Mosaic of Xrist in Majesty at the Basilica in
Washington
Xrist reigns, Xrist Rules. Eternal Victor,
Eternal King
His kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom that
shall not be taken away
You surely have your own thoughts about this
image and I encourage you to share them in the comments section. But first, I
would like to examine some of the details of this image. Some of them may be
obvious, but others you may not have noticed.
1. Flames of fire in the halo.
The New
Testament Scriptures indicate that Xrist will judge the world by fire (cf 1
Cor 3:13; Heb 10:27; 2 Peter 3:7-12). Xrist is clearly seated in judgment and
he will judge the world by fire and also purify those who are to be saved
through fire (cf 1 Cor 3:13-15; Malachi 3:3). Further, Both Daniel and the Book
of Revelation speak of fire and flashes of lightning around the Throne of God.
So it is that these flames indicate the Holiness of Xrist and the fact that he
will both judge and purify through fire. This fire need not be understood as a
physical fire but at least as a spiritual fire.
2. His angry look.
Many who observe the
image say that Xrist looks angry. On one level this seem likely, since on the
Day of Judgment there is not going to be any fooling around. The Scriptures
speak of this day as a Day of Wrath (Mat 3:7; John 3:36; Rom 1:18; Rom 2:8; Rom
5:9; Col 3:6; 1 Thess 1:10; Rev 6:16; Rev 11:18, inter al), at least it will be
so for those who have rejected God’s offer and have not been saved from the
wrath.
A closeup look a little closer
at Xrist’s face (at left). Look closely at his eyes. Notice that the one on
the right (His left eye) is more rounded and serene than the one on the left
(His right eye), which is narrower and more piercing. Notice also that the eyebrow
on the right is more arched and peaceful, while the one on the left is angled
downward in a severe look. Take your hand and cover the side on the left and
see that He appears more serene. Then cover the side on the right and notice
that He appears more severe. This is very common in Eastern iconography, which
likes to present both the justice and mercy of God on the face of Xrist. It is
subtle, but it is meant to be. Otherwise, we’d have a weird looking face! On
the Day of Judgement there will be mercy for those who have shown mercy and
severe justice for those who have been severe (Mat 5:7; Mat 7:2; James 2:13),
for justice and mercy are alike with Him (cf Sirach 5:7). Looking into His
eyes, I am reminded of the stunning text from Hebrews that says of Christ, No
creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes
of him to whom we must render an account (Heb 4:13).
3. What of his other facial features? – The
artist seems to have captured the fact that the Book of Revelation described
the glorified Xrist as having hair like wool. But notice what it says of the
color: His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow (Rev 1:14).
Perhaps the artist thought that snow-white hair would be too shocking, but we
definitely have blond hair here.
The eyes look to be blue, or possibly green.
Here, too, the artist has not conformed as well to the description in the Book
of Revelation, which says, his eyes were like blazing fire (Rev 1:14). This
would be hard to depict artistically; it might look as if Jesus had red eye!
Add the blond hair and blues eyes to His white
complexion and we clearly have a European Xrist. There is only a vague account
of the complexion of Xrist in Scripture: His face was like the sun shining in
all its brilliance … His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace (Rev
1:15-16). These texts speak more of brightness than color. I know that this
notion of inclusivity drives some people crazy, who prefer a color blind
society, and it would be a joy to get there. But we cannot simply ignore these
as reasons why some do not like this image of Xrist. The Bible’s silence on
the skin color of Xrist demonstrates that our issues today with skin color
were not pertinent to Scriptural times.
4. What of his red garment?
In Revelation 19,
Christ appears riding a strong white horse and John speaks of the robe He wore:
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God (Rev
19:13).
5. What of his right arm being bared?
Here,
too, I am mindful of a passage from Isaiah that says, The LORD will lay bare
his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth
will see the saving power of our God (Is 52:10). It is a symbol of His strength
and His power to save and put down His enemies.
6. What of the fact that He is seated?
As we
have noted, this is a depiction of the Last Judgment. And of that judgment,
Scripture says, When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with
him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be
gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right
and the goats on his left (Matt 25:41-43). I am mindful of the old Latin hymn Dies
Irae, which poetically says, “When the Judge his seat attaineth, and each
hidden deed arraigneth, nothing unavenged remaineth.”
7.
What of the angels at his feet? In the Book
of Ezekiel (1:4-21 and 10:1-22), there is a vision of the four living creatures
or Cherubim around a throne, each having four faces, four wings, four sides,
the stature and hands of a man, and the soles of a calf. Further, we have
already seen that when the Lord returns He will be accompanied by His angels.
Finally, Psalm 99 says, The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits
enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the LORD in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations (Ps 99:1-2). Somebody say, “Amen!”
http://blog.adw.org/2015/06/awesome-or-awful-a-reflection-on-the-mosaic-of-christ-in-majesty-at-the-basilica-in-washington/
By T. Α Β Ρ Α
Ξ Α Σ קדוש.
LVX
26/01/2020
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