Three years ago, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a mere three weeks old when a performance of Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion took on new dimensions of pathos for me. 

I wrote then that the parallel of the false accusations, lies and unjustified suffering inflicted on Jesus with the unjust suffering of millions of innocent Ukrainians would not be lost on attentive audiences.

[destacate]The Russian Orthodox patriarch has expelled dozens of priests for daring to pray for peace and refusing to pray the officially-mandated prayer asking for Russian victory over Ukraine in the ‘Holy War’[/destacate]

Lat week, 1150 days into the war, another performance of Bach’s timeless oratorio sobered me afresh by the haunting parallels in betrayal and suffering.

Just as Jesus is betrayed by a close follower and handed over to unjust powers, Ukraine has faced aggression from a neighbouring nation with deep historical ties, echoing a sense of fraternal betrayal. And not just of blood ties. 

For the bronze monument of Prince Volodymyr the Great overlooking the Dnipro flowing through Kyiv is a reminder of the birthplace of both Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox faiths. The high priests and religious leaders in the trial of Jesus have their contemporary counterparts.

The Russian Orthodox patriarch has expelled dozens of priests for daring to pray for peace and refusing to pray the officially-mandated prayer asking for Russian victory over Ukraine in the ‘Holy War’.

New (dis)order

This year Ukrainians have had to bear an extra painful layer of betrayal – from her erstwhile strongest ally.

The new American administration is hastening to enforce a new world order through destruction, chaos and disruption. The name for this new (dis)order in which ‘empathy is a sin’ is Dark Enlightenment. 

Ukraine and other former Soviet nations aspiring for freedom from tyranny are now abandoned to an anti-egalitarian, anti-liberal and post-democratic world ruled by power-seeking autocrats.

This carving up of the world, echoing the Yalta Conference, is being executed under the cover of ‘Peace Talks’. North America (including Canada and Greenland) goes to King Donald; Europe, east and west, to the new Prince Vladimir; and the rest of Asia to China. 

Representative democracy, the rule of law, civil rights, public opinion, and the separation of powers have to go. Only might is right.

[destacate]The voices of lament in Bach’s work find resonance in the voices of Ukrainians mourning their dead and praying for peace[/destacate]Society should be governed like a business, with powerful CEOs at the helm – like the world power which ruled over Jesus’ trial and crucifixion.

“Barabbas!” the crowd yelled. The parallel of the fickleness of the Jerusalem crowd pinned me to my seat. How could that Palm Sunday throng be so easily swayed by the religious leaders to choose for a convicted criminal and demand the crucifixion of truth?

How could millions of church-goers be so swayed by religious and political leaders excusing the fabric of lies, hatred and vengeance in the name of ‘the Judeo-Christian legacy’? ‘…with crosses round their neck but Nietzsche in their heart’, as someone quipped.

The Passion’s music amplifies the anguish of the innocent, portraying Christ’s pain not only physically but spiritually, as he bears the weight of others’ sins: 

The world has judged me deceitfully / With lies and with false utterance, / Many a snare and secret plot./ Lord, guard me in this danger, / Shield me from false deceits. 

Similarly, Ukraine – publically and falsely accused of having started this war – carries the burden of a conflict driven by the geopolitical ambitions of others.

The voices of lament in Bach’s work find resonance in the voices of Ukrainians mourning their dead and praying for peace.

Thread of hope

Yet, amid darkness, the St. Matthew’s Passion also holds a thread of hope. Bach’s oratorio ends with the burial of Jesus.

Unlike the disciples, we know that’s not the end of the story. But we linger on Good Friday and Holy Saturday to reflect on the suffering of Christ and the place of suffering in human life and God’s purposes.

Paul tells the Romans (5:3) that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Ukrainian perseverance, character and hope has inspired global admiration and solidarity (including among the majority of Americans still). 

We know that Sunday is coming. 

[destacate] In the long run, pride, greed, deceit, hatred, ruthlessness and power cannot compete with the soft powers of humility, justice, generosity, truth, mercy, love and servanthood modelled by the man on the cross[/destacate]Meanwhile, we are in the midst of our own Holy Saturday. Which could last a while. We are witnessing the end of an era. Democracy and liberalism severed from their root understanding of humanity as bearing God’s image have failed.

Lawless men are destroying the social fabric built over centuries. The super-rich, super-powerful and super-proud presently hold many levers of power. 

Yet their drive, purposes and methods grate against the grain of the universe. They cannot build anything lasting.

In the long run, pride, greed, deceit, hatred, ruthlessness and power cannot compete with the soft powers of humility, justice, generosity, truth, mercy, love and servanthood modelled by the man on the cross. 

And in the end, He triumphs!

Jeff Fountain, Director of the Schuman Centre for European Studies. This article was first published on the author's blog, Weekly Word.