Old Testament Word & Image: Isaiah 55:1-3 & the Rain Room

Rain Room, Random International

Isaiah 55:1-3

Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.


Rain Room, Random International

Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

Rain Room, Random International

Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The sure mercies of David.

 

Vintage Heritage

Queen Victoria in her official Diamond Jubilee, W. & D. Downey

Matthew 13:44-52

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like..."

When Art is defined primarily by its value then the line between art and craft becomes its blurriest. For every Rothko painting that sells for millions there is a Hope Diamond that is not for sale due to its pricelessness. Even though jewelry is not always considered art (unless it is from an ancient culture) it acts as the art that the majority of people interact with, possess and desire to possess. It is also the art that holds the most meaning for us personally. It carries the value of currency that can one day be cashed in, thereby carrying the meaning for our future liquidity. It also carries meaning for our past. Jewelry celebrates our solemn commitments (wedding rings) and great achievements (medals). It is carried around on our person (unlike paintings and sculptures) and identifies to the world who we are, whose we are and what we have done. Even after we die we pass on our jewelry to our children as an inheritance.  The emblems of our identity becomes a symbol of their greater identity: identifying their heritage. Increasingly in recent times the jewelry piece that has come to symbolize a person's collection of experiences and collective heritage is the charm bracelet. Though the charm has a history that stretches back to the ancients it was popularized in the West by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. She was fond of not only wearing charm bracelets but also giving them as gifts. In photographs and painted portraits you can see her draped in fine fabrics and laces, ornamented in crowns and bejeweled necklaces, pendants and rings... yet no outfit of hers is complete without her signature charm bracelets. This is because the charm bracelets told not only one story but several stories...and they were all her story, her family's story and her kingdom's story. In Matthew 13:44-52 Jesus continues to string along charming parables like he has already done in the earlier parts of chapter 13. These treasures have value as independently but they have been placed together for a reason. When they are strung together we can understand them as one piece with several independent elements that increase the value of the collective work of art. This is because these parables tell not only one story but several stories...and they are all Jesus' story, his Father's story and his kingdom's story.    

Victorian Charm Bracelet by Extasia,  Victoriana Magazine

Hidden Treasure

“...Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field..."

In researching charm bracelet images in the hidden field of treasures known as the Internet I came upon curious finds on Etsy and other craft websites. When I searched for Queen Victoria's charm bracelets on Google, I came up with several pieces of jewelry that were made two months ago rather than two centuries ago. These were not vintage charm bracelets but rather faux vintage. The popularity of vintage charm bracelets and faux vintage jewelry is that even a person without a personal connection to the jewelry or era can appropriate the value of the heritage it symbolizes. On top of that treasure is not just valuable because of the story behind it but because of the substance that it is made of. Gold and diamonds are valuable even when they are used to make a Bart Simpson medallion. Whatever form they may be fashioned into, gold and diamonds are gold and diamonds.
When Jesus starts of this round of what could be described as "Jesus' greatest one liners" he begins with the parable of the hidden treasure. By likening the Kingdom of Heaven to a hidden treasure Jesus reveals a few key truths about it. The first is the Kingdom of Heaven is hidden to some. The second is that the Kingdom of Heaven is to be pursued. The third is that the Kingdom of Heaven is valuable and worth giving up everything. The subtle truth of the last point is that pursuing the Kingdom of Heaven may entail great personal sacrifice. Even though we were estranged from God and find ourselves as spiritual orphans we pursue the kingdom of God for what it is made of. The substance of the kingdom of God are things that we all value: love, peace, forgiveness. Yet in pursuing those universally revered treasures in Jesus we also appropriate his heritage. We are adopted as God's dear children. 


Pearl Merchants

“...Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it..."

In addition to my finds on Etsy I found this "Victoria Retro Queen Portrait Watch Clock" for only $1.85! Wow! Think of it: for less than two bucks I can have one of the greatest British monarch's family treasures! Now you know that I know that this is not Queen Victoria's actual jewelry. It is not even her real costume jewelry. The only value that it holds is for the purposes of a buyer who is going to a costume party. That is the idea behind Jesus' next parable of the pearl. The subject of the parable is not the pearl but rather the merchant who seeks fine pearls. The Kingdom of Heaven in this metaphor is the merchant and the pearl is you. But I don't know about you but I am honestly not that fine of a pearl. I am probably at best a $1.85 piece of costume jewelry. But it is not my perception of value that matters here. Value is created in the mind of the buyer. So the question of this parable (and Jesus' entire ministry) is "How valuable are you to God?" This parable teaches us that the Kingdom of Heaven sees you as of great value. The Kingdom of Heaven in the person of Jesus gave up everything to get you. The moral of the story for the first parable was that the Kingdom of Heaven is to be pursued but the moral of this second parable is that the Kingdom of Heaven pursues you. We may be worthless to some but God has decided that he can use us.

