Gospel in Art: Speaking of the Temple

The Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, by Gustav Bauernfeind, 1887 © Christie's, London, 20 March 1992, lot 22

Gospel of 16 November 2025
Luke 21:5-19

At that time: While some were speaking of the Temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, Jesus said, 'As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.' And they asked him, 'Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?' And he said, 'See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, "I am he!" and, "The time is at hand!" Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.'

Then he said to them, 'Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it, therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and sisters, and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.'

Reflection on the painting

We often say, "Well, it's not the end of the world," when something goes wrong and we want to console someone or put things in perspective. Yet when we lose someone we love, or when tragedy strikes (a serious illness, an accident, a home destroyed by fire, as happened to friends of mine) it does feel like the end of the world. Everything familiar collapses. In today's Gospel reading Jesus speaks to that very experience. Standing before the Temple, that vast and seemingly indestructible symbol of God's presence, he warns that one day "not a single stone will be left on another." And indeed, in the year 70 AD, the unimaginable happened: the Temple was destroyed. After months of brutal fighting during the First Jewish-Roman War which started in 66AD, the city fell, and the Second Temple, originally rebuilt after the Babylonian Exile and later expanded by Herod the Great, was burned and torn down. For those who have visited Jerusalem, only one wall remains, the Western or "Wailing" Wall.

Jesus tells us that everything in this life eventually comes to an end, even the most seemingly indestructible of buildings one day will not remain. Faith therefore must hold firm when everything else falls apart. "Do not be terrified," he says, for even in chaos, God remains faithful. The Gospel is not a promise that life will be easy, but that Christ will stand beside us through every trial. Our world may at times seem to crumble, but when the walls of our lives seem to fall, faith remains our true foundation, one that no fire, no grief, no destruction can ever take away.

Gustav Bauernfeind's The Wailing Wall, painted in 1887, is a beautiful portrayal of one of the most sacred sites in the Holy Land. The vast golden stones of the Wall dominate the canvas, bathed in a soft, almost supernatural light, while small figures of Jewish worshippers gather humbly at its base. By giving the Wall greater prominence than the people, Bauernfeind captures both the timelessness of faith and the endurance of prayer through centuries of loss and renewal. The scene is archaeologically precise yet deeply spiritual, combining realism with reverence. Bauernfeind (1848-1904), a German architect turned painter, travelled widely through the Middle East and became one of the foremost Orientalist artists of his age. His meticulous eye for structure and light, shaped by firsthand observation, allowed him to depict Jerusalem not just as a place of history but as a living symbol of devotion with its ancient stones almost glowing with the power of God's enduring presence.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-21-5-19-2025/
and
Video: The Art of Remembrance - From The Monuments Men to The Last Post: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/53644