manna gall: for water tsets: for the hedgehog love Me, nail Me to the cross!..”

And if only he had not accepted... His blood be on us and on our children (Matthew 27:25)... What terrible words!.. And with what insane frivolity the people pronounce them. The Blood of the Righteous One, which he accepted upon himself, burned the cities with fire, delivered the Israelites into the hands of enemies and finally scattered them across the face of the earth... But we accept this same Blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, for us it is the source of immortality and Eternal Life... But His Blood will also be on us, and on our children, to condemnation and destruction, if even after we have been renewed by this most holy Blood, we continue to commit the same sins.

But then, in the midst of terrible sorrow, the words of church hymn are heard put into the mouth of the Savior: “To those who do not tolerate anything else, I will call on My tongues, and they will glorify Me with the Father and the Spirit: and I will give them eternal life.” This speaks of the Holy Church of Christ, which will also be gathered from sheep that are not of this fold. But you too must be brought to Me, and My voice will be heard, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd (John 10:16).

The next, tenth and eleventh, antiphons mention the terrible natural phenomena that accompanied the suffering of Christ. If people turn out to be insensitive, then inanimate nature cannot help but sympathize with its Creator: “Clothe yourself with light like a robe, standing naked in judgment, and receive the emphasis on the cheek from the hands that created them: but the iniquity of people on the cross nailed the Lord of glory: then the veil of the church is torn , the sun is darker, unable to bear the sight of God, we are annoyed, He is the one who trembles in every way, let us worship Him.

Below is the earth as if it shook, below is the stone as if it became gray, admonishing the Jews, below is the church veil, below is the resurrection of the dead. But grant them, Lord, according to their deeds, for they have learned from You in vain.

Today the church veil for exposing the lawless is torn, and the sun hides its rays, the Lord is being crucified in vain.”

Fifth Passion Gospel tells about the death of the traitor Judas, about the interrogation of the Lord in the praetorium of Pilate and about His condemnation to death. The thirteenth antiphon speaks of the robber-murderer Barabbas, whom the maddened crowd preferred to the Savior: “The assembly of the Jews asked Pilate to crucify You, O Lord: for You did not find guilt in You, who freed Barabbas, and You righteously condemned the sin that inherited the foul murder.” And again the Church reminds us that the Savior suffers for us: “Everyone is terrified and trembles, and every tongue sings, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, struck the priests on the cheek, and gave Him gall: and you will suffer all, even if you save us from our iniquities by His Blood, as a Lover of Mankind.”

Suddenly, amid the sorrow and greatness of this day, a weak human cry is heard. This is the cry of the thief, crucified at the right hand of Christ and comprehending the Divinity of the God-Man crucified with him and compassionate with him. “The thief uttered a small voice on the cross, you gained great faith, you were saved in a single moment, and the first gates of heaven opened below, who accepted repentance, Lord, glory to You.”

Like a heartfelt sigh from the whole world, the Church takes it up, and in the hearts of its faithful it grows into a whole song about the prudent thief, sung three times before the 9th Gospel: “The prudent thief, in one hour you have made heaven worthy, and enlighten me with the tree of the cross, and save me."

The words of the last antiphon are imbued with special power: “Today the King like the angels, like the angels, hangs on a tree; he dresses himself in false scarlet, covering the sky with clouds; the strangulation was accepted, like the freed Adam in the Jordan; The Church Bridegroom is nailed down with nails; a copy of the Son of the Virgin. We worship Christ with Your passion; We worship Christ with Your passion; We worship Your passion, Christ, show us Your glorious resurrection.” And here, among the sufferings darkening the consciousness, like a thin ray of light, a mention appears of what all this suffering is for: “show us your glorious resurrection!”

Having thus strengthened those praying, the Church offers reading of the sixth Passion Gospel, which talks about the crucifixion itself. In the hymns that follow this Gospel and immediately precede it, the saving meaning of the suffering of the God-Man is revealed: “Your cross, O Lord, is life and intercession for your people, and in hope we sing to You, our crucified God, have mercy on us.”

In the hymns one can hear: “Thou hast redeemed us from the legal oath, with Thy venerable Blood, having been nailed to the cross, and pierced with a spear, Thou hast extinguished immortality as a man, Our Savior, glory to Thee.” The Lord redeemed us, did everything for our salvation, but this salvation can only be found in the Church of Christ. Therefore, immediately after reading the Gospel story about the crucifixion, we hear comforting words about the Church, filling the whole world with Divine grace: “Thy life-giving ribs, like a fountain flowing from Eden, Thy Church, O Christ, like a verbal one, waters paradise, from here dividing like into the beginning, into the four Gospels, watering the world, making the creation joyful, and faithfully teaching the tongues to worship Your Kingdom.” Only in the Church, as in the ark of salvation, can one find peace and salvation from eternal death.

But peace and salvation can only be obtained by following Christ: “Thou hast been crucified for my sake, that thou hast pierced my ribs, that thou hast emptied the drops of life: thou hast been nailed with nails, that by the depth of Thy passions we assure the height of Thy power , I call Ty: Life-giving Christ, glory to the Savior Cross and Thy passion.” Only those who fulfill the gospel commandment are saved: If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and come after Me.(Matt. 16:24).

What else can be added, what else can be usefully extracted from the proposed chants? “Thou hast torn to pieces our handwriting on the cross, O Lord, and having been counted among the dead, Thou hast bound the tormentor there, delivering all from the bonds of death by Thy resurrection, by which we have been enlightened, O Lord of mankind, and we cry unto Thee: remember us also, O Savior, in Thy Kingdom.”

Seventh and Eighth Passion Gospels repeat the events of the Savior's crucifixion, supplementing them with some details. After the eighth Gospel, the three-canticle of Cosmas of Maium is read, which, in particular, again speaks of the disciples of Christ. The eighth song of this three-song contains an important idea that to those who are stronger, a stronger temptation is sent: “From the disciples of all times now, shake off the sleep that thou hast said, O Christ, and watch in prayer, lest ye enter into adversity, and especially Simone: the strongest temptation. Understand Me Peter: He will bless all creation, glorifying Him forever.”

We are further reminded that you can never rely on yourself, since only with the help of God can we do something good: “You have not experienced all the depth of Divine wisdom and reason, but you have not comprehended the abyss of My destinies as a human being, the Lord speaks. Do not boast in your poor flesh, for you have denied Me three times, Whom He will bless all creation, glorifying Him forever.” Moreover, Peter was afraid not of the soldiers, but of the maids: “You deny to Simone Peter that you will quickly do as you have said, and one young woman will come to You and frighten You, the Lord has spoken. The mountaineer shed tears, and found Me both merciful and blessed by all creation, glorifying Him forever.”

The Exapostilary of the Trisong, sung just before the reading of the ninth Gospel, depicts the prudent thief who came to the knowledge of the Truth at the eleventh hour. This teaches a lesson that it is never too late to repent and come to Christ the Savior: “The prudent thief, in one hour you have made heaven worthy, and enlighten me with the tree of the cross, and save me.” Jesus receives everyone, giving the same denarius to those workers who came around the eleventh hour. Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:43).

The last Passion Gospel has been read, the Lord has been laid in the tomb, Christ’s disciples have dispersed... The continuation of the holy and saving Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ ends, and with lighted candles Christians leave the church, grieving from what they have experienced, but in the depths of their souls already expecting the Resurrection.

Passion Gospels:

1. John 13:31-18:1 (The Savior’s farewell conversation with his disciples and His high priestly prayer for them).
2. John 18:1-28. (The capture of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane and His suffering at the hands of the High Priest Anna).
3. Matthew 26:57-75. (The Savior’s suffering at the hands of the high priest Caiaphas and the denial of Peter).
4. John 18:28-40,19:1-16. (The Lord's suffering at Pilate's trial).
5. Matthew 27:3-32. (The despair of Judas, the new suffering of the Lord under Pilate and His condemnation to crucifixion).
6. Mark 15:16-32. (Leading the Lord to Golgotha ​​and His Passion on the Cross).
7. Matthew 27:34-54. (Continuation of the story of the Lord’s suffering on the cross, the miraculous signs that accompanied His death).
8. Luke 23:32-49. (Prayer of the Savior on the Cross for enemies and repentance of a prudent thief).
9. John 19:25-37. (The Savior’s words from the cross to the Mother of God and the Apostle John and repetition of the legend about His death and perforation).
10. Mark 15:43-47. (Removal of the Lord's body from the Cross).
11. John 19:38-42. (Participation of Nicodemus and Joseph in the burial of the Savior).
12. Matthew 27:62-66. (Attaching guards to the tomb of the Savior and sealing the tomb).

The ninth Passion Gospel is read, which speaks of the Savior’s dying concerns about His Mother and His death. The Lord, hanging on the cross, adopts His Mother as a son to His beloved disciple. “This was a response to Her boundless sorrow, the spectacle of which was one of the sharpest thorns of the Savior’s martyr’s crown.”

And now - “it is finished.” The Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, hanging on the cross, gave up his ghost. “My cloaks fell on the wounds, but I did not turn away My face from the spitting, I stood before Pilate’s judgment, and endured the cross for the salvation of the world.” The work of redemption of the human race through His suffering on the cross was completed, in everything in accordance with the Old Testament prophecies and foreshadowings. Even inanimate nature could not remain indifferent to the death of its Creator. In the midst of the darkness, a strong underground rumble was heard, and the earth began to shake: “All creation, changing with fear, beholding Thee hanging on the cross of Christ: the sun was darkened, and the foundations of the earth shook, all to the compassion of the Creator of all. You endured the will of us for our sake, O Lord, glory to Thee.”

The menacing natural phenomena have ceased. Golgotha ​​is empty. Terrible rumors began to spread throughout the city that the earthquake had damaged the temple, and the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the Sanctuary was torn from top to bottom. This event marked the completion of the Old Testament and the establishment of a new relationship between man and God.

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The text of the Gospel readings is given in the synodal translation for a better understanding of the service and is provided with detailed patristic and theological exegetical interpretations, which will help you better understand the meaning and significance of the Sequence of the Holy and Saving Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, also called the service of the “Twelve Gospels of the Holy Passion of Christ.”

During Great Lent on Holy Week, on the evening of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday Matins, or the service of the 12 Gospels, as this service is usually called, is celebrated. This entire service is dedicated to the reverent remembrance of the saving suffering and death on the cross of the God-Man. Every hour of this day there is a new deed of the Savior, and the echo of these deeds is heard in every word of the service.

In it, the Church reveals to believers the full picture of the Lord’s suffering, starting from the bloody sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane to the Calvary crucifixion. The Passion Gospels are a sequence of passages selected from all the Evangelists and divided into twelve readings, according to the number of hours of the night, which indicates that believers should spend the whole night listening to the Gospels, like the apostles who accompanied their Teacher the Lord to the Garden of Gethsemane. Taking us mentally through past centuries, the Church, as it were, brings us to the very foot of the cross of Christ and makes us reverent spectators of all the torment of the Savior. Believers listen to the Gospel stories with lighted candles in their hands, lighting them before reading each Gospel text, and after each reading through the mouths of the singers they thank the Lord with the words: “Glory to Your long-suffering, Lord!” After each reading of the Gospel, the bell is struck accordingly. John Chrysostom already mentions the reading of the Passion Gospels on this day.

