John 10:22-30 | Alex Levin | It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple

John 10:22-30   It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple

Snow by the Kotel in Jerusalem, Painted by Alex Levin (born 1975), Oil on canvas, Painted in 2015 © Alex Levin Art It was the time when the feast of Dedication was being celebrated in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the Portico of Solomon. The Jews gathered round him and said, ‘How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus replied: ‘I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me. The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father. The Father and I are one.’   READ MORE     Reflection on the Painting ‘It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple’, writes John in today’s Gospel. It is an instance of the writer’s remembrance of topographical and meteorological detail which makes his gospel burst to life. These small details matter. The fact that it was Winter, and the fact that Jesus was walking up and down the Portico of Solomon places us right there with Him. He had to keep himself warm, and sought shelter from the inclemency of the weather. These painterly details which John uses, visually enable us to place ourselves right there in the scene with Christ and therefore help us to listen even more attentively to His Word. Our painting today further helps to set the scene: Jerusalem covered in snow, mid Winter. This setting is integral to the impending plot development and what Christ will share with us: ‘The Father and I are one’. The intimacy of the Winter scene where Christ and His followers would have probably sat close to one another to keep warm, mirrors the intimacy of this statement and closeness of Jesus with His Father… Jesus and the Father are truly One… by Patrick van der Vorst