I have read this homily probably ten times during the Lenten Season. It is, in my estimation, one of the greatest Good Friday homilies ever written.
The cross is the wood on the altar of the world on which is laid the sacrifice to end all sacrifice. The cross is the wood on which Jesus burns in His love for His Father and for His people, the fuel of His ascent in smoke as a sweet-smelling savor. The cross is the wood on the back of Isaac, climbing Moriah with his father Abraham, who believes that the Lord will provide. The cross is the cedar wood burned with scarlet string and hyssop for the water of purification that cleanses from the defilement of death.
I’m glad they didn’t burn Him at the stake. Blood and water from his side is better than a heap of ashes blowing in the wind.