There are two stories in our gospel reading today and we’re going to look at three pieces of art for each. The artists draw our attention to details and bring out challenges from the texts.
The first story is the parable of
the Good Samaritan.
Our first piece of art is The Road Between Jerusalem and Jericho by Sir Hubert von Herkomer, 1849-1914 (United Kingdom). He is trying to give a sense of the dangers of the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. The scene is forbidding. Travel was dangerous in general. This particular road was particularly so. Jerusalem and Jericho are 17 miles apart. Jerusalem is 2500 feet above sea level while Jericho is 800 feet below sea level. The road often descends steeply and has many rocky valleys and passes. The hearers of Jesus’ parable would not have been surprised by a story of about a person traveling alone being attacked and robbed.
At the center bottom of the piece we
see the injured man being cared for by the Samaritan. The Samaritan has tied his animal to a
tree. We realize that the helpful
Samaritan is putting himself at risk as he is doing this. Down the road we can easily make out one of
the travelers who has passed by the injured man. Farther down the road, and difficult to see,
is the other traveler.
The second piece
is by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh; painted in May of 1890. Van Gogh is not interested in creating a
realistic scene, but he has included many elements of the story. Again, in the distance we see two travelers
who have passed by the injured man. An
empty chest shows that the man has been robbed.
The Samaritan is depicted as strong and muscular as he is heaving the
injured man onto his animal. The face of
the injured man shows pain.
Jews and
Samaritans were enemies. They did not
like each other and would not want to touch each other. Here Van Gogh depicts a great amount of
physical contact between these two enemies.
This depiction heightens the care and compassion of the Samaritan shows
for his enemy. Jesus taught this parable
in response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Our enemies are still our neighbors. We are not to be stingy in offering them aid,
but generous. In the parable the
Samaritan goes on to provide generously for the injured man’s ongoing needs.
The next piece is Portrait of You as the Good Samaritan by James B. Janknegt, 2006 (America). This piece depictes several aspects of the parable in the reverse. Since you, the viewer, are the Samaritan who helps, you do not appear. The piece begs the question, “What you will do now?”
On the left we see
the two thieves – a young black man and a red-haired white woman. They are fleeing on a bicycle. They are carrying clothes and art supplies
but they are spilling away. In the
background is an urban scene.
Moving to the
right we have a priest in clerical garb.
He is in front of a church and has a cross in one hand and an offering
plate in the other. He surely should
have helped, but his priorities are different and he is resolutely walking
away.
Next to the right
is a bearded long-haired hippie carrying a guitar. Surely this ‘peace and love’ person would
help an injured man, but he has not.
Finally, on the
right side of the piece is the injured man.
He is depicted as bloody and mangled.
His ethnicity is indeterminate. We
realize he is a painter. There are paint
brushes still in one hand. By his other
hand is what he was working on - a painting of Mary and Jesus. What does it say that this artist was
attacked while working on religious art?
And what does it say that his clothes and art supplies have been stolen
but the art he was working on is left behind?
Again, this piece
deliberately reverses many aspects of the parable. The injured man has not been traveling on a
desolate and dangerous road. He has been
stationary doing religious art in what should have been a safe suburb. Notice in the background behind him there are
nice homes with lawns. A man is in his
yard. A sprinkler is watering the
grass. A dog sits in the shade of a
tree. No one seems to notice the crime
that has been committed. Therefore, what
are you the viewer as the Samaritan now going to do?
This piece raises
many questions. If the suburbs are to be
safe places where good, wholesome, hard-working people live, then why did this
crime happen in the first place? And why
is everyone ignoring it? What places in
our society do we so surely assume to be safe that we overlook the horrible
things that happen?
The parable of the
Good Samaritan raises many questions. They
are worth taking time to consider. For
now, though, we move on.
We have three
pieces about the home of Martha and Mary.
First we have Christ in the Home of Martha
and Mary by Johannes Vermeer, 17th Century (Dutch). This depiction of the scene depicts 17th
century Europeans in the roles of Jesus, Martha, and Mary. Martha in the center is the highest character
in the scene. The moment depicted is
when Martha appeals to Jesus for help from her sister with the household tasks. But Jesus points to Mary as she is sitting at
his feet listening to what he says. We
start with this piece because it gives a traditional understanding of Martha’s
mistake. She is worried about household
tasks. While hospitality and household
tasks were very important in those days, the lesson we get from it is that
Martha needs to shift her priorities to something even more important. That was to listen to Jesus. What is not depicted here, but will be depicted
in the third piece, are some of the reasons for Martha’s misplaced priorities. But before we get to the third piece, we have
things to discover in a second.
This is Martha and Mary by He Qi, 21st
Century (China/America). Qi’s art
frequently combines geometric shapes with the sight lines to add extra
dimensions to the piece. Here Jesus is
slightly to the right of center. He is
looking straight at Martha, who has her head bowed from his criticism. Mary is on the right. She is lower than Jesus but she is not
looking up at him. Her head is also lowered
in respect to Jesus’ authority. The Holy
Spirit, abstractly depicted as a descending dove, is coming upon Mary. By contrast, nothing is coming down upon
Martha. Martha is high in the piece,
standing above her tasks and retaining power by being in control of them. There is no room for the Spirit on Martha’s
side. Again in contrast, Mary claims no
such power for herself. She is simply
open to Jesus.
Another of Qi’s
pieces, Supper at Emmaus is on page 89 in the front of the Red Hymnal.
The final piece is At the Home of Martha and Mary, Ain Vares, 21st Century (Estonia). Martha dominates the scene. Her back is to us but her head appears to be turned somewhat to Jesus. Martha’s arms hold her many burdens: shopping bags, a rambunctious child and a demanding one, laundry, dishes, exercise equipment, and a whole house are the burdens she bears. Is this not what many a parent bears in our society today? How can there be time for Jesus when life’s demands are so great and so constant? Careers, child care, kid’s sports, maintaining a home, and much more all create exhaustion. Having time for faith, and the commitments of Christianity, just feel like more burdens. They are therefore neglected.
Yet Jesus,
depicted calmly and simply, sits on the right side. Mary, having the correct priorities, listens
to Jesus with face upturned. She is
serene and open.
This piece reminds
us that doing all of life’s tasks, essential as they may seem, do not save
us. Jesus does. With Jesus at the center and a life built
around faith the rest of life’s tasks take their proper perspective. Many burdens will simply be released. Others will get different priority. But all of them will take on their true
purpose. Jesus came not to add to the
burdens of life. Jesus gives us the
right perspective for them.
All of these
pieces are available online. They will
all be posted in pastor’s sermon blog. Look
them up and spend more time with them.
Each is worth contemplating. Let
them enrich your faith in the days to come.
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