The Watchmen

Mark 13:33-37

"Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. (It is) like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—  lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

Their story begins somewhere between a death and a looming apocalypse. A ragtag group of masked vigilantes are brought back out of retirement after one of their fellow crime fighters is murdered. Most had given up their former life of adventure in spite of the escalating Cold War between the Americans and the Russians...one that would surely end in a nuclear war. The setting in the mid 1980's, but not the mid-1980's that I remember (yes I am old). Comic writer Alan Moore set The Watchmen in an alternate history that is fairly close to ours so that he could comment about real-world contemporary life and politics. Along with the comic artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins, Moore was employed by DC Comics to create a story line based on some newly acquired superheroes from Charlton Comics. The team soon realized that the characters that they possessed were archetypal to all of comic-lore. So DC had them run with this archetype idea and create superheroes that were the "Everyman" of comic heroes. The difference would be that this new series would explore what would happen to people who wore masks, capes and fought crime in the real world. Would they be laughed at, lonely, rejected and persecuted? Who would stay committed to an ideal of pursuing justice? It is like X-Men with less superpowers but a lot more sadness. The Watchmen would pull from the annals of comic history to comment on our real contemporary world. Their outlook of the contemporary world was not a bright one. Moore, Gibbons and Higgins started the beginning of The Watchmen dark and grim because this graphic novel would forever change the comic book genre to cover more somber subjects. These comics were for more mature readers. And for those unfortunate youths who did stumble across this book in the comics store, their eyes would be opened to things that were age-inappropriate. Yet it is in this dark, somber real world that Moore, Gibbons and Higgins critiqued that Jesus also calls our attention to. It is to the immature that he says "Watch!" as he opens their eyes with spiritual maturity. Jesus tells his own story of Watchmen in Mark 13:33-37. Like the team at DC Comics, his is a story that closely parallels and critiques the real world. Similar to the graphic novel, Jesus pulls the idea of his Watchmen characters from earlier watchmen images from prophets like Ezekiel. However Jesus' story of the Watchmen is different in that it closes by calling us to join in the story. This is not just a parable but rather an invitation. The reader is called to be a Watchman. The listener is called to become part of Jesus' story. This is a general invite to all who have an ear to hear: from his original Disciples, to us now and all of those throughout various eras of Christian history. The constant call to the Watchmen is "Watch!" But what does it mean to be a Watchman? Finding our answer will involve investigating how believers have responded to this Divine call throughout the ages. Like a few other posts on this blog it will incorporate the metanarrative of Scripture but also the metanarrative of Christian history. many before us have wondered what has it meant to take heed, watch and pray. Along with them our collective story begins somewhere between the death of Jesus and his looming apocalypse.

Nite Owl and Rorschach

Take Heed

Ezekiel 3:16-20
Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
“Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.

The way that The Watchmen instills a somber sense is not only by its dark, secondary colors but by its conflict between characters... the main characters who are supposedly on the same team. Some of them are written as total opposites but others who disagree may even share traits. Take Nite Owl and Rorschach. Their strength (since neither has "super powers") involve how they view things: sight or insight. Nite Owl is like a geekier, middle aged Clark Kent who has stumbled upon Batman's gadgets. One of these gadgets is a pair of night vision goggles that allow him the ability to see at night like an owl (hence the owl gimmick). Rorschach sees things in black and white like a Rorschach Test (hence his ever evolving ink blot mask). And like that same test he reads into things in ways that others don't see (but happens to be right in his assumptions). It is this insight that leads Rorschach to warn the other retired Watchmen that someone is trying to kill them. Rorschach is a marginal figure, but one that takes heed to the signs of the times. The insight of a Watchmen being one who forewarns is what separated Rorschach from his fellow crime fighters and the prophet Ezekiel from the religious authorities of his day. The gift of Prophecy is



Rorschach and Nite Owl conflict

divinely aided perception. It is an insight that was used to forewarn others. It is about being a listener as much as being a seer. When God calls Ezekiel to be a prophet, He literally calls him to be a Watchman. He is to take heed to the Word of God and warn those in the Temple priesthood to flee from their corruption and idolatry. He was to warn them of their own looming apocalypse. It was one where the cold war between the Israelites and the Babylonians would become a hot one. Nebuchadnezzar would invade, destroy the temple and take captive many of the people. Yet Ezekiel's job as a prophet was not just to reveal his visions as signs of the times, but rather use his visions to show the people signs of the times that they could see themselves. Like Nite Owl he could see past the darkness and like Rorschach he understood things in black and white. So if Ezekiel understood the Prophet as a Watchman, then what was his approach to being watchful? Ezekiel understood that being an Old Testament/Biblical prophet was not just about foretelling but forth telling. God gave Ezekiel insight for the future by clearly revealing what was occurring in the present. Ezekiel's Watchmen story was a commentary on his contemporary world.

His vocation as a prophet was about telling what would happen based on what God thought should be happening. Being a Watchman is about taking heed to God's saving message. Being a Watchman is about seeing through the darkness and deciphering the message in black and white... the difference between God's vision and Man's shortsightedness.

Ozymandias

Watch

Matthew 24:34-37
"Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."

