Good Friday: Putting to Death the Religious Self

Today is Good Friday. In the Byzantine Church, we read in the Matins service what are known as the 12 gospels. These readings are comprised largely of events in the life of Christ leading up to and including his Passion.

I was struck by a particular theme today. I noticed that those who plotted and called for the crucifixion of Jesus were the religious establishment of his day.

I was struck in particular by John 18:28:

"Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover."

The same people who were working to have Jesus put to death were worried about ceremonial uncleaness, about religious defilement.

The night before He died, our Lord Jesus Christ told us that "a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God."- John 16:2.

The challenge here is for us, those of us who call ourselves believers. Are we, in the words of St. Paul, guilty of "having a form of godliness but denying its power (2 Timothy 3:5)?"

Have we during this past Lent, the Great Fast, restricted our diet, given up meat, cheese, dairy or fish; chocolates or liqour- only to over-eat in the meals we do have? Are we crabby with spouse, family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors, all the while fasting?

We attend the Pre-Sanctified services if we are Greek Catholic, the Stations of the Cross if we are Roman Catholic, but do we spend quality time with our spouse and family, kids- or in our prayer closet with God?

Have we practiced fasting and attended Church services, but ignored issues of social justice and charity for the poor during this great season of Lent?

"You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."- Matthew 23:23.

If we have, we must not despair, but turn to God, who always ready to forgive. We must acknowledge our failures and sins before our Maker. Consider the parable of the Publican and Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14). We can be like the publican, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."- Luke 18:13. Our religious self has often been like the self-righteous Pharisee in the parable "I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." - Luke 18:12.

Today, God is put to death and is laid in a tomb; let us confess our sins, and let Him take them with Him into the tomb, to be buried. Our old self is crucified with Christ, and is lain in the tomb with him (Romans 6:3; Galatians 2:20). On Sunday, on Easter, we will arise with Him in glory, and walk in newness of life. This is the promise of our Baptism. This is the promise of God.

But we must acknowledge that sometimes our Old Self is immersed in religion, and that our "form of godliness" must be crucified with Christ, destroyed and buried. Our religious self is sometimes nothing other than another personna of our Old Self, our Sinful Nature. It must be destroyed. As the great Orthodox theologian Alexander Schmemman suggested, Christ died to end religion- but rose again to give us new life in the Spirit.