Gospel in Art: He is to be called John

The Holy Family with Infant St John the Baptist, The Doni Tondo by Michelangelo Buonarroti 1507 © Uffizi Museum, Florence, Italy

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 23 December 2023
Luke 1:57-66

The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy.

Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. 'No,' she said 'he is to be called John.' They said to her, 'But no one in your family has that name', and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, 'His name is John.' And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God. All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. 'What will this child turn out to be?' they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

Reflection on the painted tondo

Today's Gospel reading was the Gospel reading on my Ordination day to the priesthood last June. Needless to say it has become a special, favourite reading of mine.

Each time a child is born there is great excitement. There was thus also great excitement when a child was born to Elizabeth and Zechariah, because Elizabeth was getting on in years. The gospel reading says that Elizabeth's neighbours and relations shared her joy. We all rejoice indeed when one of friends or relatives has a child. A lot of thought usually goes into the naming of a child. Nowadays there are a whole host of names to choose from, some of them quite exotic. However, in the culture of Israel in the time of Jesus, naming children was a much more conservative business. The naming of a child entailed the carrying on of a tradition; the child was called after a parent or a grandparent. Elizabeth and Zechariah broke with this tradition. It caused quite a stir choosing a name for their child that had never been in the family tradition before, the name 'John'. The birth of this child was meant to announce a new era, a new start, a new chapter in the history of Salvation.

Our painting is in the form of a tondo ('rotondo' meaning in Italian, 'round'), a shape which is frequently associated with paintings for a domestic setting during Renaissance times. It is also referred to as the Doni tondo, named after Agnolo Doni who was a rich cloth merchant in Florence. To place this historically, this painting was executed a year before Michelangelo started painting the Sistine Chapel in 1508.

Mary is positioned as the most prominent figure in the composition, taking up most of the centre of the image. Jesus is held aloft, against the heavenly skies, whereas Mary sits directly on the grassy ground emphasising her relationship to the earth. Mary is seated between St Joseph's legs, as if he is protecting her and wrapping her with his love; his yellow garmented legs form a kind of de facto throne. A powerful Mary is taking over her child from Joseph. In the background on the right John the Baptist is visible, perhaps standing in a pool used for baptism. Then we see the infant St John the Baptist, to the right of the Holy Family, looking straight at Jesus Christ, his expression showing that he is aware of his responsibilities of what was to come and prepare the way for Jesus. The nude people in the background are symbolic for our fallen and sinful humanity.

The circumstances of John the Baptist's birth were unusual indeed. Even the naming was unusual. I think we all at times feel somewhat unusual and maybe different to other people, not knowing of we truly fit in. Today's reading therefore is a reminder that none of us are the finished product, regardless of our age or stage in life. We are asked this Christmas to approach the Christ child anew and become totally reliant on him.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-1-57-66-2023/