What happens when a Watchman confuses what being a Watchman is all about? That is the story of Ozymandias and the secret subplot revealed at the climax of The Watchmen. To Rorschach Ozymandias has taken his crime fighting power of using 100% of his brain and successfully put it to use in the corporate world. Unbeknownst to any of his former Watchmen colleagues, Ozymandias is the story's actual villain who is plotting the demise of countless victims in New York City. Ozymandias is a lesson in hubris. In an attempt to bring about what he thinks is the overall good Ozymandias loses his way and harms many. Ozymandias' plot is an attempt to stop the impending nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviets. His plan is to make his attack on New York City appear to be the work of space alien invaders. He believes that this will cause all of humanity to forget their differences and work together to defeat a common enemy. The hubris of Ozymandias lies in the fact that he took to much confidence in his intellectual ability and forgot about his moral obligation. His plan to save the world is no saving


Ozymandias' plot revealed

plan at all. Sometimes one can get confused on what their specific role as a Watchman is. It seems like it would have been easier for Old Testament Watchmen like Ezekiel who have the voice of God audibly speaking to them or New Testament Watchmen like the Disciples who have the Son of God speaking to them, but what about the rest of us in Christian history who only have the recorded text of the Word of God? Being a Watchmen in this era between Jesus' death and apocalypse comes with a sorts of challenges; most of them surrounding the issue of clarification. We understand that as a Watchman we are to take heed to the Word of God like Ezekiel but how then should we follow the vague second point, to "watch"? This is where we can learn from the errors of those brethren that have gone before us. The precursors of the contemporary Seventh Day Adventists church are found in the Millerite and early Adventist movement. They were followers of William Miller, a Baptist preacher who became convinced that the apocalypse, Jesus' Second Coming, would occur in 1843. He came to this conclusion by reading a day as symbolic of a year in Daniel 8:14 and the temple as symbolic of the Earth (as opposed to the actual temple that was in Jerusalem). We are all aware that Jesus' Second    

Chart showing the Millerite prediction of the 1843 Second Coming

Coming did not occur in 1843. William Miller did not preach a specific date but a range of dates between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844... and another Adventist preacher, Samuel S. Snow decided that the true date was October 22, 1844. On October 22, 1844 thousands of Millerites who had assembled together for Jesus' return after selling all of their worldly possessions would come to understand that Jesus was not coming back on that date either. That date is now known as the Great Disappointment. Let us take caution before we ridicule these brethren. This was their approach to being watchful. They did this as their response to Jesus' Watchman call in Mark 13:33-37. William Miller thought that keeping watch of the signs of the times included figuring out the time of the second advent/return of Christ. Ironically in honoring Jesus' words in Mark 13:33-37 they dishonored his warning in Matthew 24:34-37.Jesus explicitely teaches that no man knows the day nor the hour of his judgment (be it the Second Coming or an individual's death). William Miller missed the greater part of understanding what prophecy is. It is the understanding of what Ezekiel understood a prophet as being. Being prophetic is not about foretelling as much as it is about forth telling. It is about "Thus saith the Lord" to the present age. So we must always read Scripture with the original audience in mind and not overlook them in the 

Ozymandias and Rorschach's conflict
 

selfish pursuit of receiving an "on-time word" just for us. God's Word is timeless and His truths are eternal. Jesus' message of being a Watchman has to be the same in the 1st century, as it was in 1844 as it is now.  The Millerites/Adventists were so obsessed with The Lord saving us from this world that they forgot that the overall message us to save this world. Still to this day they are seeking to justify their earlier prophetic confusion. In Christianity we all have different views in Eschatology and the End Times. Even though I have a camp that I fall into, I still view this theological area as a secondary issue. I also have a great deal of respect and fondness for much about the Seventh Day Adventist Church (I'd watch 3ABN any day over TBN, #shotsfired). Yet in the interest of being open and honest with fellow brethren, the commitment to this faulty doctrine as an organizational cornerstone distracts many Adventists Christians focus from an integral part of the Faith. A part that incorporates our call as watchmen. In Scripture, False Prophets were not always necessarily intentionally false, sometimes they just spoke presumptuously. And when they did, people suffered. True prophets could only speak to what God has said. They understood that being a Watchman is about declaring what God has said and being silent where He is silent. Sometimes there is an aire of mystery surrounding the full grasp of His sayings. Yet we can know with assurance that He did not say those things that He did not say. Being a watchman is about watching the signs of the times. Being a watchman is about waiting patiently and acting prudently.

