Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Second Sunday after Epiphany

And now this is what the Lord—who formed me from the belly as his bondservant in order to gather Jacob and Israel to himself—says: “I will be gathered and glorified before the Lord, and God will be strength for me.” And he said to me, “It is a great thing for you to be called my child, to establish the tribes of Jacob and to return the dispersion of Israel. Look! I have given you as a covenant for a nation, as a light for the nations so that you may become salvation as far as the end of the earth.” This is what the Lord who rescues you, the God of Israel, says: “Sanctify the one who despises his life, who is abhorred by the nations, the servants of rulers. Kings will see him and arise; rulers also will worship him for the sake of the Lord, because the Holy One of Israel is faithful, and I have chosen you.” (Isaiah 49:5–7 LXX)

On becoming man, in fact, God, the Only-begotten Word of God, laid down His life for us, and chose to suffer for us death in the flesh, though experiencing nothing in His own nature; after all, as God He is beyond suffering, but for the sake of sinners He forfeited that privilege.… So He gave His life for us, for we were healed by His bruising,

Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Isaiah 49

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:29–34)

No longer has prepare the way fit place, since He at length is seen and is before the eyes for Whom the preparation is made: the nature of the thing began to need other words. It needed to explain, Who He is Who is come, and to whom He makes His descent Who hath come to us from Heaven. Behold, therefore, he says, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, Whom the Prophet Isaiah did signify to us, saying, He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb: Whom of old, too, he says, the law of Moses typified, but then it saved in part, not extending mercy to all (for it was a type and shadow): but now He Who of old was dimly pictured, the very Lamb, the spotless Sacrifice, is led to the slaughter for all, that He might drive away the sin of the world, that He might overturn the destroyer of the earth, that dying for all He might bring to nought death, that He might undo the curse that is upon us, that He might at length end Dust you are, and unto dust shall you return, that He might become the second Adam, not of the earth, but from heaven, and might be the beginning of all good to the nature of man, deliverance from the imported corruption, Bestower of eternal life, foundation of our reconciliation to God, beginning of godliness and righteousness, way to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John 2.1