Ichthys charm

Parable of the Net

“...Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth...”

Charms have a history in Church history that predates Queen Victoria's fashion interest. Specifically fish charms. Some of you readers may be familiar with the Ichthys fish image. Back in the days of Christan persecution in the Roman Empire, Christians held secret gatherings that were advertised through secret symbols. One of these was a fish, which in Greek is called an Ichthys ΙΧΘΥΣ. Nobody really notices if you leave of a sign or sketch of a fish. But the meaning lied in the spelling of the word. Ichthys was an acronym for a message about Jesus. According to Wikipedia:
ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthus) is an acronym/acrostic^[4] for "Ίησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ", (Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr), which translates into English as "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour".

• Iota (i) is the first letter of Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), Greek for "Jesus".
• Chi (ch) is the first letter of Christos (Χριστός), Greek for "anointed".
• Theta (th) is the first letter of Theou (Θεου), Greek for "God's", the genitive case of Θεóς, Theos, Greek for "God".
• Upsilon (y) is the first letter of (h)uios^[5] (Υἱός), Greek for "Son".
• Sigma (s) is the first letter of sōtēr (Σωτήρ), Greek for "Savior".

Along with the public signs, early Christians would wear Ichthys charms around their neck to identify themselves to one another...like certain believers do with the bumpers of there Toyota Priuses today. But the third parable that Jesus shares is not about the fish as much as it is about the net. In the parable of the net, Jesus likens the Kingdom of Heaven to a net that captures all types of sea creatures. Then later on the fishermen separate the good fish from the bad fish and dispose of those deemed unsuitable. In this metaphor the Kingdom of Heaven is not the charm as much as it is the bracelet itself. It is the devise that strings everyone together. It is the proclamation of the message of Ichthys. that Jesus Christ is both God's Son and Savior. Yet many will hear this message and be gathered up in its net but just like the parable of the wheat and tares earlier and the parable of the sower. Some that hear the message will not bear fruit...some will bear weeds instead. And that is the testament of true faith and true citizenship in God's kingdom: does your life display the results of faithfulness to God or faithlessness. Does your charm bracelet display the heritage of a Divine genealogy. Does your soul exclaim that Jesus Christ is God's Son and my Savior?


Queen Elizabeth II's fifth anniversary charm bracelet from Prince Philip

Old & New: Rhythm, rhyme and reason

"...Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

On their fifth wedding anniversary Prince Philip gave Queen Elizabeth II a gift that continued the tradition set in place by her ancestor Queen Victoria. He gave her a charm bracelet. But this wasn't a simple charm bracelet or one that had been passed down. This was a charm bracelet on steroids. Philip took the idea and tradition of the charm bracelet and made it current and applicable to Elizabeth II's style and time. It combined elements of both the old and the new; becoming what we call "timeless." Philip showed that he both understood and valued her identity. Jesus turned to his disciples and asked if they had come to a similar place. Did they both understand his parables of the Kingdom and did they value what the parables revealed about his identity. The disciples affirmed that they understood the parables and appreciated their meaning. When they said this they were not just affirming and understanding the significance of the last three, but rather the rhythm of all if the parables in chapter 13. Like a charm bracelet, the beauty and meaning of the parables is found in the rhythm of their placement. To the untrained eye a charm bracelet seems like a hoarder's jewelry: a collection of treasures for the sake of collecting. To the untrained eye the parables of chapter 13 seem like they are revered by the gospel writer just because they are sayings if Jesus. But to the eye of the trained they both find more meaning when they are placed together. The rhythm of precious gems and charms placed together and parables with rhyming ideas placed near each other signify a unified message. It is the story of the kingdom... of a family... of an induvidual identity that is forged from a collective identity. So since the disciples understood the parables of the kingdom he gave them a parable about themselves. They were scribes of the Kingdom, students of a prophet or biographers of a King. They were the keepers if a great household's greatest treasure: its story. But they were not charged with maintaining the household's wealth but rather divesting the household if it's wealth. And that is what these Disciples turned Apostles did. In writing the New Testament and founding the Church they share with us God's treasures of grace, mercy and love. Treasures that are both old and new. Treasures that are timeless.

