Gospel in Art: The kingdom of God is among you

Hand of God, Sculpted by Lorenzo Quinn, 2011 © Lorenzo Quinn, all rights reserved

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 14 November 2024
Luke 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, 'The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, "Look here! Look there!" For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.'

He said to the disciples, 'A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, "Look there!" or, "Look here!"

'Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.'

Reflection on the sculpture

Deep within our Christian hearts lies a tension we must all navigate: balancing the 'hope' that the Lord will intervene to make the world a better place with the 'personal responsibility' we each carry to help bring about this change. These two aspects of hope and personal responsibility towards making that what is hoped for a reality, go hand in hand. This is why Jesus tells us, "The Kingdom of God is among you!" He reminds us that we can already participate in His Kingdom here and now. The hope for a better future for our world is not something in the distant future, it is something that can start today.

The sculpture 'The Hand of God' beautifully illustrates this concept. It depicts how we live in the palm of God's hand, in His Kingdom, if we choose to embrace it. The hand symbolises invitation, protection, and guidance. Created by Lorenzo Quinn, son of actor Anthony Quinn, the sculpture depicts a large, outstretched hand cradling a small human figure. The hand is holding everything together. The small human figure, depicted in a pensive, contemplative pose, is at peace, fully trusting on the hand's protection and guidance.

The mistake the Pharisees make in today's Gospel, is that they assume the Kingdom of God is something yet to come. But Christ corrects them, explaining that the Kingdom is already present, though unseen. It is up to us to partake in it by allowing charity, truth, love, justice, righteousness, and peace to govern our lives. These are not abstract ideals but real, tangible values we can live out daily. By doing so, we gradually help build God's Kingdom here on earth.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-17-20-25-2024/