New Testament Word & Image: Ephesians 1:17-23 & Pacino Buonaguida

Arbor Vitae (The Tree of Life), Pacino Buonaguida

Ephesians 1:17-23

 

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

 

Psalms Word & Image: Psalm 47 and the Art of Thrones

Cathedra Petri (The Chair of Saint Peter/Throne of Saint Peter), St. Peter's Basilica, Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Psalm 47

 

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Ashanti Golden Stool

Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
For the Lord Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

Throne of Polish King Stanisław August Poniatowski at Warsaw Royal Castle

God has gone up with a shout,
The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.

Queen Christina's Silver Throne, the Royal Throne of Sweden

God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.
The princes of the people have gathered together,
The people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.

The Emperor’s Throne in the Hall of Preserving Harmony, Forbidden City, Beijing, China

 

New Testament Word & Image: Acts 1:1-11 & Chapel of the Ascension of Christ



The Ascension of Jesus, Chapel of the Ascension of Christ, Rosary Basilica, Lourdes, France

Acts 1:1-11

 

The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

 

Chapel of the Ascension of Christ (Rosary Basilica)




And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

 

Chapel of the Ascension of Christ (Rosary Basilica)

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Invisible



Camouflage, Liu Bolin

 

John 14:15-21

 

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. 

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

 

HIDING IN THE CITY - ITALY, Liu Bolin

 

Camouflaged

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

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

Camouflage from the Invisible Man Series, Liu Bolin

Concealed

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

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

 

HIDING IN THE CITY - NEW YORK, Liu Bolin

 

Consumed

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

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

 

Optical Spy, Liu Bolin

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

 

New Testament Word & Image: 1 Peter 3:15-18 & Jan van Eyck

Crucifixion and Last Judgement diptych, Jan van Eyck

1 Peter 3:15-18

 

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

Psalms Word & Image: Psalm 66 & Ernie Barnes



Solid Rock Congregation, Ernie Barnes

Psalm 66

 

Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
Sing out the honor of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
Say to God,
“How awesome are Your works!
Through the greatness of Your power
Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
All the earth shall worship You
And sing praises to You;
They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah

Come and see the works of God;
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
He turned the sea into dry land;
They went through the river on foot.
There we will rejoice in Him.
He rules by His power forever;
His eyes observe the nations;
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

 



Gospel Truth, Ernie Barnes



 

Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
Who keeps our soul among the living,
And does not allow our feet to be moved.
For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my vows,
Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,
With the sweet aroma of rams;
I will offer bulls with goats. Selah

Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.
If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
But certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!

New Testament Word & Image: Acts 8:5-17 & John D. Whiting

Samaritan Passover Prayer: 1920, from The Last Israelitish Blood Sacrifice in The National Geographic, John D. Whiting

Acts 8:5-17

 

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 



Samaritan Worshipers on Mt. Gerizim, John D. Whiting



For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.

 

Photo of the Young Priest, John D. Whiting

But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.

 

Son of Samaritan High Priest: Nablus, Palestine 1900-1920, John D. Whiting

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

 

Samaritans on Mt. Gerazim with Rabbi Carrying Torah Scroll, John D. Whiting

 

Prince of Peace of Bel Air

John 14:1-12

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions..." 