New Testament Word & Image: Romans 8:28-30 & the Aesthetic Idea of Gesamtkunstwerk

Act 3 of Wagner's "Die Walküre" Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

Romans 8:28-30

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

The German writer, theologian and philosopher K. F. E. Trahndorff first coined the word Gesamtkunstwerk. Like most German ideas it is a whole sentence crammed into one word. The two parts of the word are "Gesamt", meaning total or totality and "kunstwerk", meaning artwork. So it is the idea of a total work of art. The concept manifests itself in several artistic genres.

Gesamtkunstwerk in Music

The Ring Cycle, Achim Freyer at the La Opera

Concerning the idea of Gesamtkunstwerk's application in music, The Guardian writes, "Wagner couldn't spell it – he wrote "Gesammtkunstwerk" – but he knew what he meant by it, and the word could be said to sum up his entire aesthetic philosophy once he had decided to cast off what he came to see as the shackles of Italianate opera. It means "total work of art", and Wagner introduced the term in 1849 in a series of essays in which he decried the fragmentation of the arts and argued it had been downhill all the way since the Greeks." Richard Wagner saw Opera as an opportunity for the artist to be integrated in the whole of the creation process: music, lyrics, drama, aesthetic, design, etc. In 2010 the LA Opera teamed up the German artist Achim Freyer (as set and costume designer) to honor Richard Wagner's idea of a total work of art in the production of his greatest series of Operas. The Ring Cycle.

Gesamtkunstwerk in Architecture

When it comes to the architect as an artist demanding total control Frank Lloyd Wright  is the archetype of control freaks. He not only designed houses but he designed everything that was to be inside of the houses. The Frederick C. Robie House is one of the greatest examples of this. It is not One of his aesthetically interesting exteriors but the fact that he designed the interior down to the windows and furniture makes it one of his greatest holistic pieces of architectural art.

Gesamtkunstwerk in Painting

The Last Judgement, Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo

The Sistine Chapel itself is an example of Gesamtkunstwerk even though its production predates the idea. The uber-artist Michelangelo produced each scene of the ceiling mosaic and "The Last Judgment that appears on the wall behind the altar. And this is the point where K. F. E. Trahndorff's aesthetic idea of Gesamtkunstwerk stumbles into his theological interests.


Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo

I am not sure if he saw a connection between the two fields, but Michelangelo saw the connection between his total work of art and God's total work of art in human history. Before the viewer gets to culmination of "The Last Judgment" they are lead through the story of salvation history in the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. You see the hand of the Divine at work in every episode in Scripture and come to the conclusion that God is the ultimate practitioner of Gesamtkunstwerk.

Wikipedia Theology

Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo

You may have noticed that I use Wikipedia a lot in my references and hyperlinks. I have defended this practice before. As faulted as Wikipedia may be as an official academic source it also provides amazing finds that open up understanding to the masses. Like the above posted map that shows the different sections of the Sistine Chapel ceiling and what stories they refer to in Scripture. It illustrates in color coded detail St. Paul's argument of Romans 8:28-30: that the Creator God uses the aesthetic principal of  Gesamtkunstwerk. It is only when one considers the totality of the work that He is making that one can see it as a total work of Art. Or as St. Paul put it "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Often we get frustrated when we suffer like Job, go through hard times like Ruth and Naomi, or get persecuted like one of the Prophets. And if we are honest about it, our situations do not always miraculously resolve themselves in three days like Jesus' resurrection. But that is only because we focus on the individual episodes of life and not the big picture of God's work in history... salvation history. When we see the whole picture like Michelangelo then we can deal with the drama of Richard Wagner parts of our life and the interior details of the Frank Lloyd Wright parts of our life. The Creator has designed his masterpiece, the story of Mankind, to be a work of beauty that glorifies Him and displays mercy but it is only noticeable when you consider the total art work... the "all things."