Order of the Passion Gospels

1. John 13:31-18:1 (Farewell conversation of the Savior with the disciples and His high priestly prayer for them).
2. John 18:1-28 (The capture of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane and His suffering at the hands of the High Priest Anna).
3. Matt. 26:57-75 (The Savior’s suffering at the hands of the high priest Caiaphas and the denial of Peter).
4. John 18:28-40, 19:1-16 (The Lord's suffering at Pilate's trial).
5. Matt. 27:3-32 (The despair of Judas, the new suffering of the Lord under Pilate and His condemnation to crucifixion).
6. Mar. 15:16-32 (Leading the Lord to Golgotha ​​and His Passion on the Cross).
7. Matt. 27:34-54 (Continuation of the story of the Lord’s suffering on the cross, the miraculous signs that accompanied His death).
8. Onion. 23:32-49 (Prayer of the Savior on the Cross for enemies and repentance of a prudent thief).
9. John 19:25-37 (The Savior’s words from the cross to the Mother of God and the Apostle John and repetition of the legend about His death and perforation).
10. Mar. 15:43-47 (Removal of the Lord's body from the Cross).
11. John 19:38-42 (Participation of Nicodemus and Joseph in the burial of the Savior).
12. Matt. 27:62-66 (Attaching guards to the tomb of the Savior and sealing the tomb).

We see that this reading is compiled from the texts of all four evangelists. The chants of 15 antiphons in the intervals between readings only complement and explain the course of the Gospel events. The entire service, except the Gospel readings, is sung as a sign of great spiritual triumph. The Gospel readings were chosen to highlight the suffering of the Savior from different angles and to present their successive stages.

“Before us passes a picture of what happened to the Savior out of love for us; He could have avoided all this if only he had retreated, if only he had wanted to save Himself and not complete the work for which He came!.. Of course, then He would not have been Who He really was; He would not be Divine love incarnate, He would not be our Savior; but at what price does love cost!

Christ spends one terrible night face to face with coming death; and He struggles with this death, which comes at Him inexorably, just as a man struggles before death. But usually a person simply dies helplessly; something more tragic was happening here.

Christ had previously said to his disciples: No one takes life from me - I give it freely... And so He freely, but with what horror, gave it away... The first time He prayed to the Father: Father! If this can pass me by, yes, a blowjob!.. and I fought. And the second time He prayed: Father! If this cup cannot pass Me by, let it be... And only the third time, after a new struggle, He could say: Thy will be done...

We must think about this: it always - or often - seems to us that it was easy for Him to give His life, being God who became man: but He, our Savior, Christ, dies as a Man: not by His immortal Divinity, but by His humanity , a living, truly human body...

And then we see the crucifixion: how He was killed with a slow death and how He, without one word of reproach, surrendered to torment. The only words He addressed to the Father about the tormentors were: Father, forgive them - they do not know what they are doing...

This is what we must learn: in the face of persecution, in the face of humiliation, in the face of insults - in the face of a thousand things that are far, far removed from the very thought of death, we must look at the person who offends us, humiliates us, wants to destroy us, and turn around soul to God and say: Father, forgive them: they don’t know what they are doing, they don’t understand the meaning of things...”

“But before showing Christ bloodied, naked, crucified and buried, which we see in the rite of the removal and burial of the Shroud, the Holy Church shows us the image of the God-man in all His greatness and beauty. Believers must know Who is being sacrificed, Who will endure “spitting, and beating, and strangulation, and the cross, and death”: Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him...(John 13:31). To comprehend the depth of Christ’s humiliation, one must understand, as far as this is possible for a mortal man, His height and His Divinity. The First Gospel of the Holy Passion is therefore, as it were, a verbal icon of God the Word reclining at the “Easter of the Crucifixion” and ready to die. Seeing the immeasurable humiliation of her Lord and Savior, the Church at the same time beholds His glory.”

1st. In., 46 credits, 13, 31 - 17, 1
Gospel of John
Chapter 13

1. When he went out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.”
2. If God was glorified in Him, then God will glorify Him in Himself, and will soon glorify Him.
3. Children! I won't be with you for long. You will seek Me, and just as I told the Jews that where I go you cannot come, so I tell you now.
4. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, let you also love one another.
5. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
6. Simon Peter said to Him: Lord! where are you going? Jesus answered him: Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now, but later you will follow Me.
7. Peter said to Him: Lord! Why can’t I follow You now? I will lay down my soul for You.
8. Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for Me?” Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you have denied Me three times.

1. Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, and believe in Me.
2. In My Father's house there are many mansions. But if it were not so, I would have told you: I am going to prepare a place for you.
3. And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you also may be.
4. And where I am going, you know, and you know the way.
5. Thomas said to Him: Lord! we don’t know where you’re going; and how can we know the way?
6. Jesus said to him: I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.
7. If you knew Me, you would also know My Father. And from now on you know Him and have seen Him.
8. Philip said to Him: Lord! show us the Father, and it is enough for us.
9. Jesus said to him: I have been with you so long, and you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, show us the Father?
10. Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you, I do not speak from Myself; The Father abiding in Me, He does the works.
11. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; but if not so, then believe Me by the very works.
12. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me will do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do, because I go to My Father.
13. And if you ask the Father anything in My name, I will do it, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
15. If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you forever,
17. the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; and you know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.
18. I will not leave you orphans; I'll come to you.
19. A little more and the world will no longer see Me; and you will see Me, for I live, and you will live.
20. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
21. He who has My commandments and keeps them, he loves Me; and whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father; and I will love him and appear to him Myself.
22. Judas - not Iscariot - says to Him: Lord! What is it that You want to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?
23. Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him.
24. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; The word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father who sent Me.
25. I told you these things while I was with you.
26. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you.
27. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
28. You have heard that I said to you: I am leaving you and will come to you. If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I said: I am going to the Father; for My Father is greater than Me.
29. And behold, I told you about it before it happened, so that you might believe when it happens.
30. It’s not long for me to talk to you; For the prince of this world comes and has nothing in Me.
31. But so that the world may know that I love the Father and, as the Father commanded Me, so I do: get up, let’s go from here.