Dr. Manhattan and time

Pray

Matthew 4:1-4
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

The Watchmen is not just about preventing the impending nuclear conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union or solving the conflict between the Watchmen as a team. The Watchmen is at it's core about the internal conflict of every individual watchman. It is about their individual responses to the murder, the looming apocalypse and themselves. As the promotional ads for the graphic novel said "Who watches the watchmen?" This struggle is most clearly seen in the character




Dr. Manhattan

of Dr. Manhattan. Due to an accident during a nuclear physics experiment he was given superhuman strength and a super human appearance. He also is able views time from an outside perspective: past, present and future all occur at the same time. With this unique perspective he actually feels helpless to change the present and challenge fate. He is actually the only Watchman that has what we think of as superhero powers. Yet his godlike abilities have left him increasingly disinterested with the affairs of Mankind. He eventually retreats to Mars where he meditates, considered the nature of time and builds an elaborate watch-like device. He has abandoned his vocation of being a Watchman to pursue his  childhood interest in being a watchmaker. Herein lies the irony, from the Christian perspective, his seeming god-likeness has not made him godly at all. An enormous aspect of the pursuit holiness deals with the internal struggle. The personal struggle with sin has permeated the life of every person since creation. Matthew 4:1-11 teaches us that not even Jesus was excused from this trial. While fasting in the wilderness he battled with temptations of Satan. The difference between his and our story was that he was tempted and didn't sin. This story appears in some form in all three Synoptic Gospels. Inspired by this story many early Christians, like St. Anthony, went out into the Egyptian desert to do battle with the Devil

themselves. Theirs was a hard life of deprivation, meditation and prayer. All of this fasting and suffering was in the pursuit of conquering sin and being beyond temptation. The movement of Christians who chose this ascetic life became known as the Desert Fathers ( and Mothers). Have some of these stories added fanciful and legendary elements over time? I think so, but what cannot be denied is the earnestness of their pursuit. The Desert Fathers and Eastern Orthodox monastics practice what us called "nepsis." The word means to be vigilant, alert, awake... and yes, watchful. The ascetic response to the Watchman's call is a reflection on Jesus' keeping watch over temptation as seen through the eyes of Peter in 1st Peter 5:8 "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour)." Nepsis is an interpretive approach of putting St. Paul's "pray without ceasing" into practice. It involves a lot of isolation and the meditation that it requires is full of reflection on one's own spiritual condition. One Desert Father, Abba Ammonas described this reflective approach as such "Go and learn to think like the criminals who are in jail. They are asking the men where the judge is and when he is coming, weeping in anticipation. So too should the monk continually look into and condemn his soul, saying: “Ah me! How am I going to present myself at the judgment seat of Christ and what shall I be able to say in my defense?” If you meditate in this way all the time you can be saved’” So your primary
objection (if you have any) is probably that these this approach is not gracious enough with its concept of Grace. I would generally agree with that argument but I would also argue that we could learn from this approaches treatment of internal holiness. What if you and I were to truly start to take captive our thoughts of anger, hatred, lust and lies? Your second objection is probably that this type of acetic, spiritual discipline is that it leads to one becoming like Dr. Manhattan... not in the special powers or physical appearance but in an isolation that abandons the rest of humanity. True holiness is not only concerned for ones well being but the well being of others. So let's go back to the Dr. Manhattan story. Eventually he is convinced by Silk Spectre to come back to Earth and help de-escalate the rising tensions of the Cold War. The story of early monastics takes a similar turn. Figures like St. Basil and St. Benedict were integral in reforming the monastic movement in their embrace if community and outward ministry. Jesus, John the Baptist, Elijah and scores of other spiritual watchman spent periods of isolation in the wilderness battling their own demons but they all culminated with a return back to save those in the world. Being a watchman is about personal spiritual accountability through spiritual sobriety and vigilance. Being a watchman is about being accountable to the community around you through ministry.


Watchmen promotion

The Arrival

Mark 13:33
"Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is..."

The watchmen is a work for mature viewers. It is not the "safest" movie to watch because it is based on a book that is gritty, violent, dirty, vulgar and obscene. It is a story that lies between a murder and an impending apocalypse. This was surprising to many when it was originally published because they were used to bear and polite treatments of homicide, like Murder She Wrote, that the whole family could enjoy on a Sunday Evening. But murder isn't clean and life isn't either. Scripture can be criticized for being frank in its details and offensive with its material. Christian history is rightfully critiqued for being full of grit, violence, dirt, vulgarity and obscenity. Like the Watchmen Scripture is to appreciated by mature readers. Yet Jesus calls out even to the immature "Watch!" Scripture calls out in every era of Christian history for its readers to mature. It asks that they no longer mistake ignorance, superstition, presumptive speech, prayerlessness, personal unaccountability and sin as innocence. On the contrary it is just immaturity. In redeeming these Jesus points us to a murder and a coming Apocalypse and says "Watch!" It is in the midst of this time, the beginning of the joyous holiday season that he implores us, "Watch!" The traditional and liturgical name for the Christmas season is known as "Advent." Advent means "coming" and us the Latin version of the Greek "parousia", which we usually use in referring to the Apocalypse...the Second Coming. The first Advent was Jesus' birth that we celebrate at Christmas. They may seem like totally different things but both Advents are celebrations of life and memorials of death...simultaneously. Jesus' birth set in motion his eventual death, which bought our eternal life. That is the first advent. Jesus' return in the Apocalypse the impending death if sin and separation from God and the rebirth and redeeming of all Creation. These are not the only things that the two Advents share. Truth be told they are both apocalypses in the truest sense of the word: a revealing or disclosure. This revelation of the truth of life is what creates maturity. The immature parts of life are marked by hidden knowledge. Maturity is a graduation into the fullness of knowledge (both physical and spiritual). They are also both judgments: a negative judgment (punishment) of sin and death and a positive judgment (reward) of life and love. But that is then: in the future and the past. We stand in the present between the first and second advents... and judgment. We stand as a gritty yet motley crew of watchmen commissioned with our Master's matching orders: take heed, watch and pray. What does it mean to be a watchman? It is to live everyday in the advent: filled with the love and joy of Christmas and inspired by the hope of Christ's return. It is to be alert and aware. Being a Watchman is only for the mature.

