Today's Gospel in Art - Jesus was filled with joy by the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit, by Danny Hahlbohm 2014 © Danny Hahlbohm Art

Gospel of 1st December 2020 - Luke 10:21-24

Filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said:

'I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.'

Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them in private, 'Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.'

Reflection on the Painting

Our Gospel reading today starts with the words that Jesus was 'filled with joy by the Holy Spirit'. It comes straight after Jesus sent out the seventy disciples and they had just returned from a successful mission. Jesus was thrilled with what they achieved. When we think of Jesus, we mainly think of Him healing, preaching, casting out demons, being compassionate, loving, caring and dying for us on the cross. We maybe rarely think of Him as joyful and happy, which of course He was. Especially during this time of Advent, we can (re-)connect with Jesus' happiness.

When we see Jesus on the cross, which is probably the main image we hold of Jesus in art and in our churches, it is too easy to lose the sense that He must have been a deeply joyous person. In him sorrow and happiness can and do coexist. Jesus knew that the sufferings and our sorrows in this life are temporary, while the basis for our gladness is eternal if we believe in God. For me the main learning point today is that the joy of the disciples as they returned from their mission triggered a similar joy in Jesus. So Jesus does not just help us to be joyful, but we can also make Him happy with our lives… He shares in our joy and achievements.

But how can one depict Jesus being 'filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit'? I think this painting by Danny Hahlbohm is a pretty good attempt. You may recognise the style of painting. Danny designed some of the posters for Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ' film.

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/623

Christian Art -www.christian.art/index.php