Invisible



Camouflage, Liu Bolin

 

John 14:15-21

 

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. 

What does it mean to be invisible? Merriam-Webster.com's first definition is "incapable by nature of being seen." That's how we view God. He is a spirit and in doing so has no physical properties to be seen by the eye. The second definition provided is "inaccessible to view." That's the definition of invisible that Chinese contemporary artist Liu Bolin falls into. He's better known to the internet as "The Invisible Man." As pictured in the above image, Liu Bolin hides in plain sight. It isn't that he is by nature incapable of being seen but rather that he has made himself visually inaccessible. He has done this performance art/photography hybrid in locations all around the world but he started it in Beijing, China. Wikipedia provides us some background as to why he started doing this: "Bolin was moved to create his "Hiding in the City" series after the Chinese Beijing artist village Suo Jia Cun in November 2005. At the time of this destruction, Liu Bolin had been working in Suo Jia Cun, which had been previously named Asia's largest congregation of artists. Prompted by his emotional response to the demolition of this site, Liu decided to use his art as a means of silent protest, calling attention to the lack of protection Chinese artists had received from their own government. Through the use of his own body in his practice of painting himself into various settings in Beijing, Liu created a space for the Chinese artist, preserving their social status and highlighting their often troubled relationship with their physical surroundings" On second thought maybe God's invisibility shares some qualities with this definition as well. When preparing his disciples for his departure in John 14 Christ pivots and tells them that those who love him will keep his commandments. The link to invisibility here is the idea of commandments. The tablets of the 10 Commandments were a way that the invisible God of the Old Testament made himself visible to the children of Israel. The ark of the covenant that they carried around for generations was not an idol but rather a carrying case which housed the Commandments themselves. They were precious to the Israelites and represented the presence of the holy God. This is because the Law/Torah that they were a part of were the very words of God. following this Law produced visible actions and this the Invisible God became visible through the obedience of his visible people. They obeyed the commandments of God because they loved God. Likewise our love for Christ will be evidenced through our obedience to his commandments.

 

HIDING IN THE CITY - ITALY, Liu Bolin

 

Camouflaged

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 

Liu Bolin's performance art was born out advocating for his people. His village of working artists on the middle of Beijing was a place where those of like minds and talent could collaborate. Complex.com describes the reasoning of the government's destruction of his village and his reaction as such , "In 2005, Bolin's village in Suo Jia Cun, Beijing was destroyed by the Beijing police because the government did not approve of artists living and working with one another. This started his "Hiding in the City" series, the first of which was a photo of him painted to blend in with one of the demolished studios. Each subsequent photo presented silent commentary on the sociopolitical climate of China." We Christians see the Holy Spirit performing a similar job for us as Liu Bolin does for his fellow villagers. The Holy Spirit is our camouflaged advocate. The theological term is Paraclete, which engulfs the idea of comforter, counselor and advocate. It is one who consoles us while arguing our case before a judge (God). Yet like Liu Bolin He remains unseen by the world as if He were painted to blend in with the seats. And in a way the Holy Spirit is camouflaged. He blends within the community of believers. The Holy Spirit is not only God within our individual bodies but God within our corporate body. The Holy Spirit highlights pour need for each other. He shows that Christ did not just die for you but he died for y'all. We as believers are one despite our differences and quirks. We are Liu Bolin's humble village of artists creating a group portrait of Love... and no one can tear this village down.
 

Camouflage from the Invisible Man Series, Liu Bolin

Concealed

“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 

The magic of Liu Bolin's images is that the subject of the images (himself) seamlessly merges with the background of the imagery. This changes the theme of every image to the (assumed) absence of the artist. Every photograph leads to a game for the viewer to find where the artist is concealed in the background. The background behind this speech in John 14 is that Christ is discussing his upcoming disappearing act. The visual and physical manifestation of the invisible God that Creation had longed for ages to see would once again be unseen. He stayed with us for about 33 years and then ascended into Heaven. But I would argue that even some of those who saw him didn't really see him. Yes the saw his body but they never saw the essence of his identity. They saw the 30-something Palestinian Jewish carpenter and itinerant preacher but they never saw the pre-existent Son of God. They never saw him because the fuller meaning of to see is to know. To those who never saw Jesus in the fullness of his being he was invisible. He was unknown. The nature of his identity was concealed to much of the world. They was not understood and will continue to be misunderstood. But to those whom he revealed himself to he was seen, known and understood. To this remnant he continues to be seen known and understood even while he no longer physically resides with us. He is seen because he is "in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you." Christ is that common component that we share with God the Father. He is the peace between God and Mankind. Jesus' blood is that common ground that the Divine and Humanity can stand on together, no loner having enmity between us. When others ask to see our God point to the forgiveness and freedom from Sin that we possess. It can be seen and it can be felt. That is a picture of Jesus.  

 

HIDING IN THE CITY - NEW YORK, Liu Bolin

 

Consumed

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

The above posted image is Liu Bolin's "Wizard of Oz" moment. It is when the man behind the curtain is revealed. The Wizard of Oz doesn't end when Dorothy discovers the true nature of the Wizard. It ends after the Wizard reveals how his true nature applies to her (getting her home on the Hot Air balloon). When we see Liu Bolin's unpainted face we still wonder "How did the Wizard do it?" Liu Bolin wants us to ask how what he is doing applies to what is going on in contemporary China and how it applies to our lives. In Matthew 16:16-20 Jesus asks his disciples who men says that he is. Peter correctly answers that he is the Christ. It is the Gospel's "Wizard of Oz" moment. I imagine that there were other disciples who also realized that he was the Christ. But what does that even mean? Later they would come to understand that he was God in the flesh. But what does that even mean? Interestingly enough Jesus warned them not to tell anyone that he was the Christ at the end of the scene. As the disciples' time with Jesus went on he would gradually reveal the significance of what being the Christ/Messiah and God in the flesh meant. Their eyes would grow more open to seeing who he was and in return seeing who he was shaping them to be. He was shaping them (like he is shaping us) to be temples of the Living God...real live Arks of the Covenant where his commandments are housed within. As we grow in faith we consume the Word of God. It becomes our daily bread. When we internalize his words and thoughts we also internalize his Spirit. We don't become God or gods but we do become godly. We take upon His loving, forgiving nature and display his DNA to the world. He adopts us as his dear children and we inherit his kingdom. When the world looks upon us, not the old us or maybe even the present us...but when they will one day look on the new and redeemed us, they will see the visible love of God that we have consumed and has consumed us. So what is this extra commandment that Jesus asks us to house in our hearts? He says in John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

 

Optical Spy, Liu Bolin

In his book Blue like Jazz, Donald Miller said that sometimes believing in God is weird. Its like having and imaginary friend that no one can see. You are that Chinese soldier standing in a picture with your art hero Liu Bolin. Except Liu Bolin is painted so appears invisible. But to the searching eye he can be seen. Well, he can't actually be seen but you can see his affect on the things that surround him. You can see that there is a difference in the space that he resides in. You can see that he is the invisible force that the soldier leans on. You can see the shadows that he casts. The picture of you and God is similar. God can't actually be seen but you can see His affect on the things that surround Him. You can see that there is a difference in the lives that He resides in. You can see that He is the invisible force that his followers lean on. You cannot see the shadows that he casts because God is light. Specifically God is the light that emanates love, peace, holiness, justice and forgiveness. It is the light that reveals His face in a dark world. It is the light that we are called to shine and reveal the invisible God.