ORIGINAL CHRISTIAN OIL PAINTINGS

Interpretation of the painting: This painting is correctly viewed from the view point that I have spiritually died to this world and am born again to a new reality, which is a life in Jesus Christ. This image must be viewed through the eyes of Jesus and it is only when we lift up our eyes to Christ in prayer that we can understand the meaning of this beatitude.

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Background: When I began to look at this image my first thoughts was to paint an image of suffering. But when I took it to God in prayer I felt the need to paint something beautiful. I wanted to do this because whilst we do endure hardship (and all sorts of persecution on this earth) we give it joyfully to Jesus in prayer and ask him to use our sufferings to bring others into his peace. This image is unusual for me in many ways.

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The journey: When I began to pray I felt that Christian life is often depicted as being weak and timid. This comes about because we are non-violent. This is to instil the idea that to be Christian and endure the persecution willingly is an act of courage, and it takes a spiritually courageous person.

This willingness to endure persecution for something you can not see nor has no benefit here on earth (reputation, celebrity, legacy, material gain, etc) requires a supernatural faith. It requires a person who has taken the leap of faith to abandon these worlds’ gifts for a new reality in Christ Jesus.

 The more I prayed I realised that this beatitude was more about faith than anything else. It was acknowledging that this mortal body was temporary. It was created to serve God. It was to endure all persecutions that were to come. Tertullian, one of the early church apologists said; the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

So this image is about faith.

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Meaning of the image: This image is about a man kneeling down on a bed of clouds in front of Jesus. Behind them are a mystical landscape and the sun beginning to rise behind the mountains, a heaven that is yet to be discovered. Behind the man are a few steps that lead out of the murky world of sin.

For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven’ is a response to the beatitude ‘blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’s sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven’.

We believe in something we cannot see or prove but each trial and persecution that we endure is an act of faith. Each step that we take towards this reality is like climbing up steps of clouds, it is an act of faith. We are persecuted because we have the courage to believe in Christ Jesus. It takes a person of courage to walk this path, but our reward will be ‘The Kingdom of Heaven’. It is the place we will receive all the blessings that God has promised us.

The powerful man represents our courage as believers to endure the persecutions willingly and to give them to God for the sake of his Kingdom.

The cloud steps are to point to the faith that was required to walk up this stairway. No one can walk on clouds; it is an act of faith. So the clouds represent our faith. We kneel in faith before a saviour that we accept by faith. Our destination, beyond the mountains is one that we have in faith.

This powerful act of faith translates into the expansion of the Kingdom of Heaven. So it apt to say; blessed are those who are persecuted righteousness’s sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.