An ironic painting

In the National Art Gallery in London there is a large painting portraying Jesus as a prisoner being interrogated. The Jewish priest is seated at a table on which is the open Bible and a lighted candle. It is night, the room is in darkness, but the candle lights up the face of the priest. Jesus is standing in front of the table, his hands are tied with a cord. The candle lights up his face and hands.

That painting is a masterpiece of irony. The hands of Jesus are tied. He is powerless. Yet this is the Word of God by whom God created all things. This is the man who by just one word could give sight to the blind, make the deaf hear, cleanse the lepers of their leprosy, raise the dead to life. This man could feed a multitude of over five thousand with just five small loaves of bread. This man by one word could still the storm and could walk on the waters. And here he is, his hands tied, powerless.

The small flickering candle casts a bit of light on the face and hands of Jesus, who is the Light of the world. "I am the light of the world, he who walks with me walks not in darkness but shall have the light of life." (John 9.5)

Isaias, long before, had prophesied the coming of the Messiah: "The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light. On those who sit in the shadow of death, light has shone." (Isaiah 9.2) This is the man of whom John the evangelist says, "In him was light, and the light was the life of men, and the light shone in darkness and the darkness did not overcome it." (John 1.4) Yet in the painting he is in darkness, and only his face and hands are lighted by a flickering candle.

In the painting, the Jewish priest is interrogating Jesus with the book of the Holy Scripture open on the table. The priest does not realize that this is the Messiah about whom the Scripture speaks.

We are soon to celebrate Holy Week. This is the time to recall that he – the Word of God by whom God created all things, who was all-powerful – allowed himself to be powerless and to suffer at the hands of his captors.

It is a time for thanking God for his infinite mercy and compassion. He gave us his own Son to suffer and die for us and thus wipe away all our guilt.