A Powerful Painting

Posted on 11.07.06 in Faith and there are 3 comments.

This is a painting by an artist named Sarah Brown.

Here are her comments about the painting:

“Lately I’ve had a lot jumbled up in my head about Christianity. I’ve been wondering why our lives, as Christians, contradict the way Jesus lived his life. Why don’t we hang out with the prostitutes and tax collectors? Why is it ok for a lawyer in the congregation to get divorced, but not the pastor? Why is it unacceptable for a couple to have premarital sex, but acceptable for people to gossip about them?

My youth pastor made a comment one time that has stuck with me. “Jesus died for everyone. Even child molesters.” Through all the years of felt board stories, hymns, and sermons that had never registered the way it did at that moment. I guess when I thought “Jesus died for everyone” I was unconsciously picturing the balding heads in the pews around me. Certainly not the sick twisted people who would exploit an innocent child. Jesus’ sacrifice took on new meaning for me. He died for Hitler? Marilyn Manson? Wow. Then once that had sunk in, it hit me like a load of bricks. Not only did Jesus pay the price for what these people had done, in the eyes of God he became these people. The great I AM became the filth of the earth. Jesus the paradox.

If Jesus had enough love to give his life for those people why is it so hard for us to love them? And in the end, sin is sin. A Sunday school teacher is equal to a mass murderer. I’m the same as that child molester because God has offered us the same love. That was hard for me to accept. Then I decided that the answer to all these questions is love. We are called to love like He does. Matthew 25:40 can be interpreted, “And the King will tell them, I assure you, when you [loved] one of the least of these my brothers and sisters you were [loving] me.” The old song says, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

We’ve got a lot of loving to catch up on, so let’s get started.”

Thought provoking and powerful stuff…

The Comments:

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Kat, I like that painting.  It reminds me of Andrew Peterson’s song Mystery of Mercy that he wrote with Randall Goodgame:

I am the woman at the well, I am the harlot
I am the scattered seed that fell along the path
I am the son who ran away
I am the bitter son who stayed

My God, my God
Why hast thou accepted me
You took my sin and wrapped me in
Your robe and your ring
My God, my God
Why hast thou accepted me
It’s a mystery of mercy
And the song I sing.

(full lyrics here)

Good song Stephen! What amazing lyrics...I hadn’t heard it before.

Thanks.

Andrew sang it at my church a couple weeks ago after the sermon.  It worked really well in that setting. (Randall, the worship pastor at my church and co-writer of the song, blogged about it here.)

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