Rorschach investigates





Judging Composition

The Day of Judgement, Fra Angelico

Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Did I ever mention that Art School Confidential is one of the greatest films known to man? It's a comedy, it's a crime mystery, it's a film featuring John Malkovich at his most awkward...all if these being the marks of a movie that I love. Most importantly, it is a movie that represents Art class in the way that I remember it. I've been in that strange dark setting where a working artist leads a handful of developing art students in a critique of their work. As these young apprentices stand under judgment, they try and use big words (incorrectly) to defend what they did. A common misconception of Art School is that it is a place of free flowing, self expression where everyone gets a trophy for being themselves. It is based on the idea that Art is about nothing more than self expression and being true to one's self. If you have been to Art school, majored in Art or had any intensive level of Art instruction then you know that it is a place of judgment. Now it is not like Math education, where there are more wrong answers than right answers, and the real world of Art after school is murkier in its definition of what is right (or if there even is a right way), but much Art education is about judging you and about building your sense of judgment. Honestly that is what education is about across the board. Nobody likes the idea of judgment... or do they? No one likes being judged, when it means getting F's on tests. Yet everyone likes the idea of being able to exercise good judgment themselves, which leads to getting A's on tests. Passing a test is having someone judge that you have good judgment. Everyone loves judgment when it turns out well for them... when it means means reward instead of punishment. Our educational system (and our whole paradigm of knowledge attainment) is based on the concept of the test and judgment. The greatest thing that I learned to judge through these Art class critiques was composition. Wikipedia shares that Composition "in the visual arts—in particular painting, graphic design, photography, and sculpture—composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art." But judging composition also affected how I understood the arrangement in other disciplines such as literature, science, oratory, sports, mathematics, etc. The key to judging a thing was by analyzing the structure of it's ingredients. This skill was valuable to my education across disciplines. Jesus was first and foremost an educator. Think about it: when God decided to communicate the fullness of His salvific truth to Mankind He chose to do it through a school. Jesus was a Rabbi (a religious teacher) that had students (disciples) who followed him in an apprenticeship (where they learned to be religious teachers). This should not be fully imagined in the paradigm of a seminary class, but rather as a real life laboratory in 1st century Palestine. In this open air workshop they would lean to study the Scriptures, heal the sick, suffer persecution, feed the hungry, make Gospel presentations and distribute the mercy of God under the instruction of their Master-teacher. So when Jesus teaches them in Matthew 25:31-46 about judgment it is a class about the precepts of Composition. It tells of a future time when the Son of Man will finish testing and will gather all men together for a critique. In it he will judge them according to the composition of their lives.

Two Sections




Paradise panel from The Last Judgment, Fra Angelico

So just to give you non-Art majors out there a taste of Art education, let's have a little critique of our own. Now don't be scared, I'm not going to use one of your childhood refrigerator drawings or even one of the doodles that you made in the margins of the meeting minutes at work. We are going to critique the great painters who have illustrated Matthew 25:31-46. So technically this is both a critique session and an art history course. The painting at the very top of the page is "The Last Judgment" by Fra Angelico. We know a lot about Fra Angelico's work and personal life. It is all due to that strange first name "Fra." It is actually not a name at all but a title. "Fra" is short for "Friar." He was a priest in the Dominican Order and Renaissance painter. He was actually beatified (the third step before being proclaimed a Saint in the Roman Catholic Church) by Pope John Paul II in 1982. So Fra Angelico looms large in both Art and religion. The Dominicans are also known as "The Order of Preachers" and being a preacher, Fra Angelico illustrates Matthew 25:31-46 by making a prominent feature in the composition of the text through a prominent feature in the composition of the painting. Both compositions show a heavy bilateral symmetry. There structures are broken into two parts. In the painting as in the text, Jesus is enthroned with those on his left in far dire straights than those on his right. As you go further out to the extremes you can see that the right is reserved for those in Paradise (Heaven) and those on the left suffer in the torment of Hell. This should not be confused with our contemporary Western, political notions of Left and Right but rather to the traditional Middle Eastern practice of using the Left and Right hand for shows of honor and shame. 

Hell panel from The Last Judgment, Fra Angelico

The Right hand is used for honorable things such as shaking hands and eating, while the Left hand is used for the dishonorable task of wiping oneself after defecating. My apology for the frankness of that last sentence (and the one instance of profanity in the Art School Confidential clip) but that is the frankness of the disrespect that is alluded to in Jesus' story. Some of you readers may debate the literalness or eternalness of Hell, but I'm sure that you can agree that Jesus is describing a place of ultimate dishonor that is apart from God's mercy. That is the crux of the description. It is a depiction of Jesus as the divider in this two sided reality. He is the eternal judge that categorizes things as Sheep and Goats, Left and Right and Angels and Demons. Though it may seem heavy handed and obtuse, reality is often divided into two factions. The question is, what are the two groups and what distinguishes each. This is where judgment comes in. Judgment is discernment, insight and the ability to keenly understand the nature of things. Jesus teaches us in this lesson that the judgment that he teaches us to exercise will enable us to decipher between the ways of life and death. Being an apprentice of Jesus will lead to one mastering life. I say this with no "self-help book" intentions because true life mastery is not about focusing on helping yourself but rather helping others. Your life is wrapped up in theirs.


