Title: With Christ in the Marketplace #1

I had a vision some years back, all in tones of sepia. In it, I was walking with my Lord through a crowded Jerusalem market. There were people everywhere - a crush of humanity. Looking on it from afar, I saw people with all different intents and agendas, some very evil. But my face was turned up to Jesus, and I was enrapt with Him. I had eyes only for Him. And as we walked and talked, He merely made a slight brushing gesture with His arm, and no evil could come near me. It was as if a bubble of safety formed in the midst of the crowd and a space formed around us.

This is only the first of the images I feel I will do representing this theme. It is not all of what I was shown. There are specific symbologies here that were enough for this one painting.

There are the stone steps that lead up to heaven and come down, obviously worn and well-trodden over the ages, but still "clean." One must pass under the red arch, symbolizing the blood of Christ, in order to go up. What is at the top is not visible to our eyes, but filled with light.

The other set of stairs ends with no discernible outlet. There is enough shadow at the left to give the impression that there might be a door, but it is in truth a dead end. We may ascend by other means, but we will not reach the light that way.

And the large archway at ground level behind the people leads only into darkness. There are many doors on earth we can pass through, but again, they will not lead to heaven. There is only the one Way.

The woman walking with Jesus is intended to represent all of us who are the Bride of Christ. And although she only has eyes for Him, He can focus completely on her and still be thoroughly aware of everything and everyone else around them. He is magnificently, effortlessly omnipotent.

The kneeling woman represents Holy Spirit. "She" is the only One allowed within the radiant arc of His protection, and she holds out the Hebrew prayer shawl in offering for the wedding ceremony.

The short, redheaded man represents those stunted people who leer lustfully at the things of God with their own fleshly purposes. The Arab man is symbolic of those created to be brothers of our Lord who make their own way, carry their own provision, think their water good enough and refuse the Living Water He offers. The woman with her hair atop her head and back turned represents all of those who completely refuse to acknowledge His Presence at all. And the one who was standing with her, gossiping, suddenly has seen Him with another, and her heart is pierced with grief that it is not she who is held in the encircling arm of Christ.

Christ is intentionally portrayed here in an iconic fashion. He is also intentionally more Middle-Eastern in appearance than normally seen in Western artwork. Hopefully, I will continue to break with old molds as I share how I see Him. I've not seen any one image anywhere that could possibly capture Him. Neither do I think any image I create will do Him justice. These are merely representations done by human hands of the glimpses into heaven and heavenly things that cannot adequately be described or replicated yet...

Others have seen other things in this painting and in the people's faces, and that is good. These paintings are intended to minister to the hearts and spirits of others, as the Lord chooses, and as each one has need.

 

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