O Lord, teach me, and I will know. Then I saw their purpose. For I did not know I was like an innocent lamb led to be sacrificed. They plotted an evil device against me, saying, “Come, let us put wood in his bread, and destroy him root and branch from the land of the living, so his name might not be remembered any longer.” But, O Lord, You who judge righteously, who tests minds and hearts, let me see Your vengeance on them, for I have revealed my righteous plea to You. (Jer 11:17–19 LXX)
There is agreement among all churches that these things were spoken by Christ under the persona of Jeremiah. The Father made known to Him how He ought to speak and showed Him the intentions of the Jews. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, Christ opened not His mouth, and He “did not know”—“sin” should be supplied, according to what was said by the apostle: “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin.” And they said, “Let us throw wood into his bread”—that is, the cross into the body of the Savior (for He Himself said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven”), and “let us eradicate him”—or “wipe him out”—“from the land of the living.” For they were contemplating this wickedness in their mind, in order to blot out His name forever. But the Son, according to the sacrament of His assumed body, speaks to the Father and invokes His justice. He praises God’s righteousness and calls on God, who examines the heart and mind, to render to this people what they deserve, saying, “Let me see your vengeance on them”—on them, that is, who persist in wickedness, not on them who turn to repentance. Concerning this latter group, Christ says on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And to the Father, he reveals and discloses his cause, namely, that He is crucified, not because He is deserving but because of the wickedness of the people, as He says: “The ruler of this world is coming, and he finds nothing against me.”
Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah 2.11
No comments:
Post a Comment