Gospel in Art: A woman in childbirth suffers, because her time has come

Innocence, by William Bouguereau, 1893, © Private Collection

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 19 May 2023
John 16:20-23

Jesus said to his disciples:

'I tell you most solemnly, you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.

A woman in childbirth suffers, because her time has come; but when she has given birth to the child she forgets the suffering in her joy that a man has been born into the world.

So it is with you: you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you. When that day comes, you will not ask me any questions.'

Reflection on the painting

One of the greatest of joys we know is the birth of a child. The joy of the child's mother and father at the moment of birth has something totally special about it. For the mother, the trials and labours of pregnancy and childbirth are forgotten, momentarily at least, when her child is born and she holds her baby for the first time. Jesus, always wanting to tap in to our human experience, uses the image of the birth of a baby in today's reading, in order to capture something of the joy of his resurrection. Jesus speaks in the awareness of the deep sorrow that his disciples will go though at his forthcoming death ('You will be weeping and wailing.... You will be sorrowful'). His death on the following day would be a truly traumatic and devastating experience for them. Jesus tells them, however, even now to look beyond the painful experience of his death to the wonderful event of his resurrection, and he assures his disciples that their sorrow will turn to joy… as they will be born into a new life.

The disciples will experience a joy akin to the joy of a mother at the birth of her child. This motherly love is very tenderly expressed in our painting from 1893 by William Bouguereau. We see the Virgin Mary holding her sleeping son Jesus in one hand, and in the other, a little lamb. Both child and lamb reflect innocence; but the lamb also already foretells the future sacrifice of Jesus, about which Jesus is speaking in today's reading.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-16-20-23-2023/