Psalms Word & Image: Psalm 119 & Adam Rhine

Chai (life) Illuminated, Adam Rhine

 Psalm 119

א Aleph

Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!
They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.
You have commanded us
To keep Your precepts diligently.
Oh, that my ways were directed
To keep Your statutes!
Then I would not be ashamed,
When I look into all Your commandments.
I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
I will keep Your statutes;
Oh, do not forsake me utterly!

ב Beth

How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
Blessed are You, O Lord!
Teach me Your statutes.
With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

 

ג Gimel

Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.
I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
My soul breaks with longing
For Your judgments at all times.
You rebuke the proud—the cursed,
Who stray from Your commandments.
Remove from me reproach and contempt,
For I have kept Your testimonies.
Princes also sit and speak against me,
But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
Your testimonies also are my delight
And my counselors.

ד Daleth

My soul clings to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.
I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.
Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.
My soul melts from heaviness;
Strengthen me according to Your word.
Remove from me the way of lying,
And grant me Your law graciously.
I have chosen the way of truth;
Your judgments I have laid before me.
I cling to Your testimonies;
O Lord, do not put me to shame!
I will run the course of Your commandments,
For You shall enlarge my heart.

ה He

Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law;
Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.
Incline my heart to Your testimonies,
And not to covetousness.
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
And revive me in Your way.^[a]
Establish Your word to Your servant,
Who is devoted to fearing You.
Turn away my reproach which I dread,
For Your judgments are good.
Behold, I long for Your precepts;
Revive me in Your righteousness.

ו Waw

Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord—
Your salvation according to Your word.
So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me,
For I trust in Your word.
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
For I have hoped in Your ordinances.
So shall I keep Your law continually,
Forever and ever.
And I will walk at liberty,
For I seek Your precepts.
I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings,
And will not be ashamed.
And I will delight myself in Your commandments,
Which I love.
My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments,
Which I love,
And I will meditate on Your statutes.

ז Zayin

Remember the word to Your servant,
Upon which You have caused me to hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction,
For Your word has given me life.
The proud have me in great derision,
Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.
I remembered Your judgments of old, O Lord,
And have comforted myself.
Indignation has taken hold of me
Because of the wicked, who forsake Your law.
Your statutes have been my songs
In the house of my pilgrimage.
I remember Your name in the night, O Lord,
And I keep Your law.
This has become mine,
Because I kept Your precepts

.

 

ח Heth

You are my portion, O Lord;
I have said that I would keep Your words.
I entreated Your favor with my whole heart;
Be merciful to me according to Your word.
I thought about my ways,
And turned my feet to Your testimonies.
I made haste, and did not delay
To keep Your commandments.
The cords of the wicked have bound me,
But I have not forgotten Your law.
At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.
I am a companion of all who fear You,
And of those who keep Your precepts.
The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy;
Teach me Your statutes.

ט Teth

You have dealt well with Your servant,
O Lord, according to Your word.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
For I believe Your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word.
You are good, and do good;
Teach me Your statutes.
The proud have forged a lie against me,
But I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.
Their heart is as fat as grease,
But I delight in Your law.
It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.
The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.

י Yod

Your hands have made me and fashioned me;
Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
Those who fear You will be glad when they see me,
Because I have hoped in Your word.
I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort,
According to Your word to Your servant.
Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live;
For Your law is my delight.
Let the proud be ashamed,
For they treated me wrongfully with falsehood;
But I will meditate on Your precepts.
Let those who fear You turn to me,
Those who know Your testimonies.
Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes,
That I may not be ashamed.

ך Kaph

My soul faints for Your salvation,
But I hope in Your word.
My eyes fail from searching Your word,
Saying, “When will You comfort me?”
For I have become like a wineskin in smoke,
Yet I do not forget Your statutes.
How many are the days of Your servant?
When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?
The proud have dug pits for me,
Which is not according to Your law.
All Your commandments are faithful;
They persecute me wrongfully;
Help me!
They almost made an end of me on earth,
But I did not forsake Your precepts.
Revive me according to Your lovingkindness,
So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.

ל Lamed

Forever, O Lord,
Your word is settled in heaven.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.
They continue this day according to Your ordinances,
For all are Your servants.
Unless Your law had been my delight,
I would then have perished in my affliction.
I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have given me life.
I am Yours, save me;
For I have sought Your precepts.
The wicked wait for me to destroy me,
But I will consider Your testimonies.
I have seen the consummation of all perfection,
But Your commandment is exceedingly broad.

