The Lord's Mercy and the Transformation of Mourning

I have cried out to the High Priest as a physician, and I will help toward my God, without dividing the Father from the Son. He who cries out to God cries out toward the Trinity; for the Trinity is one God, not the same as the numerical identity, if it is necessary to speak of numbers.

What profit is there in my blood, in my descending into corruption? I descended into corruption; what profit has occurred? Behold, they remain in their own evils. But he does not say this at all. Rather it is said: 'you were bought' with the blood of Christ, and that: 'not with corruptible things, silver and gold, were you redeemed from your vain manner of life, but in precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and spotless, Christ' (1 Pet 1:18-19). And this is possible: the whole sum of the saved is called the Body of Christ.

Since, therefore, the Savior arrived and received all that we previously mentioned—the darkness and the cross and the descent into Hades—not all returned, not all took up virtue and faith, but some and others; according to this he says: 'he turned my face away' (Ps 49:15) from certain things being members of me, being my body, 'and I became troubled.' If, therefore, he saved and redeemed and set free by his own blood, how does he say: 'what profit is there in my blood, in my descending into corruption?' Much profit has occurred—but toward those who remain in evils. As for how much has reached you, no profit has exceeded in my blood, my descending into corruption. He says, moreover, that he stirs them up toward repentance.

For this reason he has said: 'shall dust confess to you or announce your truth?' (Ps 65:2) Behold, there are some being dust. But I have come to suffer, so that I might transform them and make them heavenly from being swine. Since, therefore, they remain still wearing the image of the swine, they do not confess to you, nor do they even announce your truth. But I have come so that I might also make the truth manifest, exposing the wandering and the falsehood, and so that I might grant confession, so that someone might cast off the image of the swine and take up that of the heavenly. He says therefore: 'shall dust confess to you?' If dust does not confess to you, as much as has reached him, no profit from my blood has exceeded my descending into corruption. Then—since I have said...

He says this because of those being pressed by former evils; and we have confessed that he also redeemed many by his own blood—thus demonstrating them. 11 The Lord heard and had mercy on me (Ps 117:2). By showing the mercy of the Lord, he speaks of their salvation, that they might receive mercy. 11 The Lord became a helper to me. The verb 'became' signifies that they were not previously so: 'A helper and a protector became to me for salvation.' 11 The Lord heard and had mercy on me (Ps 117:2). I was lamenting, because having descended into corruption, no benefit from my blood has occurred to anyone; but building up the pitied ones, and demonstrating those who are at their peak to be such, that they shall one day be saved; the medicine will one day work in them.

12 You turned my mourning into joy for me (Ps 30:11). He was cutting away the dead out of philanthropy, so that he might raise them up; for immediately a certain understanding took hold: if he mourns and laments because of my sinning, I owe much more to do this. Therefore, 'You turned my mourning into joy for me': their benefit is joy to me, and when we were sinning, my lamentation and mourning were theirs. 12 Having torn my sackcloth, you girded me with gladness. I was carrying a sackcloth of mourning, a severe life, rough, but he changed it into gladness. Thus we have also spoken regarding: 'If in Tyre and Sidon the powers became, long ago they would have repented sitting in sackcloth and ashes' (Matt 15:28; Jonah 2:5). We say that the name of the sackcloth signifies the severe, bitter, and cleansing life of the one lamenting. After this sackcloth, someone takes ashes and sits, no longer acting against it, but sits, ceasing the anger of evil. He groaned over this, which bore chaff, thorns, and thistles; for he was not able to sit among the thorns and thistles, but having burned them and shown them powerless, and that quality by which they were vile, having risen up, he sat upon them.

13 So that my glory may sing to you and I may not be dejected (Ps 82:1). Some say a hint: 'I shall not be dejected'; while my glory sings to you, I am not dejected. But this reading does not satisfy me. Many in the church read it this way. The term 'dejection' (katanyxis) often signifies a repentance. For when Ahaz repented: