Gospel in Art: As you go with your accuser before the magistrate

Le Défenseur (Counsel for the Defense), by Honoré Daumier. Painted between 1862-1865 © National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 24 October 2025
Luke 12:54-59

At that time: Jesus said to the crowds, 'When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, "A shower is coming." And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, "There will be scorching heat", and it happens.

You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

'And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?

As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.'

Reflection on the watercolour on paper

In today's Gospel, Jesus uses a simple and practical image: two people on their way to court. He advises them to settle their dispute before they arrive, rather than risk a costly and possibly humiliating judgement. In Jesus' time, the legal system often favoured the wealthy and powerful, and many of his listeners would have stood little chance of justice. But Jesus isn't just giving advice about legal matters; he is speaking about something much deeper. He is urging an 'urgency of reconciliation'... not to delay making peace, not to wait until it is too late.

Behind this image lies a far greater invitation. Just as two people must settle before they reach the judge, so must we be reconciled with God before we stand before Him. And the way to do this is through Jesus. But many people failed to see Jesus for who He was, even when He was standing right in front of them. So He tells them that they could read the signs of the weather, but not the signs of God's presence in their midst. And so, the question comes to us: are we alert to the ways God is speaking and acting in our own lives? Do we see God in other people. Do we see God in nature surrounding us? The Lord is here among us, as surely as he was in Galilee, calling us to respond... not later, not eventually, but now.

The image of Jesus mentioning judges, accusers and courtrooms, bring us to our watercolour by Honoré Daumier, one of France's keenest observers of human behaviour. Best known for his lithographs and caricatures in 19th-century Parisian journals, he had a particular fascination with the courtroom. He often depicted judges, lawyers, and defendants not as grand figures of justice, but as flawed, weary, all-too-human characters caught in the drama of pride, persuasion, and vulnerability. His watercolour Le Défenseur (Counsel for the Defense), painted between 1862 and 1865 captures one of these moments. In it, a lawyer leans forward to address the court, his face sweating with a mixture of determination and exhaustion. Behind him, the crowded courtroom fades into shadow. Justice here feels almost theatrical.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-12-54-59-2025/