How Orpheus and Eurydice Point to Jesus
Have you seen Hadestown, Eurydice, or Shang-Chi? They’re all retelling the same ancient myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, a tragedy, that points to Jesus (stick with us, we’ll prove it). As a people, humanity tends to retell the same stories. In literature, we refer to these as “universal themes.” They exist across both time and space. For example, many of the same themes and character traits evident in The Epic of Gilgamesh (one of the world’s oldest texts) are still being played out in modern stories all across the globe today. Universal themes, spanning humanity’s existence since the beginning of time and across all cultures, point to a common ancestry, common struggles, and common longings. As well as the need for a common Savior: Jesus.
Orpheus and Eurydice
One such story we keep retelling is that of a hero seeking to save his beloved from the grip of death. Within high culture, it is the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice that is often replayed. This ancient tragedy first made its appearance in the writings of Virgil, Ovid, and even Plato. It has gone on to be the basis for countless books, plays, operas, movies, and musicals. Most recently, Broadway has sought to revisit the story via Hadestown. In addition, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City is debuting this season a new operatic retelling simply called Eurydice. We even see the skeletal outline of the tale in Disney’s Shang-Chi. Heck, even I’m jumping on the bandwagon, using the structure of the story as inspiration for an allegorical retelling of the Gospel during this year’s NaNoWriMo challenge.
Our Need for a Savior
Warning: the following text contains spoilers.
In the myth, Eurydice dies and goes to the Underworld, and Orpheus, her beloved, attempts to save her. Our collective retelling of this story joins with the groaning of all creation (Rom. 8: 22-23): Death is coming; we need a Savior. What astounds me most, as a critical observer, though, is that in all of our retellings, we very rarely change the ending. We keep it a tragedy. The curtain closes on failure. I hate to spoil it, in case you’re not familiar with the original, but Orpheus, despite his best (and worst) efforts, fails to save Eurydice in the end. She remains a slave to the Underworld.
It serves as a warning – and a foretelling. We cannot save ourselves, and we cannot save each other. We need someone who can vanquish death forever to rescue us from the grip of mortality. In short, this universal theme is pointing directly to our need for Jesus, beckoning us with its failed attempts at rescue, to look beyond ourselves, to look to Him.
Human Failure Points to Jesus
As Douglas Wilson astutely pointed out regarding Beowulf’s evangelistic author, it is the very failure of mankind that screams loudest for a supernatural Savior. Even within the limitlessness of our man-made myths, we know that humanity is doomed if left on its own. The gods (and sin) will overpower us. We are mere mortals.
Thankfully, where we fall short, Jesus succeeds. He has already defeated death by death that we might live eternally with Him (Rom. 6:9-11). And not only so, but He has promised that one day, all things will be made new (2 Cor. 5:17). We will not stay in the afterworld; we were made for Earth. It is sin that will be banished for all eternity, not mankind. Consequently, Christians may rejoice at the end of man-made tragedies, knowing that one day all will be made right. Our Savior is coming to redeem ourselves and our world. In the words of Hadestown, Jesus echoes, “Wait for me, I’m coming.”
So, next time you read or watch a tragedy, of Orpheus and Eurydice or another, consider how the failure of mankind points toward Jesus. And then take a moment to sigh with all of creation, “Jesus, we need you.”
If you’re tired of the tragedy and are looking for a happily ever after, we pray that Rev. 22:17 would be a personal invitation. In it, Jesus beckons you to come: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”
I don’t think God made us for earth. He had something much greater in mind for us than this place. In fact, “eye has not seen nor ear heard nor has it passed through the heart of man all those things that the Lord has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. In Matthew 25:34 when Jesus separates the world’s people, He turns to the righteous and says, “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the earth.” Before God made earth as a place for us to live, He had already made an eternal kingdom for us. And, that is a kingdom that mortal man cannot inherit: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 15:50. So, please think higher.
I can see your interpretation of these references, though I differ in the application. According to Genesis, man was formed from the dust of the Earth (Genesis 2:7), indicating a deep connection to the planet, and that man (Adam & Eve) were created originally to live, steward, and fill Earth. Additionally, Revelation 21:1 speaks of a “new heaven and a new earth,” suggesting a continuity between the present Earth and the future one. This implies that humans, created for this Earth, are destined for the New Earth, where they will continue to fulfill their purpose in harmony with the divine plan.