In our imagination these words are
coming from the lips of Jesus as he gives the Sermon on the Mount.
The multitude before him listen attentively to hear every word. His
hands express the urgency of his message and his eyes are filled with
deep concern.
Could it be he is speaking to us in
a call to worship? On looking more closely we see that this is the
risen Christ. The halo around his head and the nail print on his ankle
tell of his spiritual nature.
This
painting expresses our belief that the life and spirit of Christ was not
confined to Galilee. He is known to the men and women of history
and to the people of every nation. The two globes at his feet remind
us that he came to proclaim the love of God, who is the Father of all people.
His face
is strong and his eyes are kind and understanding. His suffering and
death lead us to see a quality we need. In his deeply lined face,
not dimmed of eye or broken in spirit, there is confidence and faith.
The hands
in this painting so characterize Christ as to create a mood that leads
the viewer to feel a close identification with him.
This
painting is more than thirty feet in height, and its infinite detail in
the fabric of the cloth, the flowing folds of the robe, and the balance
of shadow and light all contribute to harmony and symmetry in this magnificent
figure of Christ.
In our imagination these words are coming from the lips of Jesus as he gives the Sermon on the Mount. The multitude before him listen attentively to hear every word. His hands express the urgency of his message and his eyes are filled with deep concern.