Gospel in Art: The one who rejects me rejects him who sent me

Cornelia Rejecting the Crown of Ptolemy VIII by Laurent de La Hyre, 1646, oil on canvas © Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 3 October 2025
Luke 10:13-16

At that time: Jesus said, 'Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgement for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.

'The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.'

Reflection on the painting

In today's Gospel, Jesus speaks of the rejection He faced in towns such as Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These were all places that had seen His miracles up close and heard His preaching in person,... yet they failed to respond. This was not the first time He was met with indifference or hostility: Samaritan villages had already turned Him away, and ultimately Jerusalem itself would reject Him, leading to His crucifixion. It felt maybe as if the whole world was against Jesus with so many villages and cities turning their backs to Him.

We all know, in different ways, what it means to be rejected; this feeling that 'the whole world is against me'. It might be as small as an idea we put forward being dismissed, or a stellar effort at work not being noticed. Much more painful however is the experience of being rejected as a person, especially by those we love. That kind of hurt can stir anger, resentment, or even despair. Yet precisely in these moments we can look to Jesus in our reading of today. He knows rejection from the inside, and yet He never stopped loving. Even as He hung on the cross, He prayed for those who had turned against Him. His example invites us to transform our own wounds of rejection into compassion and love.

Rejection is also the story of many great artists. Again and again, society has dismissed or misunderstood creative voices, only for them to be recognised later as geniuses. Vincent van Gogh famously sold almost nothing in his lifetime and was mocked for his style, yet today his canvases are among the most treasured in the world. The Impressionists, including Claude Monet, were rejected from the Paris Salon in 1872 for breaking with convention, but their vision changed Modern painting forever. Even Caravaggio, whose bold realism scandalised his contemporaries, is now hailed as one of the greatest masters of the Baroque. The pattern is clear: rejection often walks hand in hand with originality, and what seems disturbing or strange at first can, in time, reveal itself as something very special.

Our painting by Laurent de La Hyre, 1646, deals with a more literal form of rejection: Cornelia is rejecting the Crown of Ptolemy VIII. The story comes from Roman history. Cornelia was the daughter of Scipio Africanus, the great general, and the mother of the Gracchi brothers. Known for her virtue and dignity, she became a model of Roman womanhood. After her husband's death, the Egyptian king Ptolemy VIII Physcon offered her marriage, sending her a royal crown. Cornelia, however, refused the proposal, saying she would rather be remembered as the mother of the Gracchi than as queen of Egypt. Her rejection of power and wealth in favour of virtue and motherhood made her a lasting symbol of Roman values.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-10-13-16-2025/