Seven Parts

 The Works of Mercy, by the Master of Alkmaar

Of course Fra Angelico was not the only artist to cover Matthew 25:31-46. Master of Alkmaar approached this text from a different angle and his composition reflects it. Compared to Fra Angelico, we know very little about the Master of Alkmaar outside of this one painting. We are not even sure of his real name. Just like those who sit on the right hand of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46, the only thing that we have to judge him with are his Works of Mercy. They are seven different paintings framed individually so they would normally seem like disconnected scenes. Often in our life acts of kindness can seem random and isolated. They can be large commitments like taking care of an aging parent or simple acts like giving food to a homeless person. When the Master of Alkmaar chose to place these scenes side by side as one piece he captured the emphasis of Jesus' message. When Jesus judges our acts of kindness and works of mercy, they will not be understood as separate disconnected episodes but one unified and creative exhibition of beauty. Jesus will honor them as an act of worship to him. If you are wondering why the artist features seven scenes, it is due to the Catholic teaching on works of mercy: 

"Corporal Works of Mercy are those that tend to bodily needs of others. In Matthew 25:34-40, in the The Judgment of Nations, six specific Works of Mercy are enumerated, although not this precise list — as the reason for the salvation of the saved, and the omission of them as the reason for damnation. The last work of mercy, burying the dead, comes from the Book of Tobit."

The seven corporal works are listed as:

1. To feed the hungry.
2. To give drink to the thirsty.
3. To clothe the naked.
4. To harbour the harbourless. (also loosely interpreted today as To Shelter the Homeless)
5. To visit the sick.
6. To visit the imprisoned (classical term is "To ransom the captive")
7. To bury the dead.

The Methodists traditionally have a different list which includes working for the abolition of slaves.

1. Doing Good
2. Visiting the Sick and Prisoners
3. Feeding and Clothing People
4. Earning, Saving, Giving All One Can
5. Opposition to Slavery

The fact that Catholics added one more to Jesus' list and that Methodists have a different list that only consists of five acts does not negate any of these lists. I don't believe that they meant to be totally definitive. There are endless ways to perform creative acts of mercy. The point of all of them is that they testify to the fact that your spiritual life is not defined only by you doing "spiritual things." It is not defined by a club made up of only you and Jesus. True spirituality and worship of God is praying to God for guidance in serving those around us. The Epistle of James describes it this way, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." We are saved to save our brothers and sisters. We are given grace with the understanding that we will pay it forward to others. 

One Central Image

Giotto, The Last Judgment

Both Fra Angelico and the Master of Alkmaar came to the story of the last judgment in Matthew 25:31-46 fully aware of the artistic giants who had approached the subject before them. Behemoths of Art history like Giotto, whose "The Last Judgment" exudes a standard for the genre that even latter Renaissance figures like Michelangelo must acknowledge. In a way we can think of Fra Angelico and the Master of Alkmaar's paintings as analytical judgments of Giotto. They were critiquing one if the greats. They constructed their two part and seven part compositions in response to Giotto's one part composition. In calling it a one part composition I am using a misnomer because it has several points and sections, but the thrust of the movement in this piece is central. Just like the text in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus sits in the center of Giotto's painting. Just like the Sun, the Son of God radiates illumination as to the true nature of all who surround him. He deciphers that those who have chosen the path of honor on his right have chosen life while those who have chosen the path of dishonor on the left have chosen death. The decisions that they have exercised while living will continue in the afterlife. Unbeknownst to them the were investing in their eternal destinies by showing interest in life or ignoring it. Jesus is exercising judgment. Judgment is not based on only two factors or seven factors. All of these factors are just expressions of one consideration: Jesus. Specifically I mean following Jesus. Whether we clothe the naked, feed the hungry, comfort the sick or what have you, we do so in an act of following Jesus. It is not just following what he said but it is also following what he did. It us not just believing in him but rather believing in what he said so much that we take it up as a lifestyle and practice. Heaven will not be full of just "believers" rather it will be full of "doers." This is the apprenticeship that the Master has set before his disciples: to learn from his actions and to replicate his actions. We are disciples of Jesus because we want to practice the works that Jesus practiced. The life of Jesus is the central element that should drive the movement in the composition of our lives.

Composition and Completion

Detail of the broken tombs in the central panel of The Last Judgment, Fra Angelico

Since we've analyzed how his fellow painters depicted Matthew 25:31-46, let's return to our critique of Fra Angelico. We discussed the extreme left and right panels but what about the center. The middle section below Jesus is overlooked and sparse on detail but it speaks volumes. It is the point where Fra Angelico's academic and theological analysis into the Gospel text turns personal. The painter depicts open graves that both that have been opened. Those who stand on both the Lord's left and right hand are both resurrected to judgment: some to eternal life and others to eternal death. This part is personal because the painter realizes that he to will be judged like these. Fra Angelico realized that the key to his being deemed honorable by the Righteous Judge will not be contingent on his artworks as a master painter or even his work a priest but rather his works of mercy. It is said that his tomb is engraved with the following:

"When singing my praise, don't liken my talents to those of Apelles. Say, rather, that, in the name of Christ, I gave all I had to the poor. The deeds that count on Earth are not the ones that count in Heaven. I, Giovanni, am the flower of Tuscany."