1. I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2. Every branch of Me that does not bear fruit He cuts off; and every one that bears fruit he cleanses, that it may bear more fruit.
3. You have already been cleansed through the word that I preached to you.
4. Abide in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it is in the vine, so neither can you unless you are in Me.
5. I am the vine, and you are the branches; He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6. Whoever does not abide in Me will be cast out like a branch and wither; and such branches are collected and thrown into the fire, and they burn.
7. If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8. By this My Father will be glorified, if you bear much fruit and become My disciples.
9. As the Father has loved Me, I have loved you; abide in My love.
10. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11. I have spoken these things to you, so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
12. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
14. You are My friends if you do what I command you.
15. I no longer call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have told you everything that I have heard from My Father.
16. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you.
17. I command you this, that you love one another.
18. If the world hates you, know that it hated Me first.
19. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20. Remember the word that I said to you: a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you too; If they have kept my word, they will also keep yours.
21. But they will do all this to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
22. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23. He who hates Me also hates My Father.
24. If I had not done among them works that no one else had done, they would not have had sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.
25. But let the word that is written in their law be fulfilled: They have hated Me without cause.
26. When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me;
27. and you also will testify, because you were with Me from the beginning.

1. I told you these things so that you would not be tempted.
2. They will drive you out of the synagogues; the time even comes when everyone who kills you will think that he is serving God.
3. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or Me.
4. But I told you this so that when that time comes, you will remember what I told you about this; I didn’t tell you this at first, because I was with you.
5. And now I go to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me: Where are you going?
6. But because I told you this, your heart was filled with sorrow.
7. But I tell you the truth: it is better for you that I go; for if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you; and if I go, I will send Him to you,
8. and He, having come, will convict the world about sin and about righteousness and about judgment:
9. about sin, that they do not believe in Me;
10. about the truth that I go to My Father, and you will no longer see Me;
11. about judgment, that the prince of this world is condemned.
12. I still have a lot to tell you; but now you cannot contain it.
13. When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak from Himself, but He will speak whatever He hears, and He will tell you the future.
14. He will glorify Me, because He will take of Mine and proclaim it to you.
15. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that he will take from Mine and tell it to you.
16. Soon you will not see Me, and again soon you will see Me, for I am going to the Father.
17. Then some of His disciples said to one another, “What is it that He says to us: Soon you will not see Me, and again soon you will see Me, and: I am going to the Father?”
18. So they said: What does He say: “soon”? We don't know what he says.
19. Jesus, realizing that they wanted to ask Him, said to them: Are you asking one another about this, that I said: A little while later you will not see Me, and again a short time later you will see Me?
20. Truly, truly, I say to you, you will mourn and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
21. When a woman gives birth, she suffers sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to a baby, she no longer remembers the sorrow for joy, because a man was born into the world.
22. So now you also have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you;
23. and on that day you will not ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you.
24. Until now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
25. Hitherto I have spoken to you in parables; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in parables, but will tell you directly about the Father.
26. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you:
27. for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and believed that I came from God.
28. I came from the Father and came into the world; and again I leave the world and go to the Father.
29. His disciples said to Him: Behold, now You speak plainly, and do not speak any parables.
30. Now we see that You know everything and have no need for anyone to question You. Therefore we believe that You came from God.
31. Jesus answered them: Do you believe now?
32. Behold, the hour is coming, and has already come, that you will scatter, each in his own direction, and leave Me alone; but I am not alone, for the Father is with Me.
33. I have spoken these things to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but take heart: I have overcome the world.

1. After these words, Jesus raised His eyes to heaven and said: Father! the hour has come, glorify Your Son, that Your Son also will glorify You.

(…) First Gospel begins with the words of the Savior about His glorification: Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. This glory, like a kind of light-like cloud, envelops the exalted Cross now standing before us. Like once Mount Sinai and the ancient tabernacle, it surrounds Golgotha. And the stronger the sorrow that the gospel story tells about, the stronger the glorification of Christ sounds in hymns.

The essence of God is love, therefore it is glorified even in the suffering of the Savior. The glory of love is its sacrifice. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends(In. 15 , 13). Christ lays down His soul for His friends and calls them: You are my friends(In. 15 , 14). The Lord brought people complete knowledge. The fullness of the Divine living in Him bodily through the unity of those who love in Him reveals knowledge about the most important and valuable thing - about God. Those who love one another in Christ receive a revelation of the essence of God. For, abiding in Christ's love, they thereby abide in the Trinitarian Godhead. He who loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him(In. 14 , 23). With the coming of the Father the Holy Spirit is sent down, which comes from the Father and testifies of the Son (cf.: Jn. 15 , 26).

However, it is impossible to love when you are alone. Therefore, the image of God is reflected in human society - in the Church of Christ. The hymns call us to common prayer and to the general glorification of the Lord in order to perceive together “the Holy Passover, which is sacred in us”: “Let us hear all the faithful, convening with high preaching, the uncreated and natural wisdom of God, crying out: taste and understand, as Christ I, cry: gloriously glorified is Christ our God.” (TP. L. 424). “Christ established the world, Heavenly and Divine Bread. Come, lovers of Christ, with mortal lips and pure hearts, let us faithfully celebrate Easter, which is celebrated in us” (TP. L. 423).

So, the unity of God is reflected in the unity of the Church, and vice versa. Jesus Christ prays for him in His bishop’s prayer: That they all may be one: as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us; and the world also has faith, because You sent Me. And I have given the glory to Me, I have given it to them, that they may be one, as We are one. I am in them, and You are in Me: that they may be perfect in one, and that the world may understand that You sent Me and loved them as You loved Me.(In. 17 , 21–23). What meaning does the Church give to the reading of this Gospel? This text leads us to the recognition of the internal connection of the doctrine of the personality of Christ as the God-man, of the Church as the body of the God-man, and of the nature of the Divinity as the consubstantial (omousia) of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In addition, the above prayer is a prayer for salvation, for to abide in the Father and the Son means to be saved.