ם Mem

Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies;
For they are ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the ancients,
Because I keep Your precepts.
I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.
I have not departed from Your judgments,
For You Yourself have taught me.
How sweet are Your words to my taste,
Sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way.

ן Nun

Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
I have sworn and confirmed
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.
I am afflicted very much;
Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.
Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord,
And teach me Your judgments.
My life is continually in my hand,
Yet I do not forget Your law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.
Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever,
For they are the rejoicing of my heart.
I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, to the very end.

ס Samek

I hate the double-minded,
But I love Your law.
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in Your word.
Depart from me, you evildoers,
For I will keep the commandments of my God!
Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live;
And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
Hold me up, and I shall be safe,
And I shall observe Your statutes continually.
You reject all those who stray from Your statutes,
For their deceit is falsehood.
You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross;
Therefore I love Your testimonies.
My flesh trembles for fear of You,
And I am afraid of Your judgments.

ע Ayin

I have done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to my oppressors.
Be surety for Your servant for good;
Do not let the proud oppress me.
My eyes fail from seeking Your salvation
And Your righteous word.
Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy,
And teach me Your statutes.
I am Your servant;
Give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies.
It is time for You to act, O Lord,
For they have regarded Your law as void.
Therefore I love Your commandments
More than gold, yes, than fine gold!
Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things
I consider to be right;
I hate every false way.

פ Pe

Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul keeps them.
The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple.
I opened my mouth and panted,
For I longed for Your commandments.
Look upon me and be merciful to me,
As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.
Direct my steps by Your word,
And let no iniquity have dominion over me.
Redeem me from the oppression of man,
That I may keep Your precepts.
Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes.
Rivers of water run down from my eyes,
Because men do not keep Your law.

ץ Tsadde

Righteous are You, O Lord,
And upright are Your judgments.
Your testimonies, which You have commanded,
Are righteous and very faithful.
My zeal has consumed me,
Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.
Your word is very pure;
Therefore Your servant loves it.
I am small and despised,
Yet I do not forget Your precepts.
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And Your law is truth.
Trouble and anguish have overtaken me,
Yet Your commandments are my delights.
The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting;
Give me understanding, and I shall live.

ק Qoph

I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O Lord!
I will keep Your statutes.
I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O Lord, revive me according to Your justice.
They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.
You are near, O Lord,
And all Your commandments are truth.
Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them forever.

ר Resh

Consider my affliction and deliver me,
For I do not forget Your law.
Plead my cause and redeem me;
Revive me according to Your word.
Salvation is far from the wicked,
For they do not seek Your statutes.
Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord;
Revive me according to Your judgments.
Many are my persecutors and my enemies,
Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.
I see the treacherous, and am disgusted,
Because they do not keep Your word.
Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.
The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

שׁ Shin

Princes persecute me without a cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your word.
 I rejoice at Your word
As one who finds great treasure.
I hate and abhor lying,
But I love Your law.
Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.
Great peace have those who love Your law,
And nothing causes them to stumble.
Lord, I hope for Your salvation,
And I do Your commandments.
My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.
I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
For all my ways are before You.

ת Tau

Let my cry come before You, O Lord;
Give me understanding according to Your word.
Let my supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.
My lips shall utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.
My tongue shall speak of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
Let Your hand become my help,
For I have chosen Your precepts.
I long for Your salvation, O Lord,
And Your law is my delight.
Let my soul live, and it shall praise You;
And let Your judgments help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.

 

Old Testament Word & Image: 1 Kings 3:5-12 & Arthur Szyk



King Solomon, King of Hearts, Arthur Szyk

1 Kings 3:5-12

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,  behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.

 

Queen of Sheba Before Solomon, Arthur Szyk





The Millions




Le Livre des Merveilles de Marco Polo

Matthew 13:24-43

 Another parable He put forth to them...

