Gospel in Art: Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man

The Tears of Saint Peter by El Greco Theotokopoulos, 1590 © National Museum, Oslo

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 5 September 2024
Luke 5:1-11

Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats - it was Simon's - and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.' 'Master,' Simon replied, 'we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.' And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.

When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, 'Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.' For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's partners. But Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.' Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.

Reflection on the painting

Sometimes we can feel acutely aware of our own unworthiness in the presence of Jesus. Various figures in the gospels express this feeling before him. John the Baptist felt unworthy to baptise Jesus; the Roman centurion felt unworthy to have Jesus visit his home. In today's gospel reading, Simon Peter feels unworthy just to be in Jesus' presence. Each of them perceived a vast gap between themselves and Jesus, believing they were not worthy of his closeness and attention. Yet, in each case, Jesus dismisses their objections.

Furthermore, Jesus insists on being baptised by John, going to the centurion's home, and staying with Simon Peter. In fact, Jesus calls Peter to join him closely in his mission of gathering people into God's kingdom. The Lord does not want our sense of unworthiness to create a barrier between us and him. While we are indeed unworthy, the Lord does not require worthiness, but rather willingness and responsiveness to his will! His plans for us are always far more generous than our own. Like Simon Peter, we may find that at the very moment we feel most unworthy, the Lord sees our potential and the role we can play in his work in the world.

It was not just in today's passage that Peter felt unworthy. He felt unworthy many times throughout Jesus' ministry. He also felt unworthy and repentant after Jesus was crucified, having three times denied knowing his friend. This moment is beautifully captured in El Greco's The Tears of Saint Peter. In this painting, the apostle Peter is depicted in half-length against a dark mountainside, identifiable by the Keys of Heaven and his typical white hair and beard. He wears a golden robe over a blue or green tunic, traditional elements in portrayals of him. Peter is shown distraughtly repenting his denial of Jesus the night before the Crucifixion, his eyes welling up with tears. To the left, a woman carrying an alabaster jar, representing Mary Magdalene, has just received the angel's message of Christ's resurrection and is on her way to inform Peter. During the Catholic Church's Counter-Reformation, the repentant Peter motif was commonly used in Spanish and Italian art to emphasise the sacrament of penance and reconciliation.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-5-1-11-2024/