"The comedy of man survives the tragedy of man."
G.K. Chesterton
What an intriguing statement. What does he mean?
To understand, I need to know the definition of tragedy and comedy. Webster says this:
tragedy a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction.
comedy a dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion.
Certainly we can agree that Scripture is a comedy.
Disappointment, shame, hurt, betrayal, failure. These are the ingredients of tragedy.
But we see these things subsumed on the cross. Were it not for God and His plan to redeem the tragedy we made of the story He was writing, we would not be able to know the comedy we now enjoy. The Resurrection is the triumph over adverse circumstances of irreconcilable and otherwise incomprehensible proportion, bringing us on stage and allowing us to star in His new story - a never ending comedy.
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