When entering the door to the afterlife Fra Angelico understood the unifying theme if Matthew 25:31-46. The unifying compositional element to Jesus' story was sustaining the life of others. All too often we Christians act as if the only important part of life is the end. We value dying because our misunderstanding of Jesus' message is all about leaving here so we can go to Heaven. Jesus believed in an afterlife and Jesus also believed in Heaven but the fullness of Jesus' concept if the Kingdom of Heaven was not something that we live in after we die. Jesus believed that the Kingdom of Heaven is for the living. The Kingdom of Heaven is about life and eternal life. Looking out for the temporal life of others is an investment in our own eternal life. In his earthly ministry Jesus healed the sick, feed the hungry, gave sight to the blind, raised the dead and fought every aspect of physical and spiritual manifestation of death and decay. He pursued the promotion of the spiritual and physical life of everyone around him because that is how love us expressed. Love gives life. If you are Jesus' disciple then be like your Master. Live like your Master. Love like your Master. And when the time of your final critique comes, Jesus will honor the work you have done.

Talent Investment




Danaë, Vadim Zakharov, Russian Pavilion, Venice

Matthew 25:14-30

¹⁴ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. ¹⁵ And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. ¹⁶ Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. ¹⁷ And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. ¹⁸ But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. ¹⁹ After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.



Even though I have a day job in Accounting, I am still a practicing Artist. In the evenings I paint... and get distracted from painting due to writing this blog. Truth be told I cannot blame my lack of "careerism" concerning my painting on my writing. Rather it is because I am not out there properly promoting my artwork. It can be a tough thing to place your creations publicly to be judged, purchased and/or not purchased. Viewers can be critical of things they don't understand and professional art critics are employed to be... well, critical. My work is fairly traditional, so what about those creating purely Abstract, New Media or non-traditional Post-Modern works? Those artists have to be incredibly brave in presenting their creations. The artists who have the hardest uphill trek with the average public are the Conceptual artists. Conceptual Art can be hard pill for most viewers to swallow. It can seem to be a fairly useless venture. The viewers may argue that It's not utilitarian enough (a.k.a., "it doesn't go well with that new green couch I bought"). Take this post's artwork. This Conceptual artist is at the pinnacle of success in his field. He was chosen by the Venice Biennial to represent the face of contemporary art in his home country. It is the equivalent of being an Art Olympian athlete. He is now the definition of an Art World insider. Yet, even though you've watched the Sotheby's video where the Russian artist Vadim Zakharov explains the thought behind his themed piece "Danaë", you are probably still wondering why anyone would create a work like this. Why would someone waste buckets full of gold coins by throwing them into a hole in the ground all based on some myth they were raised with? That is exactly what the master in Jesus' parable of the talents thought. Of course just like Zakharov's presentation, Jesus' also has a symbolic meaning. Like the Venice Biennial, this parable defines who are the ultimate insiders. This parable is about the Kingdom of heaven and who is on its inside and its outside. Those who are on the inside are there because of the use of their talents. Those talents, however great or marginal is what makes them marketable.Those that are on the outside are there due to believing myths that prevented them from acting. Now that may seem like a wonderful pep talk for practicing artists like myself, but it is more complex than I have lead you to believe. Becoming an insider in the kingdom of heaven requires that we understand the nature of this talent, the nature of the market and the nature of the myth. It will reveal that Jesus' notion of success is far different than ours. 

The Nature of Talent

“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ ²¹ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ ²² 

The average viewer and the average contemporary artists have a misunderstanding to settle. This problem is based on the nature if talent. The average viewer believes that good art is judged on what they think displays "talent." This usually means that the art shouldn't look like something they, their kid or a factory could produce. The problem with much of contemporary art is that it may be interested in creating things that you, your kid or a factory could produce. Or it may not be concerned with your perception if talent at all. What is a talent anyway? By that, I specifically mean, what does talent mean in this parable? As always, Wikipedia has some useful insight into this matter:

Talent

The talent (Latin: talentum, from Ancient Greek: τάλαντον, talanton 'scale, balance, sum') was one of several ancient units of mass, a commercial weight, as well as corresponding units of value equivalent to these masses of a precious metal. The talent of gold was known to Homer, who described how Achilles gave a half-talent of gold to Antilochus as a prize. It was approximately the mass of water required to fill an amphora. A Greek, or Attic talent, was 26 kilograms (57 lb), a Roman talent was 32.3 kilograms (71 lb), an Egyptian talent was 27 kilograms (60 lb), and a Babylonian talent was 30.3 kilograms (67 lb). Ancient Israel, and other Levantine countries, adopted the Babylonian talent, but later revised the mass. The heavy common talent, used in New Testament times, was 58.9 kilograms (130 lb).

