Today's Gospel in Art - You are very much mistaken

In città gireremo così, Illustration by Walter Molino 1962 © Christian Art

Gospel of 3rd June 2020 - Mark 12:18-27

Some Sadducees - who deny that there is a resurrection - came to him and they put this question to him, 'Master, we have it from Moses in writing, if a man's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a wife and then died leaving no children. The second married the widow, and he too died leaving no children; with the third it was the same, and none of the seven left any children. Last of all the woman herself died. Now at the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be, since she had been married to all seven?'

Jesus said to them, 'Is not the reason why you go wrong, that you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising again, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken.'

Reflection on the Magazine Illustration

This image was drawn by Walter Molino, an Italian comics illustrator. It featured on the front page of a 1962 edition of La Domenica del Corriere, an Italian weekly newspaper which ran from 1899 and ceased in 1989. Quite a visionary image, seeing the current Coronavirus crisis. While the watercolour on paper was probably more about the question of a pedestrian travel-related prediction, it resonates with us in the light of current fears over the virus. A virus which attacks us; a virus which challenges us…

Jesus is being attacked and challenged again in today's reading, in a very similar way to yesterday's reading. The chief priests, Sadducees and Pharisees are all challenging Jesus and trying to catch Him out. They put a very tricky hypothetical case to Jesus. But Jesus knows His Scripture, better than any of them and He knows God. By knowing God and knowing Scripture Jesus manages to fend off the chief priests, culminating in Jesus telling them firmly: 'You are very much mistaken'.

Jesus was challenged in His time. We are now challenged too with the lockdown. Challenges make us grow. We probably even need them, as life is an evolutionary process, and challenges can make us see the important things in life and prioritise.

If we desire our faith to be strengthened,

we should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried,

and therefore, through trial, be strengthened

- George Muller

LINKS

Today's story - https://christianart.today/reading.php?id=441

Christian Art Today - www.christian.art

A Prayer Video for Pentecost - www.christian.art/videos.php