The Lord of Spirits Podcast

Episode: He Suffered and Was Buried
Date: April 9, 2026
Hosts: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick & Fr. Stephen De Young
Main Theme: The Seen and Unseen World in Orthodox Christian Tradition—An In-depth Look at the Passion Narratives

Episode Overview

This special Holy Week episode offers an in-depth, gospel-by-gospel exploration of the Passion narratives—the arrest, trial, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus Christ—from the Orthodox Christian perspective. Rather than “harmonizing” the four canonical accounts, the hosts walk through each narrative in its unique structure, language, and theological emphasis. The goal is to draw out the distinct features and meanings each Gospel author provides, and to encourage Orthodox listeners to enter the mysteries of Christ's suffering and death with wonder and reverence.

Why Four Gospels? Rejecting Harmonization

[04:11 – 17:24]

• The Problem of Harmonization:
  • The hosts explain why they reject attempts to blend the Gospels into a single, unified narrative.
  • “Harmonization is when you take the accounts from the four Gospels and you just kind of smush them all together... and you sort of choose in what order to jumble them... That is not an authoritative version.” (Fr. Andrew, [10:46])
• Four Eyewitness Testimonies:
  • Each Gospel is a separate canonical, authoritative testimony which reflects the unique perspective, language facility, audience, and conscious theological aims of its author.
  • “The four canonical gospel accounts all claim to be or be based on eyewitness testimony… if you have multiple eyewitnesses to an event, their testimony is never identical if they’re real eyewitnesses.” (Fr. Stephen, [12:54])
• Modernism & Problems of the “Fifth Gospel”:
  • The drive to harmonize stems from modern anxiety over historical detail, not from the ancient Church’s perspective.
  • “You have created a fifth gospel essentially, which is a non canonical gospel at best, and if you’re not careful, could be heretical.” (Fr. Andrew, [11:18])

The Historical Trustworthiness of the Crucifixion

[27:13 – 33:05]

• Crucifixion as the Best-attested Ancient Event:
  • Both hosts cite even secular scholars such as Bart Ehrman to emphasize the universal recognition of Jesus’s crucifixion as a historical fact.
  • “There is no doubt among anyone sane that Jesus of Nazareth existed and that he was crucified by the Romans in the early 30s AD... This is the single best attested fact from the ancient world.” (Fr. Stephen, [29:11])
• Gospel Purpose:
  • The Gospels were not written to prove the crucifixion "happened," but to interpret its significance.

Each Gospel in Its Own Voice—Key Insights & Moments

Gospel of Mark: The Earliest Account

[40:01 – 79:16]

Distinctives:

• Structure: Trials (Jewish and Roman), Mockery, Crucifixion, Death.
• Eyewitness Clues: The “young man” (traditionally Mark himself) who flees naked.
• Trial and Divine Claim: Jesus’ explicit claim to be the Son of Man enthroned (“From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” [Mark 14:62] — [52:23])
• No Explicit Resurrection Appearance: Peter’s final act is his denial—we only know he wept.

Notable Quote:
“From now on, now it is going to be him. He is now going to be enthroned... He is going to be sitting in judgment over them.” (Fr. Andrew, [54:06])

Key Moment:

• Temple Veil Torn:
  • Not an “open invitation” to the holy of holies, but a sign of judgment—revealing the emptiness of Second Temple worship.
  • “God has revealed that the emperor has no clothes. This is a judgment against the High Priest and against the Temple.” (Fr. Andrew, [76:39])

Gospel of Matthew: Fulfillment & Prophetic Pattern

[80:44 – 123:41]

Distinctives:

• Rich Old Testament Allusion: Matthew frequently cites the prophets, emphasizing how Jesus fulfills Israel’s history and prophecy—not in isolated “prooftexts,” but through deep patterns.
• Judas vs Peter:
  • Contrasts Peter’s tears of repentance with Judas’s guilt and self-destruction.
  • “Repentance has to do with a desire to be healed… whereas just guilt has as its only goal to be rid of guilt.” (Fr. Andrew, [87:19])
• Barabbas:
  • The “illegitimate-son” whose violent messianic claim was false—juxtaposed to Christ’s true kingship.
• Jesus as Both Goats of Atonement:
  • Through the details of the mockery (scarlet robe, being struck with a reed, spitting), Matthew depicts Jesus as both the scapegoat and the atonement goat of the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16).

Notable Quote:
“This is a reference to the way that the blood is used in the Day of Atonement… Not about [ancestral] guilt forever.” (Fr. Stephen, [113:13])

Key Moment:

• Saints Raised (the "zombies" passage):
  • Matthew uniquely mentions Old Testament saints being raised at Christ’s death, as witness to the harrowing of Hades and as a sign of the cosmic nature of salvation.
  • “These are saints… who experienced the first resurrection that St. Matthew is talking about. They’ve been set free from Hades by Christ.” (Fr. Andrew, [122:04])

Gospel of Luke: Universal Scope & Merciful Christ

[123:41 – 154:11]

Distinctives:

• Wider Gentile Audience:
  • Streamlined details about Jewish leadership and greater explanation of “King of the Jews” as a threat to Rome.
• Repentant “Good Thief” (St. Dismas):
  • Only Luke gives the poignant dialogue: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
  • Not the normal path to salvation—“This is a very exceptional and beautiful case… not the paradigm for the vast, vast majority of people.” (Fr. Andrew, [154:11])
• Jesus’ Address to the Women of Jerusalem:
  • A warning of the coming judgment on Jerusalem in 70 AD.
• Emphasis on Innocence:
  • Pilate and Herod both find Jesus innocent, but political pressure prevails.
• Forgiveness at the Cross:
  • “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) — an exclusive and striking element.

