Today's Gospel in Art - As the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other

Christ the Redeemer, Photograph by Elias Schäfferle, Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro. © Elias Schärfere / Pixabay

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 11th November 2021 - Luke 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, 'The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed and there will be no one to say, "Look here! Look there!" For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.'

He said to the disciples, 'A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, "Look there!" or, "Look here!" Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.'

Reflection on the Photograph

Today's reading is not an easy one. The Pharisees are asking Jesus a simple question: 'When is the Kingdom of God coming?' He does not give them a straightforward answer. Basically He is telling them that it doesn't matter when the kingdom comes: what truly matters is the nature of the kingdom. And that nature is present in each of us here and now! We don't have to wait for the kingdom to come: it is already here, reigning deep inside each of our souls.

The image Jesus paints of lightning for His Second Coming is interesting. He makes the point that when He returns, everybody will know about it. Just as we can see lightning from a distance, we will see Jesus returning with even more glory and power than any lightning can bring.

Our photograph taken by 20-year-old Elias Schäfferle, depicts the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. A bolt of lightning is hitting the right hand of Christ. It looks almost as though the lightning is actually emanating from Christ's hand. The giant sculpture, 30 metres / 98 feet high, was created by French sculptor Paul Landowski, in collaboration with Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, and constructed between 1922 and 1931.

Light in Scripture often refers to truth and knowledge of God, so if Jesus will return even more forcefully and with even more power than any lightning which creates the most intense light, just imagine how blinded we will all be by the power of Truth upon His second coming.

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/987
Christian Art - www.christian.art/