Gospel in Art: If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too

Triumph of Faith, Christian Martyrs at the time of Nero 65 A.D., by Eugene Romain Thirion, Painted circa 1900 © Wikimedia Commons

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 13 May 2023
John 15:18-21

Jesus said to his disciples:

'If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you.

If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, because my choice withdrew you from the world, therefore the world hates you.

Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well. But it will be on my account that they will do all this, because they do not know the one who sent me.'

Reflection on the painting

Eugene Romain Thirion was a 19th century painter specialising in peinture d'histoire, depicting important historical scenes. The work here is a very good example of this, giving a 19th century take on a 1st century event. Most of these highly Christian themed works, were commissioned by French bourgeoisie, who would adorn their homes with these types of paintings which were not crucifixions scenes or portraits of a Mary & Child, but rather offer a more dramatic, narrative interpretation of religious events. These historical paintings are highly theatrical. If it wasn't for the cross present here, the rest of the composition could be seen as being rather secular. Yet subtle halos can be seen around some of the figures, to reflect their martyrdom. The artist is also known for having participated in the decoration of the Paris Opera House in the 1870's.

Jesus says that 'if they persecuted me, they will persecute you too'. It was a warning not just to the early Christian church communities, but also to us in the 21st century, where a deeply rooted secular society can also be seen as persecuting the faith. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI claimed that Christians were the most persecuted religious group in the contemporary world. In a speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council's 23rd session in May 2013, then-Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, Silvano Maria Tomasi claimed that "an estimate of more than 100,000 Christians are violently killed because of some relation to their faith every year". This number was supported by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at the evangelical Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, which published a statement in December 2016 stating that "between 2005 and 2015 there were 900,000 Christian martyrs worldwide - an average of 90,000 per year." These are astonishing numbers making for very sad reading.

Numbers of contemporary martyrs are especially difficult to accurately identify, because religious persecution often occurs in conjunction with wider conflicts. And often acts of persecution happen because of joint political and religious motivations. What we do know is that today, on this very day, this very hour, tens of people will die for their Christian faith. We pray for them.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-15-18-21-2023/