Emphasizing the importance of the Gospels being read and the entire service of Holy Week, church hymns encourage us to be especially attentive and focused, leaving at least for a while cares of life: “Let us present our pure feelings to Christ, and as His friends, let us devour our souls for His sake, and not be oppressed by the cares of this world, like Judas, but in our cages let us cry out: Our Father, who is in heaven, deliver us from the evil one” (TP. L. 436).

Having prompted us to pay special attention, the Holy Church again in her hymns glorifies the wife who anointed the Lord with chrism, and cites as an example the betrayal of the wicked money-lover Judas, reminding us that the root of all evil is the love of money(1 Tim. 6 , 10): “Let us serve the mercy of God, like Mary at the supper, and not acquire the love of money, like Judas: that we may always be with Christ our God.

With thirty pieces of silver, Lord, and with a flattering kiss, I ask the Jews to kill Thee. But the lawless Judas did not want to understand” (TP. L. 436).

In the following antiphons, the lesson of humility is again heard, the washing of the Savior’s feet is again recalled: “In Your washing, Christ God, You commanded Your disciples: do this as you see. But the lawless Judas did not want to understand” (TP. L. 437). Further, the need to stay awake is again spoken of: “Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune, as you said to your disciple, Christ our God. But the lawless Judas did not want to understand” (TP. L. 437), since in the next Gospel we will read about the treacherous taking of the Savior into custody. The topic of spiritual wakefulness is very important. Directly these words of the Savior are addressed to His disciples, but through them - to all Christians. Since Peter turned out to be too bold in his words, as well as the other disciples, Christ exposes their instability as people who spoke rashly, and especially turns his speech to Peter, saying that it will be difficult to remain faithful to the Lord for those who could not stay awake for even one hour . But, having denounced him, he again calms them down, because they dozed off not out of inattention to Him, but out of weakness. And if we see our weakness, we will pray so as not to fall into temptation. All Christians are called to this constant spiritual vigilance; without this constant bearing of their Cross there can be no salvation, for Through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God(Acts 14 , 22). That’s why we hear again: “Having laid down thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One Who was Priced, He was valued by the children of Israel. Watch and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak: for this reason, watch” (TP. L. 439).

But the reading of the second Passion Gospel, which tells about the taking of the Savior into custody, is approaching. The solemn procession of ancient Christians spending Holy Week in the Holy Land was at that moment approaching the Garden of Gethsemane, where the betrayal took place. Therefore, in order to remind those praying that the Lord suffers for our sake and that everything happened according to the ineffable Providence of God, the Holy Church sings: “At the supper the disciples fed, and knew the pretense of tradition, at which you exposed Judas, who was therefore uncorrected for this: know it Although you have given yourself over to everyone by your will, you may snatch the world away from the alien: long-suffering, glory to You” (TP. L. 437).

Priest Gennady Orlov. Hymns of Holy Week.

This wonderfully touching conversation of the Lord with the disciples is given in full only by one fourth evangelist, St. John, a short excerpt from it is given by St. Luke, and the first two evangelists speak only about the Lord’s prediction of Peter’s denial and about the meeting with the disciples after the resurrection in Galilee. This entire speech is extremely lengthy and takes up several chapters. Together with the so-called following it. With the “High Sacred Prayer” of the Lord, it is read in its entirety during divine services on the evening of Maundy Thursday as the first Gospel of the Holy Passion.

According to St. The Lord Jesus Christ began this conversation with John immediately after Judas left with the words: Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him... We must assume, however, that this conversation was begun by the Lord with these words not only after the departure of Judas, but also after the Lord established the sacrament of Communion, about which St. John is silent, as only completing the narratives of the first three Evangelists. Having taught His Body and Blood to the disciples and seeing the mystery of redemption as if it had already been accomplished, since if He had already been sacrificed and victory had been achieved over all hostile forces, the Lord exclaimed these victorious words: Now is the Son of Man glorified..."Now", i.e. on this mysterious and terrible night came the glorification of the Son of Man, which at the same time is the glorification of God the Father, who was pleased to give His Only Begotten Son as a sacrifice for the salvation of people, and this earthly glorification of His Son is the beginning of His future heavenly glorification as the conqueror of death and hell. Wanting to lead His disciples out of that depressed mood of spirit in which they were influenced by the thought of the betrayal of one of them, the Lord turns their thoughts to His Divine glory, which will be revealed both in His upcoming suffering and in His resurrection and ascension to heaven. “Soon he will glorify”, i.e. His humiliation will not last long, but His visible glorification will soon begin. Children, I haven’t been with you much yet- “children” or “little children” - this extremely unclear address of the Lord to the disciples is not found anywhere else in the Gospel: it resulted from a deep feeling of impending separation under such difficult and tempting circumstances for their faith. As I spoke before to the Jews, so now I say to you that I am leaving you on a path in which you cannot now follow Me. Leaving you in peace to continue My work, I give you a new commandment, that you love one another as you have loved... Out of love for people, I lay down My life for them and you should imitate Me in this. The commandment to love one’s neighbors was also given in the Law of Moses, but Christ gave this commandment a new character, unknown before - about love even for one’s enemies, even to the point of self-sacrifice in the Name of Christ. Such pure, unselfish and selfless love is a sign of true Christianity. St. Peter then asks a question full of fear and sadness: Lord, where are you going? The Lord confirms to him that now he cannot follow Him, but immediately predicts to him that in the future he will follow Him along the same path of martyrdom. What follows is the prediction of Peter’s threefold renunciation, which is narrated by all four Evangelists. Warning Peter against arrogance, when he began to assure that he would lay down his soul for the Lord, the Lord, according to St. Luke said to him: Simone, Simone, behold, Satan asks you to sow you like wheat...