Gospel of John: Theological Depth & Divine Agency

[156:42 – 204:27]

Distinctives:

• Supplemental Details:
  • John, writing last and aware of the synoptic accounts, adds unique material: "Malchus" the servanthood, personal details (John and the Theotokos), deeper dialogues with Pilate.
• Philosophical Dialogue with Pilate:
  • Jesus’ kingdom is “not from this world”—truth is not defined by violence or human authority.
  • “For Pilate as a Roman governor, truth is violence, truth is force... Whereas Christ is pointing out... that he is the truth.” (Fr. Andrew, [175:47])
• Theological Symbolism:
  • Water & Blood from Christ’s opened side = Baptism & Eucharist; the Church as the new Eve, born from the “new Adam.”
  • Christ addresses Theotokos as “Woman” then “Mother”—a restoration of Eve redeemed through faithfulness.
• Fulfilling Zechariah:
  • “They will look on Him whom they have pierced”—revelation of the pierced Messiah as God Himself, over whom all Israel will mourn and be cleansed.

Notable Quote:
“In St. John, the church is born from Christ side in his sacrifice. And we participate in Christ’s death and resurrection in baptism; we participate in his sacrifice through the Eucharist.” (Fr. Andrew, [199:26])

Memorable Moments & Highlights

• “Friend of the show, Bart Ehrman...” (Multiple times—tongue-in-cheek references to the agnostic scholar.)
• Quirky asides about “secret gospels” and pop atheism: “If you see anything about [the Secret Gospel of Mark], just immediately whatever you’re watching, you know is full of it.” (Fr. Andrew, [45:17])
• John Wayne as the centurion: “Truly this man was the Son of God.” (Fr. Andrew, [72:39])
• Gentle corrections of both Protestant notions on “blood guilt” and pseudo-scholarly attacks on Gospel historicity.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Rejecting Gospel Harmonization: [04:11–17:24]
• Historical Reality of the Crucifixion: [27:13–33:05]
• Mark’s Account & Commentary: [40:01–79:16]
  • Prolegomena: [40:01–41:54]
  • “Naked young man” & Secret Gospel of Mark Debunked: [41:54–45:17]
  • High priest trial: [46:12–56:47]
  • Temple veil commentary: [72:10–76:39]
• Matthew’s Account & Commentary: [80:44–123:41]
  • Judas’ Guilt vs. Peter’s Repentance: [86:14–89:35]
  • Blood Libel and the Day of Atonement: [106:34–114:46]
  • “Saints Raised”—Zombies Passage: [117:06–123:36]
• Luke’s Account & Commentary: [123:46–154:11]
  • Repentant Thief, “Salvation Paradigm”: [147:50–154:11]
• John’s Account & Commentary: [156:42–204:27]
  • Christ as True King before Pilate: [169:28–180:53]
  • Blood & Water, Church Born from Side: [194:26–199:36]
  • Zechariah & the Pierced God: [200:45–204:27]

Conclusion & Pastoral Reflection

[204:27–210:00]

• Fr. Andrew offers open confession of stirring up online debates during Lent regarding atonement theology, urging listeners instead to “simply behold the beauty of the crucified Christ, to listen and marvel and give thanks.”
• “Sometimes we need to stop the arguing and stop the bickering… and just look and just listen and just behold and just marvel and wonder and give thanks and see how beautiful our Lord is.” (Fr. Andrew, [208:21])

Final Remarks

This meticulously structured episode demonstrates how the Orthodox tradition treasures the distinctive witness of each Gospel. The hosts challenge listeners to resist reductionism—whether secular or religious—and to approach the Passion not as a puzzle to solve, but as a sacred mystery to encounter.

Selected Notable Quotes

• “[Harmonization] is an attempt to sort of diffuse that criticism or solve that problem. But… when you do your new harmonized version, you are telling a fifth version of the story.” (Fr. Andrew, [10:46])
• “He is going to be enthroned… He is going to be sitting in judgment over them.” (Fr. Andrew on Mark, [54:06])
• “This is a reference to the way that the blood is used in the Day of Atonement… Not about guilt forever.” (Fr. Stephen, [113:13])
• “God takes his people's hatred of him and turns it into blessings for his people.” (Fr. Andrew, [114:28])
• “In St. John, the church is born from Christ’s side in his sacrifice…” (Fr. Andrew, [199:26])
• “We need to stop pulling these things out and playing with them intellectually and just look and behold and marvel and wonder and give thanks and see how beautiful our Lord is.” (Fr. Andrew, [208:21])

Usefulness for Listeners

Listeners will come away with a renewed sense of awe at the richness, complexity, and mystery surrounding Christ's Passion, as well as practical tools to resist both harmonizing reductionism and skeptical dismissiveness. This episode is particularly valuable for Orthodox Christians preparing for or reflecting upon Holy Week, and for anyone who wishes to encounter the Gospels on their own sacred terms.