Good Friday and the Irony of Believing

Irony is probably too much to ask of youth. If I can remember myself in my college years, the most I could muster was sarcasm. Irony required more insight.

There is a deep need for the appreciation of irony to sustain a Christian life. Our world is filled with contradiction. Hypocrisy is ever present even within our own heart. The failures of Church and those who are most closely associated with it can easily crush the hearts of the young and break the hearts of those who are older.

I can think of at least two times in my life that the failures of Church, or its hierarchy, drove me from the ranks of the Church, or what passed for Church at the time. As years have gone by I haven’t seen less that would disappoint or break the heart – indeed the things that troubled me as a young man barely compare with revelations we all have seen in recent years.

No hands are clean. Evangelical, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, the failures and coverups are in no way the special province of any. The question of truth remains – but in a contest of the pure, everyone loses. The irony remains. Our failures would not be so poignant if the Kingdom were not so pure. Judas’ betrayal is darkened all the more by the fact that his victim is God Himself.

All of which brings us back to the irony that remains. The greatest irony of all is the God who forgives and remains ever faithful to us despite the contradictions.

When speaking with seekers – those who are asking questions about the Orthodox faith – it’s important early on to be sure that they are not in search of the perfect Church. The One, True Church means something quite distinct from perfect. A good read through Orthodox history (which for a thousand years is just “Church history”) refuses to give up an ideal century – the mark and measure for reform. Any student of the New Testament has to admit that there are no Letters to the Perfect.

From the moment of the resurrection, Christ continues to gather scattered sheep. Betrayal, denial and cowardice were the hallmark of the Church on Good Friday. But from Christ we hear no blame – if only because He never thought us to be other than we are.

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did; but Jesus did not trust himself to them, because he knew all men and needed no one to bear witness of man; for he himself knew what was in man (John 2:23-25).

And if we are honest with ourselves and know what is in man, then we can only give thanks for the wondrous irony that, knowing all that, Christ gave Himself for us anyway. It is the very character of love.

I have been asked a few times over the years the meaning of St. Paul’s statement that “love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7). There is either almost nothing to say about it or far too much to say about it. But it is the irony of the Cross: Love enduring all things. If you know the Cross and the Love that there is crucified then the verse likely needs no explanation. Christ is His own exegesis.

And when I turn myself to the Church (or myself), I can only reach for Christ and the assurance that the contradictions we offer Him will be forgiven. And this is a thought to cling to even in the best of times. For any who would be His disciples, the Cross and its irony is the only path that is ever offered. Glory to His grace!

About Fr. Stephen Freeman

Fr. Stephen is a retired Archpriest of the Orthodox Church in America. He is also author of Everywhere Present: Christianity in a One-Storey Universe, and Face to Face: Knowing God Beyond Our Shame, as well as the Glory to God podcast series on Ancient Faith Radio.



Posted

in

, , , ,

by

Comments

6 responses to “Good Friday and the Irony of Believing”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    I needed to recall this! Thank you.
    I pray that I’ll remember it tomorrow and next week.

  2. Rachael Avatar
    Rachael

    I have been of the Protestant church for many years now and I have been seeking out more on Orthodoxy and discovered your blog and podcasts. I thank you for giving me many things to ponder and for challanging my current way of thinking. Your posts inspire me and my family. Thank you. God Bless you and the work that you do for Him.

  3. Joshua Avatar
    Joshua

    Lord have mercy on us all!!

  4. Michael Dickinson Avatar
    Michael Dickinson

    I’m beginning my conversion to Orthodoxy from Roman Catholicism. Thank you for these writings, they’ve certainly helped me on my journey. My guide is Fr. Phillip Rogers in Lafayette, La.

  5. Deacon Antonio Arganda Avatar
    Deacon Antonio Arganda

    “If only because He never thought us to be other than we are.” Father Stephen, these words touched me very deeply and I wanted you to know it.

  6. Margaret Avatar
    Margaret

    Glory to God for All Things! Christ is Risen!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Subscribe to blog via email

Support the work

Your generous support for Glory to God for All Things will help maintain and expand the work of Fr. Stephen. This ministry continues to grow and your help is important. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!


Latest Comments

  1. In researching Kearney, I found it is exactly half way between the East Coast and west Coast. Even today it…

  2. Matthew, being Orthodox when the forbears came was an asset. St Raphael of Brooklyn took care of his people. He…

  3. Thanks Michael and Fr. Stephen. It must be challenging being Orthodox in the Bible Belt, though maybe not?

  4. I want to testify as it is about the time of night when Jesus, if I am awake, when He…

  5. All true, Father but in the mile of road that St. George parking lot fronts on, there are three other…


Read my books

Everywhere Present by Stephen Freeman

Listen to my podcast



Categories


Archives