Oct 15 2008
The Sign of the Son Of Man
But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken; and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Mt 24:29-30 WEB Bible)
Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near. (Luke 21:28 RSV)
Many of the early Church fathers believed that the sign of the Son of Man would be the cross appearing in the sky:
“That sign by which the heavenly things were made, that is, the power which the Son of Man wrought when he hung upon the cross. And the sign shall appear in the heaven, that men of all tribes who before had not believed in Christianity when preached, then by that sign, acknowledging it is made plain, shall grieve and mourn for their ignorance and sins… But as, at the dispensation of the Cross (the crucifixion), the sun was eclipsed, and darkness was spread over the earth; so when the sign of the Son of Man appears in heaven, the light of the sun, moon, and stars, shall fail, as though waning before the might of that sign. This we understand to be the sign of the cross… as Zechariah and John speak of: “they shall look on him whom they have pierced,” and the sign of victory. (see Zech 12:10 and John 19:37) (Origin, quoted in THE CATENA AUREA by St Thomas Aquinas, pg 501)
“But because the sun will be darkened, the cross would not be seen, if it were not far brighter than the rays of the sun. That the disciples might not be ashamed, and grieve over the cross, he speaks of it as a sign, with a kind of distinction. The sign of the cross will appear to overthrow the shamelessness of the Jews, when Christ shall appear in judgment, showing not only his wounds, but his most ignominious death, “and then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn.” For when they shall see the cross, they shall bethink them how they have gained naught by his death, and that they have crucified him whom they ought to have worshiped.” (St John Chrysostom, Quoted in CATENA AUREA)
“You will ask, what is the sign of the Son of Man, that is to say, of Christ Incarnate? I answer, it is the Cross. For this is the sign, because it is the standard of Christ, and the cause of the victory of believers. And as it was in times past the scandal of unbelievers and the impious, so will it be in the Day of Judgment their condemnation and punishment. So the Fathers, almost universally taught. Yea, the Church herself gives this meaning he r sanction, when she sings in the office for the Holy Cross: This sign of the Cross shall be in heaven when the Lord shall come to judge.” There are three reasons why the Cross shall appear: 1st. To signify that Christ by the Cross has merited this judicial power and glory. 2nd. To show that Christ was crucified for the salvation of all men, and that therefore they are ungrateful and without excuse who have neglected so grat grace and love. 3rd. To show that all worshipers of Christ crucified shall be then exalted with Him to Heaven, and all who hate and despise Him cast down to hell.” (The Great Commentary Of Cornelius a Lapide, The Holy Gospel According To Matthew, volume 3)
(The crucifixion of Jesus and the darkening of the sun. A woodcut by Gustav Dore)
