Today's Gospel in Art - The Blind Beggar

Begging Jesus, Timothy Schmaltz, 2017, © Timothy Schmaltz, all rights reserved

Gospel of 18th November 2019 - Luke 18:35-43

As Jesus drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging. When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all about, and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by. So he called out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.' The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, 'Son of David, have pity on me.' Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him, 'What do you want me to do for you?' 'Sir,' he replied 'let me see again.' Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.' And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God for what had happened.

Reflection on the Bronze Sculpture

Timothy Schmalz of Ontario, Canada, made this striking sculpture of Jesus Christ depicted as a homeless beggar. He said of this work: "This sculpture is a visual representation of charity. We should see Christ in the poor and the hungry. We should see our acts of kindness to them as kindness to Him". Unfortunately in our Western world, there is no escaping from the homeless crisis in all our cities and towns…

A man after my own heart, Timothy Schmalz appreciates the power of art and how in his case Christian sculpture can act as an entry point and gateway into the Gospels. He describes his own sculptures as 'visual prayers', a beautiful way to describe his own work....

To read on see: www.christianart.today/daily-gospel-reading/238

Tags: Christian Art Today, Patrick van der Vorst, Begging Jesus, Timothy Schmaltz