Gospel in Art: These twelve Jesus sent out

Unmade Bed, Drawing by Adolf Menzel, 1846, black and white chalk on paper © Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 9 July 2025
Matthew 10:1-7

At that time: Jesus called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, 'Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." '

Reflection on the drawing

Yesterday we heard Jesus urging us to help harvest the fields. Today's Gospel shows Him sending out His disciples to do just that. This is our calling too. In the Gospel, Jesus calls each disciple by name; and He calls each of us by name as well. He entrusts us with His mission, asking us not only to BE disciples but also to MAKE disciples. The two cannot be separated. It is not enough simply to live our faith quietly; we are also called to share it, to draw others into the joy of the Gospel through our witness.

Yet in today's culture, it can be tempting to soften or dilute the message of the Gospel in order to make it more palatable. We may fear driving people away in a highly secularised society. But Christ's message is not one of comfort and convenience; it is radical and transformative. Our task is not to reshape His Word to fit the world, but to allow His Word to reshape us, and through us, the world.

And so how do we make disciples? There is no formula. The most powerful way is through authentic witness, by living our faith consistently and visibly. A parent modelling Christian love and patience to their children, a boss leading with integrity and compassion, a politician guided by justice and humility. We are called to be witnesses in the very places where God has planted us.

This brings me to today's artwork: Adolph Menzel's Unmade Bed (1845). There is a quiet but striking power in this simple drawing. I remember being told at the Benedictine boarding school I attended between the ages of 11-18, that leaving an unmade bed would reflect laziness; making it was the first small witness of the day-a way of setting the tone for how we would live the hours ahead. In much the same way, the small habits of our daily life (acts of kindness, moments of prayer, words of truth) are what shape us as credible witnesses. If we attend to the little things faithfully, we will be better prepared to bear witness to the bigger things, and so to help make disciples, not merely by what we say, but through how we live.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-10-1-7-2025/(with audio)