A Time of Reflection

We recently celebrated Easter in our home and church. It is one of my favourite holidays and holds great meaning for me.

(For those with an artistic bent and interested in the technical aspects of this work, these images are 8x10 and are done in F, 2B and 4B graphite pencil. I usually work on smooth paper and concentrate on the realism and intricate detail of my work.  For this project, however I used grey textured paper which contributes to the grainy look of these images, and adds, I think, to the emotive feel of these images)

My effort to portray some of the traditional ‘Stations of the Cross” started with an image of Jesus in great anguish as he anticipated the physical, emotional, and spiritual pain of the night to come. As I pondered again the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection, I was brought back to the reason for his sacrifice; to remove our sin. We are the reason he bled and died. He stretched out his innocent hands on that cross. He died as punishment for our guilt.

As I prepared to do this series of sketches, images of hands came to mind. Hands that deceived, tortured, ridiculed and condemned. Hands that grabbed Him, curled into fists to strike Him, gripped the nail and pierced Him. Hands that tortured and murder our precious Lord Jesus. Hands that reached to carry the cross, hands soaked in grieving tears, hands that wrapped his lifeless body. Disciples’ hands, politicians’ hands, soldiers’ hands, guilty hands

…my hands

…your hands.

Hands that Agonize

“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Luke 22:42

 Hands that Betray

“Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” “ Luke 22:47,48

Hands that Accuse

“…and they began to accuse him, saying ‘We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.’ “ Luke 23:2

Hands that Denounce and Ridicule

“And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying ‘Hail King of the Jews!’ and struck him with their hands”

John 19:2,3

Hands That Deny Guilt

“So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing…he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying ’I am innocent of this mans blood…’ “ Matthew 27:24

Hands that Crucify

 “And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him.” Luke 23:33

Hands that Grieve

“Then Jesus, calliing out in a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ And having said this he breathed his last.” Luke 23:46

                           

Hands that Bury

“ And Joseph,…taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb ….and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.” Mark 15:46

But this terrible, wonderful story doesn’t end here. Prophets foretold for hundreds and hundreds of years of a Saviour coming to redeem us from our sinful ways, to save us from the justified wrath of God the Almighty and our Creator. If the story ended here there would have been little value in the the life of Jesus, the Son of God, here on earth. On the third day after his crucifixion Jesus threw off Death and rose from his grave, ultimately to be seen by over 500 people of that day before leaving this earth with a promise of His return one day. His death and resurrection has paid the price for our sins and means that we believers will ultimately live with him forever.

Hands that Have Paid the Price

‘You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here….so then the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. Mark 16:6

This great redemptive story impacts me again and again. I hope my effort at portraying some of the images of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ speaks to you in some way today.