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

Science and Charity, by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Painted 1897. © Museu Picasso, Barcelona

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 25 October 2023
Luke 12:39-48

Jesus said to his disciples:

'You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.'

Peter said, 'Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?' The Lord replied, 'What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master's arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the servant who says to himself, "My master is taking his time coming," and sets about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, 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 unfaithful.

The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.'

Reflection on the painting

We are probably all familiar with the group of beatitudes that Jesus gave us on the Mount. But then there are also other 'beatitudes' which are scattered are throughout the gospels. One of these is to be found in today's reading. Jesus states, 'Happy that servant if his master's arrival finds him at this employment'. This 'faithful and wise' servant is the one who provides for the needs of the members of the household while the master of the household is away from the house. Whilst the master/slave relationship is not one that we are comfortable with today, it would have resonated with Jesus' audience. Yet the message which the parable embodies retains its validity for disciples of every age…. including us! We are all called to be the Lord's faithful and wise servants.

The Lord needs people he can trust to provide for the needs of all the members of his household. This passage talks about social and spiritual responsibilities we have towards our brothers and sisters: the task we have been given is to care faithfully for the needs of those alongside us.

Our painting by Pablo Picasso depicts one of the ways in which we care for each other, by attending to the sick. Titled Science and Charity, Picasso painted this when he was in Barcelona, aged only 15. The painting depicts a sick patient in bed, attended by a doctor and a nun holding a child. It displays Picasso's academic training and his talent as an artist before he moved away from this style to pursue his own artistic career. Picasso's father was a professor of painting who felt he had failed in his own attempts to become a renowned artist. But he believed his son could make it. So he started training Pablo in the art of painting from a very early age. The other big influence in Picasso's life at that stage was his paternal uncle, Dr Salvador Ruiz, a physician who financed Picasso's art training. This painting may well have been painted for him.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-12-39-48-2023/