It is characteristic that the Lord here calls him not Peter, but Simon, for by denying the Lord, Peter showed that he had ceased to be a “stone.” By this “sowing” we mean the temptation from Satan, to which the Apostles were actually subjected during the hours of suffering of their Divine Teacher, when their faith in Him was ready to be shaken. This request of Satan is reminiscent of his request regarding Job the Long-Suffering, whom the Lord allowed to be subjected to such a grave temptation. With His all-powerful prayer, the Lord protected His disciples, and especially Peter, from complete fall; He allowed Peter to fall temporarily, so that he would be stronger and firmer later and thereby strengthen his brothers. Prayed for you- although danger from Satan threatened everyone, the Lord prayed especially for Peter, for he, as the more ardent and decisive one, faced the greatest danger. Once you have turned, strengthen your brethren- this indicates that Peter, having repented after his denial of Christ, will be for everyone a model of true repentance and an example of firmness. To this, Peter, in all four Evangelists, begins to assure the Lord of his unshakable loyalty to Him, of his readiness to follow him into prison and to death. How, however, was Peter’s denial possible if the Lord prayed for him so that his faith would not fail? But Peter’s faith did not diminish: he denied in a fit of cowardly fear and immediately, as we see, surrendered to the deepest repentance. According to all four evangelists, Christ predicts to Peter that he will deny Him on the coming night three times before the rooster crows, and according to Mark, before the rooster crows twice. This great accuracy of St. Mark is explained, of course, by the fact that he wrote his Gospel under the leadership of the Apostle Peter himself. The first rooster crow occurs around midnight, the second - before morning; therefore, the meaning of this is that even before morning comes, Peter will deny his Teacher and Lord three times. Apparently, the Lord predicted Peter’s denial twice: the first time at the evening, as St. Luke and St. John, and the second time - after leaving the supper, on the road to Gethsemane, as reported by St. Matthew and St. Mark. To the prediction of Peter's denial, according to St. Luke, the Lord added a prediction about what kind of need and struggle awaited His disciples in the future. When you were sent without a vagina, and without fur, and without boots, did you eat anything faster?... - just as before the apostles did not need to worry about anything, for they everywhere found food and everything they needed while they walked and preached during the life of the Lord in Judea and Samaria, so now other times are coming when the anger of people against their Teacher will spread and on them. All further speech of the Lord about taking the vagina and fur and buying a knife (or sword), of course, should be understood not in literally, but in the symbolic. The Lord simply warns them that an extremely difficult period of life is coming for them, and they must prepare for it themselves, that hunger, thirst, disasters, and enmity from people await them; if their Teacher Himself is considered a villain in the eyes of these people, then what good can they expect? The apostles, out of naivety, understood everything that the Lord said literally, and say: there are two knives here. Seeing that they did not understand Him, the Lord stopped this conversation with the words: enough to eat.

Let not your heart be troubled- the thought of the Lord’s imminent departure from them should not confuse the disciples, because this departure is only a means of bringing them into constant, already eternal communion with Him: the Lord promises them, when the time comes for that, to take them to Himself in the eternal abodes of His Father Heavenly. Still clouded by false ideas about the earthly kingdom of the Messiah, the disciples do not understand these words of the Lord, and therefore Thomas says: Lord, we know not where you are going... In the answer, the Lord explains that He Himself is the path by which they must go to the Father in order to settle in the eternal abodes awaiting them. No one will come to the Father except Me- since Christ is the Redeemer and only through faith in the work of redemption of mankind accomplished by Him is salvation possible. If they knew Me more quickly, then they knew My Father more quickly, - for in Christ is the full revelation of God, as He previously said to the Jews: Az and the Father are one(John 10:30). And the disciples of the Lord, knowing Christ, should also know the Father. True, they did not know Christ well, but they gradually approached this knowledge, which the Lord gave them especially at the Last Supper through the washing of their feet, the communion of His Body and Blood, and through His edifying conversations. Similar in character to Thomas and just like him, distinguished by rationality, Philip then said to the Lord: “Show us the Father, and it will be sufficient for us,” meaning, of course, by this a sensory vision, which, for example, the prophets were awarded. The Lord expresses, as it were, regret for Philip’s lack of understanding and inspires in him the uselessness of his request, since in Him - through His deeds, through His teaching, through His very God-human personality - they should have known the Father long ago. Continuing to further console the disciples, the Lord promises to endow them with the power of miracles, fulfilling everything that they ask of Him in prayer: prayer in the Name of the Lord the Redeemer will work miracles. Provided that the disciples, loving the Lord, will keep His commandments, the Lord promises to send them a Comforter who will abide with them forever, the Spirit of Truth, who will, as it were, replace the name of Christ and thanks to whom they will have constant mysterious communication with Christ. The “world” as the totality of those who do not believe in the Lord and people hostile to Him, alien in everything and contrary to the Comforter Spirit, cannot accept Him, but He remained with the Apostles thanks to their communication with the Lord during His earthly life, and He will remain in them to remain with them forever, when it comes upon them on the day of Pentecost. “I will not leave you, sires: I will come to you,” and visibly after the resurrection and mysteriously through spiritual communication in the sacrament of communion, through the mediation of the Holy Spirit. “And you will live” in unity with Me, as the source of eternal life, while the world, spiritually dead, will not see the Lord. "On that day", i.e. on the day of Pentecost, “you will understand that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you,” you will understand the essence of spiritual communion with God in Christ. The condition for this communion with God is love for the Lord and keeping His commandments. Judas, not Iscariot, called Levway or Thaddeus, who apparently did not part with the favorite thought of the Jews about the sensory kingdom of the Messiah, understanding the words of the Lord in the literal sense that He would appear in a sensory-corporeal form to those who love Him and keep His commandments, expressed bewilderment why The Lord wants to appear only to them, and not to the whole world, as the founder of the glorious worldwide kingdom of the Messiah. The Lord explains that He speaks about His mysterious spiritual manifestation to His followers, repeating the previous thought about the need for this to love Him and fulfill His commandments. The world, which does not love Him and does not fulfill His commandments, is incapable of such spiritual communication with the Lord. The commandments of Christ are at the same time the commandments of the Father. All this may now be unclear to the disciples, but when the Comforter comes, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in the name of Christ, He will instruct the Apostles - He will teach them everything and remind them of everything that Christ taught them: He will reveal to them the secret of spiritual life, life in Christ.

