The Injustice of Death

Tomorrow morning is Fr. Matthew Baker's funeral; Boo and I are getting on a train at 5:15 a.m. to travel the long distance to be there.  I'm so grateful to be able to attend, both for myself and to be able to support Katie.  I'm also anxious about the trip, as we have some unfamiliar transitions and we will be on a train for more than 10 hours tomorrow, as we make the return trip in the afternoon.  But it is important.  Funerals are important ways of marking time, of observing ritual, of bringing a kind of closure.  One of our seminary friends observed that this week has been a kind of far-flung vigil for those of us who knew him, either slightly or very well.

The late Fr. Matthew Baker's reach was far and wide. The tributes to him as a man, as a scholar, as a thelogian, as a spiritual father and brother, as an Orthodox Christian, have continued to roll in (Fr. Stephen Damick has a nice list here).  I'm not really surprised--Fr. Matthew was ever one to stay in touch with friends far and wide, to have deep conversations anytime anywhere, never to miss the meaning in the moment. Thinking about it now, I realize he was a very present person.  

(c) Princeton Theological Seminary

Eric Jobe, an old acquaintance from our Chicago days, wrote an thoughtful response this week, and especially apt, in the light of Lent and the coming Pascha celebration. We who grieve are many, and there is a persistent sense that losing Fr. Matthew, especially at this particular juncture, is unjust, unfair, too soon. Eric points out that injustice is part of our fallen condition, but that the cross and resurrection are our hope, our redemption.

"The story of Job is an exhortation to stand firm in righteousness even if the whole world seems to come crashing down upon you, even if God seems to be an adversary (“Why, God, could you let this happen?”). The doctrine of retribution does not explain everything, but there is hope…

And what is that hope? Will everything be restored like Job? Not in this life. Sometimes I think the ending of Job is a bit cheap, because not every righteous sufferer ends up blessed like Job.

But then we see Christ who is the ultimate righteous sufferer. The ultimate unjust suffering is that the sinless, spotless Son of God should be crucified by evil doers. We see then that Job is a type and an icon of Christ, who suffers unjustly yet maintains his righteousness throughout. And like Job, the Father raises his Son from the dead thereby vindicating him and proving his righteousness. 

I think we have lost sight of this aspect of the Cross and Resurrection, that the Cross was the ultimate injustice – “My God My God, why have you forsaken me?” – but by the Resurrection, God’s righteousness was proven.

When we suffer the injustice of death, we should not try to diminish what it is – an injustice! We should not try to explain it away as being anything other than what it is – something unjust has occurred, and if God has any control over the world, then he will give an account of himself, and this he does through the Resurrection of his Son.

The Resurrection of the Son of God is a promise and a guarantee that every injustice in the world will be righted, that the unrighteous enemy that is death has been defeated, and we will see that victory completed at his second and glorious coming, when “the dead in Christ shall rise and meet him in the air.”"

~Eric Jobe, The Injustice of Death: In Memoriam of Fr. Matthew Baker, Departing Horeb blog, March 2, 2015

Many have given to the relief fund for Katie and her children, but more is needed: please consider a gift.  Fr. Matthew spent the last decade pursuing his studies, and the Baker family has sacrificed so much already to allow him to do so.  They will need our prayers and our support for many years to come--this will be a long journey, and we who grieve must walk alongside the Baker family as best we can.

Memory Eternal!