Gospel in Art: I have a baptism and how great is my distress until it is accomplished

The Agony in the Garden, by Andrea Mantegna, 1456 © National Gallery. London

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 22 October 2026
Luke 12:49-53

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, 'I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptised with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided: three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.'

Reflection on the painting

We sometimes imagine that being close to God should make life feel easier. Today's Gospel challenges that expectation by allowing us to hear something of Jesus' own inner struggle. "There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress until it is over." Very unusual words. The baptism he speaks of is his coming Passion: the suffering and death into which he will be plunged. But Jesus also sees what lies ahead, beyond His Passion: the sending of the Holy Spirit. However, the prospect of his passion weighs heavily on him. His trust in the Father does not make him indifferent to pain, betrayal or abandonment. He is fully human and fully divine, yet that does not mean that his path was an easy path to walk.

There is something deeply reassuring in this honesty. We know how a difficult experience can begin to hurt long before it happens: an approaching operation, a painful conversation that needs to be had, a goodbye we cannot bear to imagine. We wish that these difficult moments would be over and done with, so we have something positive to experience again after a very big hurdle.

When Jesus then speaks of bringing division rather than peace, he makes clear that following him may be costly for us too. His call to love, forgive and act justly will not always meet with agreement, even among those closest to us. This is no invitation to seek arguments or treat others harshly. It is a recognition that faithfulness sometimes disturbs a comfortable situation. Today's Gospel reminds us that therefore anxiety and faith can exist in the same heart.

As I mentioned, the "baptism" Jesus must still receive is his Passion, and nowhere do we glimpse his anguish more clearly than in the Agony in the Garden. Andrea Mantegna's painting, made around 1456, brings us into that difficult moment of waiting. Jesus kneels in prayer on a rocky ledge, facing angels who hold the instruments of his coming suffering. Below him, Peter, James and John are sound asleep. There is something painfully familiar here: we can be surrounded by people who love us and still feel very alone in what we are facing. Meanwhile, in the distance, Judas leads a band of soldiers towards the garden. The winding path gives their approach a terrible inevitability; we can almost feel the time slipping away. Yet Jesus remains at prayer. He brings his distress to the Father, showing us that we do not have to become calm or fearless before we can pray. We can come to God exactly as we are.

LINKS

Christian Art: www.christian.art
Today's Reading: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-12-49-53-2026/