At the end of the Easter supper, the head of the family said to those present: “Peace be with you,” and then the supper concluded with the singing of psalms. The Lord, intending to leave the Easter room and having in mind that he would soon depart from His disciples, following the custom, also teaches them peace, but a higher peace, in comparison with what the world that lies in evil usually gives: “My peace I give to you.” - this is a world that perfectly balances all the forces of the human spirit, brings complete harmony to a person’s inner mood, calms all confusion and indignation, this is exactly the peace that the Angels sang about on Christmas night. Therefore, the Apostles should not be embarrassed or afraid of anything.

The supper is over. The time was coming to leave the Zion upper room where it took place. Outside there was the darkness of the unknown, the fear of separation from Christ and helplessness in a hostile world. Therefore, Christ again consoles the disciples with the promise to come to them and says that they should rejoice in the fact that He is going to the Father, “for My Father is in pain” - more, of course, as the First Cause (the Son, being born from the Father, borrows from Him His being), more like God, in comparison with Christ - the God-man. Everything must happen, according to what is written, just as the Lord warned the disciples before: through the fulfillment of what was predicted, the disciples will be convinced of the truth of Christ’s words. “To whom I speak a little with you,” only a few hours remained until the moment when Judas and the soldiers were to take the Lord. The Lord with His spiritual gaze sees the approach of His enemy “the prince of this world” - Satan in the person of Judas with the spira and in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the devil attacked the Lord, tempting Him with the fear of torment and the hour of death - the last attempt to deviate the Lord from His redemptive work. feat for the salvation of humanity. The Lord says at the same time that the devil is in Him have nothing to do with, i.e., due to the sinlessness of Christ, he cannot find anything in Him over which he could dominate. This is proof of the Lord’s complete moral freedom, with which He, solely out of His love, gives His life for the salvation of the world, to fulfill the will of the Father. Get up, let's get out of here- let's go to meet the approaching enemy, the prince of this world in the person of Judas the traitor.

Many interpreters are inclined to believe that after these words one should read the words of ev. Matthew, coinciding with the same words of St. Brand: and singing, she went up to the Mount of Olives Then the Lord talks about himself as a vine. On the road to the Mount of Olives and on its slopes there were many vineyards, looking at which the Lord used this visual and living image.

It is believed that by passing through the vineyards and pointing out the grapes to the Apostles, the Lord borrows from the vine an image of the spiritual relationship between Him and those who believe in Him: I am the true vine, and My Father is the worker. The Father is a vinedresser, as the owner of the grapes, cultivating them himself and through others: He sent down His Son to the earth, planting Him like a fruitful Vine, so that the wild and barren branches of humanity, merging with this Vine, would receive new juices from Him and themselves would become fruitful. Branches that do not bear fruit are cut off: those who do not prove faith by their deeds are cast out from the community of believers, sometimes even in this life, and finally on the day of Judgment; those who believe and bear fruit are cleansed by the power and action of the Holy Spirit, through temptations of various kinds and suffering, in order to be even more perfect in their moral life. The apostles of Christ have already purified themselves by listening to the teaching of the Lord, but in order to maintain and perfect this purity, they must constantly take care to be one with Christ. Only those who are in constant spiritual communion with Christ can bear the fruits of Christian perfection. Without Me you can't do anything. Branches that bear no fruit are collected and thrown into the fire, and they burn. The time when the Lord said this was the time of clearing the vineyards and, perhaps, before the eyes of the Lord and the disciples there were fires on which the dry branches of the vines were burning. It was an expressive image of spiritually withered people, for whom the fire of hell is destined for them in the future life. Further, the Lord promises the disciples that if they remain in constant spiritual communion with Him, all their prayers, of course, in accordance with the will of God, will be fulfilled. But for this they need to constantly abide in the love of Christ and fulfill His commandments. The expression of the disciples’ stay in the love of Christ is their mutual love for each other, which should extend to the readiness to give their lives for their neighbor. You are my friends, and if you do, I command you- mutual love between the disciples makes them friends with each other, and since the union of this mutual love is in Christ, Who loved them with the same love, then, by becoming friends with each other, they become friends of Christ. Because of this love, the Lord revealed to them the whole will of God: this is proof that they are not slaves, but friends of Christ. Having fully depicted His love for the Apostles, which was reflected in the fact that He chose them for great service, the Lord ends this entire part of His conversation (John 15:12-17) again with an admonition: I command you this, that you love one another. Further, the Lord (John 15, 18-27 and 16, 1-3) warns the disciples at length about the persecution that awaits them from the world hostile to Christ. They should not be embarrassed by this hatred of the world, knowing that their Divine Teacher was the first to be subjected to this hatred: this hatred is understandable, because the Lord singled out disciples from a world that loves only what belongs to it, which corresponds to its spirit of all sin, malice and wickedness . When persecuted by the world, disciples must console themselves with the thought that they are no greater than their Lord and Teacher. However, the Sin of the world is inexcusable, since the Son of God Himself came to it preaching repentance, and the world, seeing His glorious deeds, did not repent, but also hated Him: to hate the Son means to hate the Father. Encouraging the disciples in the sorrows awaiting them, the Lord again reminds them of the impending sending down to them of the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, who through the Apostles will testify to the world about Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ will send the Comforter, according to the right of His redemptive merits, but He will send not from Himself, but from the Father, for the eternal origin of the Holy Spirit is not from the Son, but from the Father: who comes from the Father(John 15, 26). This verse completely refutes the false teaching of the Roman Catholics about the procession of the Holy Spirit not only from the Father, but also from the Son. Further, the Lord predicts that the Apostles will testify about Him in the world, as those who saw His glory and were the first to receive His grace and truth.