So when the master gave his servants wealth to invest that was measured in talents, he was giving them money that weighed the size on an average young woman...and that was the smallest amount that he gave. We don't know how much the money that the master gave his servants was because a "talent" is not the name of a coin like a denarius or a nickel. A talent is the measure of the treasure's weight. To one servant the master gave the weight of a human being. To another he gave three times that. To yet another servant he gave treasure that weighed the same amount if five human beings. But let 's not forget that this is a parable. There is a symbolic meaning behind all of this talent. It is really not about 130-650 lbs of gold. Yet it is about a treasure that was valuable and weighty. A gift that only the Master could have given. So this post and the average preaching of thus biblical text have a misunderstanding to settle. The way this text is normally preached is that the "talent" in the parable is symbolic of "talent" in its normal English usage if the word. Now granted the words are related (in English) but that is because the English word for talent that denotes being gifted in a specialized area comes from this. This word comes from the parable as Google shows:

Old English talente, talentan (as a unit of weight), from Latin talenta, plural of talentum ‘weight, sum of money,’ from Greek talanton . Sense 1 is a figurative use with biblical allusion to the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14–30).

Keep in mind that it is not the other way around. Our contemporary use of the word talent evolved from the principle of this parable. So when Jesus uses talent in the parable he is not symbolically saying that God wants you to utilize the things that you are good at. It is good to do things you are good at. It is fun to do things that you are good at. But God's will is not necessarily you honing your talent. God is not necessarily disappointed at you if you don't become the greatest NFL running back ever. He will not think that you have failed Him if you don't open up your dream restaurant. These are all wonderful things to do, but if we make Jesus' parable about This motion of talent then we take the focus off if God and place it on ourselves. We focus on how great we are and not how awesome God is. Plus, what if you are really talented at telling nasty jokes or fighting or selling Cocaine? These are all legitimate talents that you can be better than others at but they do not glorify God or show the message of Jesus. The focus on things that we are "good" at and not God's goodness. They key to discovering the symbolic meaning of the talent in this parable us not as much about what it means but rather what it is. The talent was something that was given to the servants from their master. Specifically it was a gift that was given in great measure (specifically the amount was a talent). This gift was not given as a payment for their labor but rather as a grace. By now you probably that the master in this parable is symbolic of God... but it's a little more general than that. It us a symbol of the system of God. The way Ge operates and rules. Scripture calls it the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. When you think about it that way then it us easier to understand what this great gift, this grace is. The grace that is given from the Kingdom of God is Grace itself. Now we usually think of Grace being the same uniform forgiveness that we all receive. But if we look at it another way, if Grace is God's forgiveness and mercy, and some of us find ourselves in deeper sin than others (other than Original Sin) then in a sense we all have received different measurements of this gift. Some require one talent of grace but the rest of us require three to five talents of God's ongoing mercy. What we all share in common is that whatever the measure, our grace is valuable and weighty... and our Master is rich in it.


The Nature of The Market

He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ ²³ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

The greatest difference between an Art World outsider like myself and an insider like Vadim Zakharov is that he understands the market. He has been a leader in the contemporary Russian art scene since the 1980's when it was relatively underground due to prying Soviet eyes. This thirty year advantage has given him insight into understanding the nature and movement of the market. The master in Jesus' parable was looking for men with similar business acumen. He actually divvied up the proportion of the talents based on his servants' ability to understand the market. What is this market that the master hoped that they would engage in? It appears vague but we can say the same things about it that we can say about any other enterprise (like the art market): it was an exchange. Commerce in itself is the exchange of goods and services for other goods and services. It can be in exchange for money or for barter as long as the currency is deemed of value to both parties. We have already established that the talent in this story is symbolic of Grace. Grace us God's currency. Grace is what Hod has given us to bring to the market of human ideas. Yes God freely blesses us with all types of good things (Reformed theologians call this common grace) but His greatest treasure is His forgiveness through the sacrifice of Christ. God has freely given us this treasure to exchange with others. He did not just give us this to exchange with other servants (anyone can forgive fellow friends in the Faith) but rather to invest it with those outside of the Kingdom. God is not running a pyramid scheme where we cyclically invest in members but he has called us to spend our mercy and forgiveness on our enemies (and His enemies). This is how we multiply the riches that God has given us. We are called to be creative with our goodness and entrepreneurial with our mercy. God wants us to dream dreams of showing love to the hateful and see visions of extending mercy to those deserving judgment. When we do this... when we prove ourselves to be partners in this enterprise if Grace then God will give us more grace to govern and goodness to distribute. You will have shown yourself to be a good and faithful servant. You will be received by the Kingdom of heaven

The Nature of the Myth

“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

Let me let you in on a little secret: their are self help books specifically for artists and creatives. Actually there are a lot of them. Some of them are just business advise telling you the ins and out of the industry so that you can become an Art World insider like our Russian friend one day. The best of these books are actually more inspirational works that give real world anecdotal advise from working art professionals and educators. My favorite of these books us entitled "Art & Fear." It is amazing. I've read it several times over the past decade... but maybe that's a testament to it not being all that effective. The strength if this book lies in destroying the myths that artists believe that draw them into inaction. After all (they argue), an artist is someone who creates art. Anything else is a secondary consideration after making the work. A painter paints. A dancer dances. A sculptor sculpts. A writer writes... unless you are like me, a painter who wires while he should be painting... but hey, I'm creating! Which gets me to another point: what dies a Christian do? Is a Christian just a believer or is a Christian also a creator? In this parable a follower of Jesus seems to be a creator of mercy, justice and love. This parable conveys that a Christian replicates the image that he sees in the life of Jesus Christ. If this doesn't sound like the message of Jesus that you are familiar with then you may have been told a myth about God. It is the same myth that the third servant believed about his master. It is a myth that leads the servant to keep the treasure to himself. He takes hundreds of pounds of grace and dumps it in a hole in the ground. He is not interested in exchanging God's grace and love with others because he does not recognize this grace as love. He held the same theology as the prodigal son's Pharisaic older brother and perceived God's Grace as another burden for him be custodian over. In truth it was something to be custodian of and it was an investment in his servants as much as it was a gift to them. And when someone gives you an investment they expect a return. Now this may conflict with some of you readers' concept if grace. I (like you) believe that Grace us a free gift that we could never work for or earn... but Grace is also a gift that is to be worked out. Grace (like faith) is to be evidenced in our good works. We show that we are Jesus' by being like Jesus. What the third servant failed to appreciate was that the talent that he was given was a actually an internship for a partnership. In effect the Master had already entered into partnership with him (unbeknownst to him) in a trial version. If he had only been faithful over the small grace that he had been given then the master would have given the fullness of his grace. The message of the parable is that Grace that us not shared and invested in those around you is not fully grace at all. It is grace that can be taken away. It is not lasting Grace and therefore not saving Grace. In the end you are left with no Grace. Jesus' message is that true religion, true relationship with God is truly grace. And true Grace must be shared. Any relationship with God that neglects living relationship with others is false. It is self-centered while God is others-centered. Unlike the third servants concept of his master as one who takes from others to make his own, our Master takes from His own (Son) and gives to others (Sinners). That is God's Nature. Yes, faith (meaning belief) is integral to authentic Christianity. Yes, holiness (meaning separation from sin) is integral to authentic Christianity. Yes, community (meaning united fellowship with other Christians) is integral to authentic Christianity. Yes, fidelity to the Scriptures (meaning belief) is integral to authentic Christianity         Any view of religion that does not give to others and forgive others is probably based on a concept of a God who isn't giving or forgiving. This idea of God, like Vadim Zakharov's story of Zeus and Danae, is based on a myth


The Nature of the Master

 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

You may think it's funny that I'm sitting here telling you about all of these keys to success in the Art World that I know. You listen as I lay down the factors that lead Vadim Zakharov to success... while I still am reading self help books for Artists. Now I am not saying that you should stop reading and honing your craft. I am just stating that in the midst of honing your craft everyone thinks that they know everything already. That is the most subtle part of the myth that gets artists to stop creating. It is a myth that says the understand how the system works already and it is set against them. This myth is false. It is a popular narrative, but a destructive one. It is the same myth that the third servant fell into believing. He thought that he understood his Master's system... and that system was set against him. That may be the theological system that you believe about God. You may have heard several times about God's anger, wrath and judgment and decided that they were set against you. The myth is a false characterization that insults God. Now, I am not here to dispel the belief in God's anger, wrath or judgment because I believe that these three attributes work together in God working for justice. His anger, wrath and judgment are not against you but rather for you, and me and every creature that He loves. His anger, wrath and judgment are set against those things that separate us from Him. His anger, wrath and judgment are set against those things that separate us from each other. Sometimes those things those things reside within our own hearts. But if you believe that anger, wrath and judgment are all that there is to God then it will construct a false image of who God is. It will create a false God of hatred and an idol that sets out to destroy life, love and all of the beautiful things that those two create together. And the true God, the God of Love and creative beauty, has set His anger, wrath and judgment against all idols. When the master responds to the third servant by saying "‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed" it is not an affirmation of his analysis of the master's character but an indignant indictment against a false accusation. It is as if to say "You knew that about me, eh?" or "That's how you see me, huh?" And then he calls the servant on his contradictory beliefs and behavior. Likewise if you believe in a purely judgmental and wrathful God then you would invest in acts of love out of fear in His judgment. But that's not how Pharisaic legalism acts out. It is a false "Savings Plan." The third servant thought that he would save his talent by burying it in the ground but that is where he lost it. Many think that their religiosity is to be lived out by avoiding sinners when in reality it is just burying that faith in the ground. The only things to be buried in the ground are the dead and God has called us to have a living faith exemplified by living works of mercy and love. This grace that God has given you must be acted out, shared and exchanged freely with others. That is the mystery of the Kingdom of heaven, the more of its treasures that are given away the more that it has. The more mercy that it exerts the more the Master will generate. The more outsiders trade their sins for God's grace the more grace will be given. The more outsiders that come into the Kingdom the more insiders there will be. The Kingdom of heaven measures success in how much of its treasure is given out. If you freely and liberally give out to sinners, enemies and strangers the good, merciful and beautiful things of God then you will find yourself showered from above with hundreds of pounds of his mercy.
 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’