The story begins in a jail cell. It is actually the story about the telling of stories. The storyteller is a gentleman from Venice named Marco Polo. He was formerly a world traveler and court official in China and in the future he would be world famous for his biographical adventures but at the moment he was just another jailbird sharing the story of how he got ended up in a prison in Genoa. It appears that his current misfortune was due to his coming home at the wrong time, since Venice and Genoa were currently in a war. But this current predicament had come after he had spent decades of sharing the fortune of being one of the few Europeans that had seen the mysterious lands of the East. And it was in his present state of poverty that he shared the tales of the riches of the Orient: tales of a far off kingdom that seemed like another world. It was a predicament that was similar to that of Jesus in Matthew 13:24-43. Jesus found himself in the role of a humble carpenter from a dusty town in Palestine (the backwoods of the Roman Empire), yet he had experienced another kingdom. This kingdom was one where peace and love flowed like the proverbial milk and honey. This far off kingdom too seemed like another world. It was the kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God. So Jesus told of this place in a series of parables: stories that relate the foundation of God's spiritual kingdom to those who dwell in the kingdoms of men. With both storytellers (Jesus and Marco Polo), their audiences were left with the same question: What was the overall purpose of these stories?


Vie quotidienne en Arménie mineure

A Kingdom In Three Parts

...saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,  which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened”...

The greatest focus of the tales of Marco Polo are the years that he spent in service in the court of China's Yuan Dynasty. The secret of the Yuan Dynasty is that unlike previous Chinese ruling dynasties it actually was not Chinese at all. It was Mongolian... but even that may be a misnomer. The Yuan Dynasty was the Mongolian khanate under the rule of Kublai Khan, grandson of the Mongolian conqueror Genghis Khan. Even though Kublai did not speak any dialect of Chinese, he loved Chinese culture and set up his kingdom in the city ofKhanbaliq (which we now know as Beijing). But he didn't just love Chinese culture or only rule China and Mongolia. The Yuan Dynasty ruled parts of the modern day countries of  Mongolia, China, India, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar and Russia. They also engaged in military campaigns in Japan, Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia and the Mongolian Empire in general stretched Westward throughout Central Asian into Persia (Iran) and Mesopotamia. So along with his love for China, Kublai Khan also heavily mixed in elements of the cultural, aesthetic, religious and philosophical treasures of Persia and India. You could say that the Yuan Dynasty was a Mongolian kingdom that was equally as Chinese, Indian and Persian. It was a an Asian-fusion food truck parked alongside the Silk Road. When Jesus described the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew 13:24-43 he does not describe it as one monolithic structure. It appears to be many things. Like Kublai Khanh's kingdom he finds three ways to express it. And with each expression of the Kingdom of Heaven tells us something important about it. In the parable of the Wheat and Tares (weeds) we learn that t
he Kingdom has a reckoning... meaning that it is a place of justice and judgment. This expresses the kingdom on the cosmic level and reminds us that God is the initiator of the cross-cultural idea of justice and inspirer of its pursuit. In the following parable of the Mustard Seed we learn that t
he Kingdom starts small but grows powerful. This aspect is even seen in the microcosm level of God's kingdom when it expresses itself in our personal faith. The last is the parable of the Leaven (or Yeast), which leaves us with the hopeful reminder that the Kingdom permeates its surroundings...even when it is outnumbered and overwhelmed. All three parables are diverse but they still have a unifying theme of the kingdom of heaven. Which in itself is an interesting notion because that means they are extended metaphors about a concise metaphor. Jesus describes Heaven as a "Kingdom." Heaven in itself is a loaded word that comes pre-packed with a lot of cultural, religious and artistic ideas...many of them informed by extra-biblical sources. Some of them are right and some of them are just part of our popular fantasy. Heaven just becomes a label for whatever we view as the ideal or perfect. In these ideas about Heaven the greatest two are its association with dead people (which is mostly true) and its association with God (which is fully true). Heaven is where God reigns...even when that reign is over the living. Therefore it is often referred to as a "kingdom" in Scripture: a place governed by a sovereign ruler. The Kingdom of Heaven is not necessarily for the dead. The Kingdom of Heaven is not necessarily in the Sky. The Kingdom of Heaven is not the land where winged babies play harps on marshmallow clouds (even though that idea is awesome and worthy of a Beatles/Led Zeppelin collaboration song). So what is the kingdom of Heaven and how does one explain what it is? This is the dilemma that Jesus faced. So he told a story... or a series of stories. A single story could never fully describe the Kingdom of Heaven but several stories could describe what it "is like."

Le calife de Bagdad et les chrétiens

The Story of the Kingdom

...All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them,  that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

“I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world”...