The 1980's and 90's saw the beginning and flourishing of one new artistic medium and the continual development of one traditional medium. Both art forms were in the artistic genre of Film. From its beginnings Film (or the Motion Picture) had utilized musical accompaniment. Before the early days of "Talkies", silent films employed actual musicians in the theater to play along with the action on the screen. Eventually the great movies of the silver screen would employ composers to write original scores and the cartoons of Disney and Warner Brothers would introduce children to the greatest pieces of Classical music. The marriage of Film and Music was one in which Cinema wore the pants in the relationship. Then in the last two decades of the twentieth century the Music Industry decided to reverse the roles. Popular music acts started creating short films that went along with their songs. This phenomenon became the standard practice in producing popular music with the advent of 24 hour cable music video channels like MTV. This new format not only served as a catalyst for young self identification but it also allowed for underrepresented voices to be heard... and for minority music to become dominant. Along with Rock and Electronic music, MTV gave voice to the newly developing genre of Hip Hop/Rap. This urban, mostly African American, east coast musical phenomenon caught on quickly through shows like Yo MTV Raps and by the close of the 80's the Grammy's handed out the first award for Rap. It went to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for "Parents Just Don't Understand" (You younger kids may know the Fresh Prince as the movie star Will Smith... you know, Jaden Smith's dad...you know, Willow Smith's brother). Suddenly a light bulb went off in the heads of Hollywood execs and the new medium of Music Videos (and Hip Hop) met the traditional medium of the Family Sitcom. The rapper Fresh Prince was cast in an urban remake of the Beverly Hillbillies (based on the youth adventures of producer Benny Medina and the writing of Andy Borowitz) called The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. His musical partner Jazzy Jeff (the Ryan Lewis to his Macklemore) would have a recurring cameo as the character "Jazz." The sitcom theme song had always been used as a tool to reintroduce the plot or general theme and main characters on every episode. The Beverly Hillbillies, The Munsters, The Brady Bunch, The Jeffersons and most other great family sitcoms had done this and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air introduced a new generation of viewers to it by using a music video. The theme song would even utilize a similar visual format of the music video for the song that had won Fresh Prince a Grammy. Genius. I like to think that Jesus had his own theme song. No it wasn't a music video but it still was a lot like the Fresh Prince's. I like to imagine that it went something like this:

In the west side of Bethlehem born not raised
In the Galilee was where I spent most of my days
Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool
And kickin it with my Disciples from my Rabbinical school
When Pharisees and Scribes who were up to no good
Started making the foundation for the Talmud
I got crucified and my mother Mary got scared
She said "You're movin' back to Heaven with your real Dad"

Well, not so much. But aside from my utter fail at early 90's rap, I still do feel that Jesus communicated the same points as a theme song in John 14. In this speech to the Disciples he reintroduce the plot... the general theme of his ministry and also reintroduces them to the main characters of God and Jesus. Theme songs usually are featured at the beginning of the television show and this scene in scripture appears toward the end of Jesus' preaching ministry. But, it does come at the beginning of his Passion. It is in his Passion, suffering on Calvary and subsequent resurrection that we finally understand the significance of everything Jesus preached about. John 14 is the theme song for the episode revealing the meaning behind the whole series. It is when we find out who shot JR. It is when we realize that St. Elsewhere was just a snow globe. It is when we realize that Lost was all about the Afterlife. In his series finally after the theme song Jesus was about to reveal the nature and love of God. '

The Mansion

 

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Just like The Fresh Prince of Bel Air's theme song Jesus message to the Disciples in John 14 focuses on him leaving to live with a close relative in a mansion. The difference is that Jesus promises to return and gather his friends to join him. It's like if Jazzy Jeff stayed in the Mansion with Fresh Prince and never was thrown out by Uncle Phil. Aided by images in scripture, Art and the popular imagination people tend to imagine Heaven as hybrid castle/mansion/golf course/retirement community for Saints. But was this image the truth about the Kingdom of God that Jesus was communicating? Well Jesus never said the word "mansion." he never said "hello" or "My name is Jesus" either. He was a Jew who spoke Hebrew... possibly Aramaic but definitely not English. The Bible like all ancient documents has been translated many times into several languages and dialects by scholars. The job of the translator is to find the meaning of the words, idioms and phrases and connect them to contemporary words and figures of speech. The problem is that words alter in meaning over the years even within the same language. So the usage of "mansion" in the King James Version of the Bible (historically the most popular English language translation) refers to the King James era idea of what a mansion was and not necessarily our contemporary idea. The word used for mansion of the original Greek of the New Testament is μονή, which means an abode or a dwelling place. The English root word for mansion is also the same for manor. It is manse and is more aligned to our notion of a parsonage for a minister rather than a palatial estate. Yes, King James' time Mansions and manors were large but that was more because it housed several people. It was a site where a landowner could simultaneously house family, servants and a clergyman. That seems to be what Jesus is telling us about the Kingdom of God. It is where God's family, servants and ministers dwell. Most important it is where we can dwell with Jesus. I would argue that this not only means the Heaven of the afterlife but the Body of Christ of the living. The mansion that houses the Kingdom of God is Jesus Christ.
 

