Matthew 11:25-30 | Vincent Van Gogh | Hiding and Revealing

Matthew 11:25-30 Hiding and Revealing

Café Terrace at Night, Painted by Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890), Painted in 1888, Oil on canvas, © Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’ READ MORE Reflection on the Painting The insight and beauty of the Gospels cannot be put in any one mould. What we discover, what is being revealed to us, what we connect with, is always far bigger and less definable than whatever shape we try to squeeze the Gospels into. So much that is hidden in the Gospels, is being slowly revealed to us as we journey through life… In a similar way, looking at art follows this pattern too: the more one looks at a painting, the more one comes back to the same painting over the years and decades, the more one connects with the artwork, the artist and its (hidden) meaning. One such painting is this canvas by Vincent van Gogh, titled, ‘Café Terrace at Night’. It is considered to be one of Van Gogh’s most important paintings. We recognise immediately his trademark hand: the colour palette with contrasting blues and yellows, the starry night, etc… However, looking closely, many believe the picture is also a portrayal of the Last Supper…the hidden composition… Van Gogh, son of a Protestant minister, was very religious, so it is not unthinkable that the twelve people sitting down to eat, with only one long-haired standing figure, would be his version of the Last Supper. Also note the cross above the Christ-like figure… by Patrick van der Vorst