Gospel in Art: And with a sigh that came straight from the heart

Salvation painted by Ron DiCianni, 2005. Oil on canvas © Courtesy Ron DiCianni

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 12 February 2024
Mark 8:11-13

The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with Jesus; they demanded of him a sign from heaven, to test him. And with a sigh that came straight from the heart he said, 'Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.' And leaving them again and re-embarking, he went away to the opposite shore.

Reflection on the painting

Throughout the Gospel of Mark, we regularly get significant little personal details about Jesus the are not mentioned in the other gospels. Mark writes that 'with a sigh that came straight from the heart' Jesus continued to address the Pharisees. Jesus at this stage had already been doing plenty of miracles and still they didn't believe him. They wanted even more signs… When would they have enough signs to believe? What sort of signs did they then need?… It is not surprising that Jesus sighed in desperation at their unbelief.

We read today about a frustrated Jesus. Sometimes his frustration was even with his own disciples, who often didn't grasp what he was teaching them. We like to think that if we had lived in Jesus' time, we would have been moved by his miracles and would never have doubted him. So we can be a little judgemental towards the Pharisees and the disciples at times: why didn't they understand fully what Jesus was teaching them? Well, they probably simply needed time to let things sink in, to come to terms what they had witnessed. They needed time and space to process everything. And exactly therein lies the beauty of our faith: it is a spiritual pilgrimage which slowly brings us towards a better understanding of Christ… and towards salvation.

Salvation is ultimately what our Christian faith is about. Our faith teaches that through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, he made a way for humanity to be reconciled to God. This reconciliation is we understand as salvation - it's not just rescue from sin and its consequences but also the restoration of a right relationship with God. Our artwork titled 'Salvation' is painted by Chicago based Ron DiCianni. He said about himself, "I am a Christian, cleverly disguised as an Artist". His self-stated mission is to "Reclaim the Arts for Christ" and he has created some beautiful contemporary Christian artworks. In our canvas we see a young man at the foot of the cross, holding a hammer and nail. He is remorseful and penitent. He is suddenly realising that his own sin is what put Christ on the cross and that he was the one who hammered in one of the nails. This moment of the young man's realisation is what will also ultimately bring him salvation. Realisation leading to salvation!

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/mark-8-11-13-2024/