All this verbs to you, do not be tempted, that is, so that your faith will not be shaken in the persecution awaiting you. These persecutions will go so far that they will excommunicate you from the synagogues and even consider it a godly act to kill you. Jewish fanaticism has indeed reached such a degree of blindness. The Jews were convinced that “he who sheds the blood of the wicked does the same as he who makes a sacrifice.” So St. fell victim to this fanaticism. First Martyr Stephen. The persecutor Saul, who later became ap. Paul, also thought that by participating in the murder of Christians, he was doing what was pleasing to God (Acts 8:1; 22:20; 26:9-11; Gal. 1:13-14). Apparently, from these words of Christ, the disciples were plunged into such deep sadness that the Lord, to console them, began to explain to them how important His departure was for them and for the whole world, for only in this case would the Comforter come to them, who would convict the world about sin, about truth and justice. “Reprove” is used here in the sense: will bring out, bring to consciousness wrongness, crime, sin(cf. John 3:20; 8:9; 8:46; 1 Cor. 14:24; Tit. 1:9; Matt. 18:15; Luke 3:19). This conviction is the same as a moral judgment of the world. The consequence of this judgment can be one of two things: either turning to Christ through repentance, or complete spiritual blindness and bitterness (Acts 24:25; Rom. 11:7). This conviction of the world by the Holy Spirit must be accomplished through the preaching of the Apostles and their successors and all believers in general who have received the Holy Spirit into themselves and become His organs. The first subject of reproof is the sin of unbelief in the Lord as the Messiah, the most significant and most serious sin, for it rejects the Redeemer and Savior of mankind; the second subject - “about righteousness, as I go to My Father” - that Christ really is the Son of God, whose righteousness, completely different from the imaginary righteousness of the Pharisees, is witnessed by God by the fact that He has seated Him at His right hand (Eph. 2:6 ). The third subject is the judgment of the prince of this world - the devil, to which judgment and condemnation all unrepentant and hardened like the devil are subject. Thus, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles will win a great moral victory over this world, which lies in evil, although it will persecute and persecute them. This prophecy of the Lord was fulfilled when the formerly timid and fearful disciples, who fled in different directions when the Lord was taken and then sat fear for the sake of the Jews in a locked upper room, after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them, they courageously and undauntedly preached about Christ in front of thousands of crowds of people, testified about Him all over the world and were no longer afraid of anything, even being known before the kings and lords of the world(Matt. 10:18).

“The imam still has many words to say to you, but you cannot bear it now” - here the Lord tells the disciples that until they are illuminated by the grace of the Holy Spirit, they are unable to properly understand and assimilate everything that He has to tell them, but the Holy Spirit, when he comes, “instructs them to all truth,” i.e. will guide them into areas of Christian truth that are difficult for them to comprehend now. All these revelations of the Holy Spirit will be drawn from the same source of Divine wisdom as the teaching of Jesus Christ: He will speak, like Christ, what he “heard from the Father” (John 3:32; 5:30; 12:49 -50), as from the Primary Source of Divine truth. By these actions of the Holy Spirit Christ will be glorified, because He will teach the same things that Christ taught and thus, as it were, will justify the whole work of Christ in the world. “He will receive from Mine,” because the Son and the Father are one, and everything that the Spirit says belongs equally to both the Father and the Son. In the distance, and whoever you don’t see Me- The Lord again turns to the thought of His departure from the disciples, but immediately consoles them with the hope of a new meeting with Him, obviously both during the Lord’s appearances after the resurrection and in spiritual, mysterious communication with Him. These words of the Lord seemed mysterious to some of the disciples, which again showed the imperfection of their spiritual understanding. The entire further course of the conversations is devoted to explaining these words of the Lord. The basis of the disciples’ bewilderment again lies in their same prejudice about the earthly kingdom of the Messiah. If the Lord wants to establish His kingdom on earth, then why does He leave? And if He does not want to establish such a kingdom, then why does He promise to come again?

The Lord answers them: “You are a little, and you do not see Me” - this means that you will “weep and weep”, since the world will fulfill its murderous plans - the Lord’s hidden indication of the suffering and death soon to come to Him. “A little while, and again you will see Me” - this means that “your sorrow will be turned into joy,” just as the sorrow of a wife giving birth is transformed into joy. Here we mean the joy of the disciples that they experienced when they saw the Lord risen - a joy that did not leave them later throughout their lives: “and no one will take your joy from you.” "On that day", i.e. the descent of the Holy Spirit, from which day the Apostles will enter into constant spiritual communion with Christ, all Divine mysteries will become clear to them, and every prayer will be fulfilled, to complete the fullness of their joy.

“As I go to the Father” - this means: “I departed from the Father and came into the world, and again I leave the world and go to the Father” - so, for Christ to go to the Father means to return to the state in which He was before incarnation as the Hypostatic Word. These words struck the disciples with their clarity; They noted with particular satisfaction that the Lord was now speaking to them directly, without using hidden, indirect speech, and expressed their ardent faith in Him as the true Messiah. It was sincere and deep faith, but the gaze of the Lord saw the imperfection of this faith, not yet illuminated by the Holy Spirit. “Do you believe now?” - He asks: “no, your present faith is still imperfect, it will not withstand the first test, which soon, in just a few hours, it will have to be subjected to, when you “dissolve each into your own, and leave Me alone.” “All this is me.” “I told you,” the Lord ends His farewell conversation, so that you “have peace in Me,” so that you do not lose heart in the hours of trials ahead of you, remembering that I warned you about all this in advance. In spiritual communion with Me you will find the necessary peace of Spirit."

“In the world” - a society of people hostile to Me and my cause, you will be sorrowful; but do not lose courage, remembering, “for I have conquered the world” - I conquered by accomplishing the great work of redeeming mankind with His death, defeated the spirit of pride and malice dominating the world with His humility and self-abasement even to the point of death, and laid the foundation for the transformation of this world from the kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom God's.

Averky (Taushev), archbishop. A Guide to Studying the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament. Four Gospels.