 

The Way

 

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

If you watched any episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air besides the pilot episode then you may understand Thomas' questioning of Jesus. Both the viewer and the disciple are left with essentially the same question: "How is he getting to that mansion?" In the version of the theme song that played on most episodes after the Fresh Prince's mom said that he was "movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air" he simply "whistled for a cab and when it came near" he ordered it to proceed onward with "'Yo, homes to Bel Air.'" With a cursory knowledge of United States' geography you know that Philadelphia, PA and the Los Angeles, CA neighborhood of Bel Air. Are not close. Google Maps reveals that it is 2,727 miles away. I doubt that Will Smith had the patience or cab fare to afford that taxi ride. But that's because I hadn't been watching the show from the beginning. The pilot episode featured a longer song (which I have posted above) with a second verse where the Fresh Prince catches a plane to Los Angeles before whistling for his cab at LAX airport. Following the story early enough was key to me understanding how Fresh Prince plausibly got to his Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv's mansion and it is also how Thomas would understand how Jesus would get to his Father's mansion. Jesus reveals that he is the way to his Father. Not only is he the only way to God but the truth and the life. To know Jesus is to know God. To see Jesus is to see God. To understand Jesus is to understand God. To befriend Jesus is to befriend God. To trust Jesus is to trust God. It seems that Thomas missing all of this wasn't a case of him not "tuning in" early enough, but rather him not understanding him. Hearing his words and seeing his actions but not capturing their full meaning. He knew Jesus but he really didn't know him. As funny as that sounds it is the truth. He didn't fully appreciate the fullness of Jesus' identity. Thomas knew Jesus as a teacher and friend but he didn't know him as Lord and Savior yet. I would argue that all four are important in understanding him as God. Lately I've been following my friend Daniel's new blog, where he publicly sets out to understand this thing we call Divinity and this man they call Jesus. It's a journey that we must all take, especially those who believe that Jesus is God. We may have a reverse-Thomas problem in that we know him as Lord and Savior but not as friend and teacher. To know Christ is to know all of him and in doing this he reveals all of God.

 

The Father

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

The Fresh Prince theme song introduces us to his unusual family life. We see a caricature of his mother and we follow his journey to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins. What we never see mentioned is his father. Fresh Prince's character was originally sent to Bel Air because his mother was having a hard time as a working, single mother. It wasn't that his father had passed away but rather that he wasn't around. It was only in the later seasons that his father revealed... and strangely enough he's Ben Vereen. In one of the most touching episodes of 90's television Will Smith struggles to find meaning in in his father's absence. He tearfully asks "So why don't he love me" as Uncle Phil embraces him and serves as his surrogate father. The mysterious father motif figures big in the Gospel too. Sure, Joseph played the Uncle Phil role well as Jesus' surrogate, earthly father but you may have heard by now that we Christians believe that Jesus' real father was God. In the text of John 14 the Disciples had yet to learn this. They may have understood most of the time that Jesus was referring to God as Father because Jews had a tradition of understanding the nation of Israel as God's son. But when Jesus kept referring to going back to his father's mansion paired with a encouragement to believe in him just as they believed in God some of them may have gathered that Jesus was inferring a closer relationship between he and God than the rest of his countrymen. Realizing that Jesus was referring to God, Philip ventured to ask Jesus to reveal God to them (and earnestly hoped that he wouldn't see Ben Vereen). Jesus responded by doubling down on his earlier assertion: to see him was to see God, to know Jesus was to know God. In this blog we have discussed Jesus' prominent usage of imagery, metaphor and stories (parables) to get his point across. The idea behind using these devices in communication is usually to reveal a deeper truth represented by the symbolism. But that isn't the whole reason why Jesus used them. He even used the symbolism to hide the deeper truth from proud but reveal it to the humble who persistently pursued answers and followed him. The answers would be revealed when you were mature and humble enough to accept them. The Disciples had been following Jesus for some time now and there were still mysterious sayings of his that they did not understand yet. Maybe some of them wrote it off as Jesus liking to be mysterious and talk in image saturated language. So when Philip asks to see the Father, Jesus takes the opportunity to strip away any impediment to interpreting him clearly. The Disciples had the testimony of Jesus' words and works. Jesus was God according to his own words. God cosigned to Jesus' confession of being God by allowing him to perform miracles (known in the Bible as "signs"). Jesus and the Father are One. And this Father wants you as His adopted child.
 

