Isn’t It Ironic?
If we believe in the sovereignty of the biblical God, then why do we insist on either praising or vilifying the human characters in the story? The reason has little to do with scripture and everything to do with us: we need literary heroes to identify with. We want good guys and bad guys so we can align ourselves with the good ones. In the accounts of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, for example, we always want to put the blame on someone else. Don’t think for a minute that “if I would have been there things would have been different.” Peter tries to claim that for himself and the Lord calls him out on it. We want to be special, we want to be different, and we want to wiggle out of the painful position the words of Scripture put us in. But doing that is a rejection of the Scriptural teaching that only one stands out is God; and it is only his will that matters. Oftentimes the biblical text drives this point into our ears by using literary irony. Join me in a discussion of Jesus’ trial and death sentence from the Gospel of John.

“Ten and 1/2” performed by Madhouse. Hymns from the Psalter chanted by Monks of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery.