[June 27, 2026] One of the advantages of targeted self-education is to know who to listen to, who can narrate a good story, and who makes sense out of a confusing world. And that is exactly what Dr. Jordan Peterson has done in a video titled The Most Tragic Story Ever Told.
If you’re Christian, you know exactly where Dr. Peterson is going with the story of Christ. Imagine in your mind how much it takes to endure the pending punishment that Christ will endure.
“You cannot write a more tragic story. It’s impossible. Why?”
This is the point that Dr. Peterson excels with his description of the tragedy of the crucifixion.
“There was no death more painful than crucifixion. That’s why the Romans invented it. To punish political miscreants. The slow, agonizing death was extraordinarily painful.”
It gets more interesting. And here is the core of the tragedy.
Plus, you know it’s coming, and that’s part of the story.
Plus, your best friend betrayed you into it.
Plus, your people turned against you.
Plus, they’re led by a tyrant who doubts the truth.
Plus, you’re a victim of the Roman Empire.
Plus, you’re completely innocent.
Plus, everybody knows it.
Plus, they choose a criminal to be released from this experience, instead of you, even though they know he’s a criminal and they know you’re innocent.
What could be worse? What could anyone experience that could be even worse?
“And, you’re young and you’ve done no wrong and all you’ve done is help people. So then you think, what are we doing? You’re supposed to visit the stations of the cross. What do you see? Do you see death? Do you see destruction? Pain? Terror? Tyranny? Frailty? Betrayal? Look harder. What do you see? The death and the resurrection. If you look far enough into the abyss, you see the light.”
This is the best rendition of why Christ’s crucifixion was such a tragedy. More than the loss of a teacher, mentor, leader, and good man. More than what we can imagine in our limited thinking. Dr. Peterson has done well with his description.
Dr. Peterson masterfully reveals the crucifixion as the ultimate tragedy—innocence betrayed, suffering foreseen and inflicted—yet points to its transcendent light: resurrection amid the abyss. This narrative not only deepens Christian understanding but equips us to confront life’s deepest pains with meaning and hope.
Highly recommended. View it on YouTube (link here); a short 59 seconds.
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Indeed … I would also acknowledge that this is the greatest story ever told. The crucifixion and resurrection is the tragedy and enlightenment showing us how we can go from the worst of the worst to the best of the best. We should be humble as we look to our own lives to see what happened here to Christ. There will always be the naysayers who will claim the story is untrue, that it never happened, and therefore the Bible is meaningless. But the Bible and the included stories, and especially this story, are a culmination of all human wisdom accumulated, and the ancient were damn smart. I hope to learn more stories here in Gen. Satterfield’s pages, on this blog. I also listen often to Dr. Jordan Peterson and what he has to say about Christianity and the greatest stories ever told. 🙏
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16. A profound statement of God’s love and the promise of salvation.