 

The Theme Song

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

 

The job of the music video is to promote and illustrate a song. The job of a sitcom is to make us laugh while concealing an effort to sell Tide detergent and Budweiser for the television network. The job of a family sitcom is the same, but in addition to its desired intention it has an added effect. Family sitcoms from "I Love Lucy" to "The Brady Bunch" to "The Cosby Show" to "Modern Family" all have the effect of describing what a family is to its viewers. Since they are also all shows produced by Hollywood they also have the added effect of defining to our subconscious what an American family looks like and by extension what it means to be American. In the twentieth century music consistently redefined how people understood boundaries and definitions. Music videos made this global discussion of how youth culture identified itself a global one. Fresh Prince took these two powerful media, combined them and multiplied their potency. Will Smith's real life star power, hip hop music and African American comedy gained in unending popularity and started to shape how world culture defined itself. No matter the message, Hip Hop and black style comedy increasingly became the medium to deliver it by. The medium became the message. Christianity has been delivered by a myriad of mediums over its history. In this blog I like to discuss those that have involved the visual arts. But has the message changed? To answer that one would have to discover the overall message. I believe that a version of this central message of Jesus' teaching can be found in the beginning and end of Today's scripture: 1)Let not your heart be troubled; 2)you believe in God, believe also in Me 2)he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also All three of these points center around one idea: Peace. 1)Jesus calls us to have peace in our troubled hearts and not be ruled by he cares and calamities that surround us. 2)There is peace between God and Man because their is unity between God and Christ. The words that Christ said and works that Christ did were done on God's authority. Therefore we can have faith/belief in our forgiveness and eternal life. 3)We are called to be peacemakers, according to Jesus' most famous sermon. This is blessed because Jesus was a peacemaker between God and Mankind. Therefore we are called to encourage peace, forgiveness and love amongst everyone. We collectively can reach more people than Jesus met in his lifetime and thus do "greater" works. Just like music videos and sitcoms this central message of Jesus causes us to explore our identity. Are we really Jesus' followers? Are we really God's children? Are we really servants of the Kingdom of God? If we are then we can rest assure that when we leave our earthly abode of this mortal life there are rooms for us in our Father's mansion.

New Testament Word & Image: 1 Peter 2:4-9 & Moai head scupltures on Easter Island



Ahu Tongariki and Traveling Moai, Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island

 

1 Peter 2:4-9

 

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,


Tukuturi Moai, Rano Raraku, Easter Island

“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”



Moai scupltures at Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island



Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,



Moai scupltures at Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island







“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”



Moai set in the hillside at Rano Raraku, Easter Island

and

“A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”

 



Several Moais, Rano Raraku, Easter Island



They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Psalms Word & Image: Psalm 33 & Björn Ewers with Mierswa & Kluska





Instruments From Inside, Art Director Björn Ewers with Mierswa & Kluska



Psalm 33

 

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
Praise the Lord with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

For the word of the Lord is right,

 

 



Instruments From Inside,  Mierswa & Kluska


And all His work is done in truth.
He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.

 



Instruments From Inside,  Mierswa & Kluska



Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.

 



Instruments From Inside,  Mierswa & Kluska

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth;
He fashions their hearts individually;
He considers all their works.

 



Instruments From Inside,  Mierswa & Kluska



No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.

 



Instruments From Inside,  Mierswa & Kluska



Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.