The Art of Christianity

Hello, readers! It has been several months, and for that I sincerely apologize. I had been busy with my school newspaper, and when school got out I traveled to Italy, both my excuse for spotty blogging and my topic of choice. That said, I will attempt to blog more regularly from here on out, so please keep coming back.

As I said, I recently traveled to Italy with my school choir. We visited Verona, Siena, Florence, Venice and Rome with performances in the latter two. The climax of the trip was in Rome, and more specifically, the Vatican. We spent a full day in the Vatican touring the museums and churches and finishing the day as the choir in Mass held in St. Peter's Basilica, a most unforgettable and reflective experience.

As many of you have guessed either by knowing me or by reading prior posts, I am not Catholic. As I make my points, please know that my intention is not to offend or argue-- merely to proclaim the gospel. Please interpret my words as nothing more or less than that.

A sweeping glance of the interior of St. Peter's filled me with awe and reverence toward Peter, the other apostles, and Mary, but I couldn't help but feel something was missing. Everywhere I looked a new beauty overcame me, but still there was a hole. Suddenly it occurred to me: I did not see a cross or any other representation of Christ anywhere. After more searching, I managed to find three representations of Him, but it did not ease my mind. There was one painting of Jesus, not on the throne, but rather as an infant in the arms of Mary on the throne. There was one statue of Jesus as a man, lying dead in the arms of Mary. And there was one cross, with Jesus hanging on it.

Regarding the painting: there is absolutely nothing wrong with portraying Jesus as an infant. Luke 2:12 clearly describes Jesus as a seemingly helpless child wrapped in swaddling cloths: literally portraying a little lamb. The problem does not lie in the helpless demeanor of infant Jesus, but in the question of who sits on the throne. Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus, not because she was special in any way, but specifically because she was not special. In Luke 1:46-49, Mary acknowledges God's marvelous grace in choosing to do great things through her. She explicitly states her unworthiness and His greatness. Jesus, however, is one with the Father, and is forever seated on the throne. Mary is not above Jesus; she is not even his equal. John 19:25 paints a picture far more real and far more somber: Mary is not above or level with Jesus, but beneath him at the foot of the cross. When he took his last breath and all the sin of humanity died with him, Mary's sins were included just as completely as yours and mine. Just like us, she inherits the Kingdom of Heaven, but unlike Christ, she did not inherit the throne of God.

Regarding the statue: Christ died, and our sins died with him. The wrath of God was poured out on Christ in our place and he died the death we deserved. As incredible and unfathomable as this is, however, it is not the ultimate cause of our joy as believers. See, Christ died, but he also rose again, defeating death. Ephesians 2:1-3 tells us we are all born into this world spiritually dead, but the passage goes on to describe how we are made alive (Ephesians 2:4-9). We rejoice as believers because  we have been brought to life through the death AND resurrection of Christ. As vital as it is to convey the significance of Jesus' death, it is even more important to acknowledge that he did not remain dead. In Revelation 1:17-18 Jesus tells John he has conquered death, sin, and hell and is alive forevermore. So although portraying Jesus as dead is certainly not wrong, the image is not complete without His resurrection.

Regarding the cross: In Galatians 6:14, Paul says he cannot boast in anything except in the cross of Christ. We as believers still use the cross as a symbol of the lengths to which Christ went to reconcile us to our King. Furthermore, the cross symbolizes our own death: our death to sin. Our death to death. The cross is indeed a powerful symbol, but it is powerful, in large part, because it is empty. When Jesus died, he said "It is finished." In saying these words, Jesus preached the Gospel even to the men who nailed him to the cross, in that the work of the cross was finished. The wages of sin were paid, the atonement had been made, and Christ's mission to rescue us from death and sin was complete in that moment. Our death, too, was finished. Though we will still die a physical death, we have been made alive spiritually for eternity. Before Jesus, the cross symbolized death, but because of Jesus, the cross now symbolizes life. Therefore, the cross is empty. It is finished.

One might wonder why it matters so much that art portrays Christ a certain way. Art is expression-- expression of thoughts, feelings, and most importantly, beliefs. If we believe Christ belongs anywhere other than the throne, we sin in diminishing the authority and power of Christ. If we believe anyone else belongs on the throne, we sin in diminishing the sacred and set apart nature of Christ. If we believe Christ died and nothing more, we sin in diminishing the sufficiency of Christ. And if we believe the cross means nothing to us, we sin in diminishing the grace and mercy of Christ. In an attempt to appeal to the world around us, we cannot sacrifice the powerful, sacred, graceful, all-sufficient miracle of Christ's death and resurrection.

"We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." --Romans 6:9-11