When Marco Polo did finally publish his stories into a book it was titled "Il Milione", which is Italian for "The Million." Some think that it refers to his family sometimes using the name "Emilione" to distinguish themselves, since "Polo" was a popular Venetian surname. Detractors to his fanciful tales mockingly said that it referred to the "millions" of lies and fabrications that was found in the pages of the book. One can also conclude that it referred to the millions of miles, stories, lands and people from the East that the Western and Southern European readers were now exposed to. One of those avid readers and fans was Christopher Columbus. When Columbus set sail to the New World he did so in search of the treasures and spices of India that he had read about in Marco Polo's adventures. That is also how I always imagined Marco Polo travelling: setting sail en route to China. But my original imagining of Marco Polo was more informed by the children's swimming pool game named after him than his own narrative. Marco Polo may have taken a sea route back to Venice but his initial trips were travelled on the The Silk Road, a series of trade routes connecting the East and West that had existed since the Roman Empire. When you think about it, Marco Polo's stories were a metaphorical Silk Road of there own. They connected Europe to a
 world that was secret to Westerners...yet one that was always there ready for them to explore. Jesus' parables were a spiritual road. They didn't connect the cultural divide between the East and West or the North and South but rather the Up and Down: Heaven and Mankind. And like the Silk Road, Jesus the storyteller was not the first traveler to use this road. As we discussed in last week's blog post, Jesus' parables follow in the tradition of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible parables.
Why did Jesus and the Old Testament use parables? Well the answer may lie in the Gospel writer's allusion to an Old Testament Psalm. As one of my preacher buddies advised me last week "Take note when the Scripture quotes Scripture." It is never a mistake...it is always a wink to the reader. So when the writer of the Gospel of Matthew quotes "the Prophet" saying "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world”, he is referencing Psalm 78 which opens, " Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done..." The secrets from the foundation of the world is a family secret of the Nation of Israel. It is an open secret among the elect of the Old Testament. That secret s the knowledge of God's kingdom. The revelation of the Kingdom of Heaven is something that unfolds gradually throughout salvation history but even those who only understood the foggy outline of its parameters still could perceive its existence. Even in the Creation story there is a testimony of future Redemption and an immediate act of Grace. Throughout the Old Testament there is shadow of the Church. All of these types and foreshadowing allude to the glory that were to be revealed in Jesus. And Jesus' stories...his parables express to us the reality of this Kingdom on Earth...amongst the living. God's kingdom was not just "up there" or on some future great day. God's kingdom is among us and within us now. God's Kingdom is in Christ.



Polo_quittant_Venise

Explaining the Kingdom

...Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth... 

When you really think about it Venice is sort of like Beijing...where Kublai Khan ruled. Venice was an island protected from outsiders, yet it spread its influence abroad: trading through the sea routes with distant lands. Kublai Khan's capital was landlocked, but it was still centrally located enough to command his vast empire. The Ming dynasty that followed Kublai's Yuan Dynasty would develop his capital even more as a place of imperial seclusion when they built the Forbidden City in the midst of Beijing. Through a series of gates, courts and social constraints the Ming Dynasty would make the Forbidden City as secluded to outsiders as Venice. So Marco Polo and later explorers/writers could use this as a tool to bridge the cultural gap in their explanations. It would help them explain something that was simultaneously like something their readers knew and like nothing that they had ever seen or experienced. There stories were in effect parables. telling what something was "like." In relating the Kingdom of God to something we can understand and have experienced Jesus' first concern was a pastoral one. Even in the church crowd we do not usually think about the fact that Jesus was a "pastor." But for three years he was...and in a cosmic sense he still is. Jesus sought to speak to the pastoral needs of his audience. In doing so he explained his parable with the intention of hermeneutically revealing how it applied to their lives. But what is the secret revealed in this parable? What does hermeneutics say that it tells us today? Those are the answers that pastors and theologians throughout the millennia have asked of this text. This is especially the case since Jesus left us with the explanation to one parable and two non-explanations to the other parables. Many, including the reformer Martin Luther, took to the idea that this parable dealt with the subject of heresy (apostasy and intolerable deviation from core doctrinal beliefs). This makes sense since Jesus says that the angels will "they will gather out of His kingdom" the tares/weeds. This signifies an internal threat in the Church. So this is the point in my post where the thread of the Marco Polo illustration and the thread of the scriptural narrative cross paths in the story of Church history. When Marco Polo traversed through the lands of the Mongol Empire he encountered a minor note that tied in all of the three major cultures that influenced the Yuan Dynasty. It was a minor note that was seen as a discordant note to Western/Latin Christianity that Marco Polo knew in Venice. Whether he was in China, India, Persia or even in the Mongolian royal family, Marco Polo encountered the Nestorian Church. Kublai Khanh's own mother, Sorghaghtani Beki, was a Nestorian Christian. The idea that the Far East didn't have Christian missionaries until the Jesuits and the later Protestant missionaries is a false one. The Nestorians, who follow the Syriac tradition, have had a presence in these areas since the first and second centuries and continues today (though often confused as Eastern Orthodox). What these areas did not have was a communion with the Western Churches. This rift occurred when Nestorius, an early Archbishop of Constantinople, got into a theological tussle about the relationship between Christ's divine and human nature. Nestorius was falsely accused of an extreme theological position, recanted it and was still deemed a heretic. The Church of the East did not label him a heretic, but rather embraced him. This caused one of the earlier Church schisms (long before the Protestant one or the Eastern Orthodox one). The problem with Christian history is that unless you are extremely vocal or remain in the same area after a schism, reform or Church break (like the Protestants) then everyone assumes that your movement died out. So for centuries after the Council of Ephesus that declared Nestorianism a heresy (which all parties involved agree now was all a mistake and just a difference in syntax), the Church of the West acted as if there was no witness to Christ in the East. But there was and is... because the Nestorian Church still remains. Which brings us to the true meaning of Christ' parable of the Wheat and Tares... and the overall meaning of all three parables together. The underlying, silent theme is the element of time. It is evident in all three stories and it is evident in the story of the Church universally: the Kingdom of Heaven is about time. 


