Sights and Insights
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. – Matthew 5:1-2 (The Message)
Two Sundays ago, I mentioned that the painting on the cover of our bulletins was one that I have a copy of on the wall in my office. It is one of the ones across from my desk, and so is one that I see every time I look up from my desk. The painting is ”Sermon on the Mount” by Laura James. You can take a look at the full painting here (our bulletins only had part of it) along with some of her other religious works
What strikes you in seeing these images of Jesus? Are there aspects that are familiar? Are there things that feel odd or unfamiliar? James uses a somewhat surrealist approach. In “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus is much larger than the crowds. His arms are in cruciform pose, connecting his teaching with his crucifixion. Also, his tunic seems to turn into flowing waters, perhaps harkening to the waters of creation and the waters of baptism (re-creation). You may also notice that in the crowd of disciples many have the same features, no two are exactly alike. It may also be somewhat surprising to see Jesus depicted as a Black man. James is an African American woman who draws on the traditional iconography of Ethiopian Christian art, which has a history at least as long as the oldest European Christian traditions. The image of Jesus she creates draws on ancient Ethiopian depictions of Jesus.
Historically, paintings of Jesus have cast him as looking much like those who painted him did. We can recognize this as affirming that Christ truly does enter our lives and brings transformation into them. The message of Christ is not bound to any particular cultural, ethnic, or racial identifiers. The transforming love of Christ crosses boundaries. At the same time, entering into lives means that the work of Christ is never separated from cultural, racial, or ethnic manifestations either, but appears within them and is shaped by them to a certain degree. The art is not so much about what Jesus looked like historically as it is about what the presence of Christ in our lives looks like now. If we have grown used to seeing Jesus always depicted in ways that we interpret as European, to see a different manifestation of Christ might be a bit challenging but can also open our eyes to the wider presence of Christ.
The images that we see regularly have a way of seeping into our brains. They become normalized. Having images of Jesus’ life and teachings around us is valuable, because it helps us become away of the presence of Christ and our role as the crowd of disciples gathered around him. To have a variety of culturally different images of Jesus around us, meanwhile, can help us to be continually open to the variety of ways that Christ is at work in our lives.