Gospel in Art: Happy that servant if his master's arrival finds him at this employment

The Milkmaid, by Vermeer, 1658 © Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 25 August 2022
Matthew 24:42-51

Jesus said to his disciples: 'Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

'What sort of servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time?

'Happy that servant if his master's arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you solemnly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the dishonest servant who says to himself, "My master is taking his time," and sets about beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.'

Reflection on the painting

Our work of art today is one of the world's most famous paintings, Jan Vermeer's The Milkmaid. It is one of the great examples of Dutch Realist genre painting and a long-time favourite of artists, critics and the public. Vermeer tenderly renders a portrait of a maid performing a simple household chore in a humble kitchen setting. He thus portrays the essence of homely life and the beauty in small actions we perform as part of our family life. The artist seems to pay tribute to the virtues of temperance, purity and hard work. Temperance is shown through the slow pouring of a liquid from one vessel to another, taking one's time not to spill anything. Purity is conveyed by Vermeer's highly realistic rendering of the perfectly polished copper pot hanging on the wall, (reminiscent of similar shining metal containers in early Netherlandish Annunciation pictures, Mary being the vessel for Christ), since a highly clean vessel was a traditional symbol of purity. Hard work is conveyed through the overall working environment featuring sparse walls, roughly textured bread, bare wood, coarse baskets, and the maid having blunt features, rough hands and rather manly forearms.

In our Gospel reading today Jesus is calling us to also hold these virtues and to be ready 'because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect'. We have to keep working hard, be alert and be pure of heart, as we may meet the Master sooner than we expect. Jesus does not tell us to be afraid or anxious, but to be ready and prepared to welcome him.

Just as this painting of a servant is painted with great tenderness and love for the servant woman who is depicted, so does God approach us, his servants, with great tenderness and love.

LINKS

Christian Art: https://christian.art/
Today's image: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-24-42-51-2022/