the suffering christ 800 1. God sent among the Hebrew people fiery serpents, in order to punish their murmuring. And when the wild beasts had struck very many with wounds and death, then the people, prompted by regret for their offense, besought on their knees their leader Moses that by his prayers, he would avert this severe punishment and placate the divine anger against them. “So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it up as a sign; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.’ So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it up as a sign; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live” (Num 21:7-9). Eternal Wisdom — Christ our leader and Lawgiver — saw that the whole of mankind was perishing through the fruit infused with the venom of the hellish serpent, which [the serpent] inticed our first parents into eating. Consequently, out of His own immense love for mankind, preparing and holding out to us a most efficacious antidote for that original fault, He taught us about this accordingly: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (Jn 3:14-15). O most glorious Cross, on which was lifted up the Son of God after the manner of the snake, that quenched the venom of the ancient serpent and truly brought to us life immortal! O most blessed wood on which hung the salvation of the world! O most noble wood, which made way for the King of glory on [His] throne! Once infamous, now the Cross is the throne and the chariot of God. As you see, so great is the majesty of the Cross — how much majesty, how much courage, how much fortitude, howmuch patience, howmuch love the Crucified One has for us! For who occupies this most Sacred Cross? Our King. For what reason does He embrace it? Our salvation! With what disposition does He occupy it? One that is full of sweetness and courage. In a few brief words, but most pregnant [with meaning], St. Isidore has summed up all these things: “On account of us,” he says, “the Son of God suffered, yet He was not moved by anger against these, by whom He was afflicted with so many injuries.
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