Marco Polo, son oncle et son père présentant à Kubilaï la lettre du pape

The Wonder of the Millions

...Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

When Marco Polo was doing hard time, that was all he had...time. Yet it was this time on his hands that allowed him to tell his stories to his fellow prisoner, Rustichello da Pisa. And that fellow prisoner was a romance writer put it into text. He wrote it originally in Old French and it was titled "Livre des merveilles du monde" or "Book of Wonders of the World" in its French printing. The illustrations (which I have posted) were done by an all-star team including Maître de la Mazarine, Maître d'Egerton, Maître de Bedford, Maître de la Cité des dames, Évrard d'Espinques. Many of these artists had also worked together on Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, a French Gothic illuminated manuscript and prayer book that is a treasure of western Art. Sometimes art comes through suffering and beauty is birthed from patience. That key to success in literature, art and beauty is working with time. This is the message in Jesus' literary masterworks, the parables of the Kingdom. I am not just speaking of the three that we have covered in today's reading. I also mean the parable of the sower from last week and the other parables of chapter 13. Each illustrate truths about the Kingdom of Heaven. The overall truth between them...the unifying element is God's usage of time to build his Kingdom. Rome was not built in a day and Heaven isn't built in one either. I come to this conclusion by taking note of the Psalm that Jesus references when he says "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." He is referring to the overall theme of Psalm 37, which tells us "He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way," It tells us to find strength through patience and encouragement in God's use of time to establish His kingdom and reward His citizens. The Psalmist does this to distract them from being envious of those evildoers who prosper temporally in the kingdoms of men. Jesus uses it to encourage his remnant of disciples who with him have been rejected from the neighboring towns and religious establishment. All of the Kingdom parables share the factor of time as the silent, shaping element that will soon bear fruit. Very soon the just will be rewarded and the wicked judged, the Kingdom will grow from the few to the faith of many and the principles of the Kingdom of God will permeate through the kingdoms of men. God's work. God's promise and God's kingdom are all fulfilled in time... the strength of the follower of Christ must be patience. In time the wheat will be separated from the tares. In time the mustard tree will grow. In time the yeast will rise. In time the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. This is why Jesus told the millions of stories that we know... Yes he may have just told a few parables but he shared far many more illustrations of the Kingdom of God in the lives of believers and movements of believers. maybe you are one of those believers. Whether you are Italian, Mongolian, Chinese, Indian, Persian or even American or your local church that you worship God in is Nestorian, Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant, you are the a picture, a story, a parable of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. You may not sound like the perfect parable now but allow God to use one of His greatest tools, time, and one day you will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of your Father



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