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Jesus amongst the Pharisees,
Painted by Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678),
Painted circa 1660,
Oil on canvas
© Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 4 December 2019, lot 23, sold for £212,000 |
The Pharisees went out and began to plot against Jesus, discussing how to destroy him.
Jesus knew this and withdrew from the district. Many followed him and he cured them all, but warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah:
Here is my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, the favourite of my soul. I will endow him with my spirit, and he will proclaim the true faith to the nations. He will not brawl or shout, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break the crushed reed, nor put out the smouldering wick till he has led the truth to victory: in his name the nations will put their hope. |
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| Reflection on the Painting
Our Gospel reading of today starts with the words ‘The Pharisees went out and began to plot against Jesus, discussing how to destroy him’. Yes, Jesus was seen as a very real threat to the authority of the Pharisees. Jesus was fully aware of their plotting which had well and truly started now, and so He decided to disappear from sight for a while…
Our painting is by Jacob Jordaens. After Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, he was the leading Flemish Baroque painter of his day. We see Christ depicted among the Pharisees, with the Dove of the Holy Spirit hovering above Him. Jordaens has in fact created an imaginary religious scene rather than illustrating an actual episode from the New Testament. Jesus’ right hand is pointing upwards towards His Father. His left hand is pointing towards books held open by the Pharisees. Written in Flemish, these books are both of the Old Testament (Isaiah 63 on the left) and New Testament (e.g. the text reads in Flemish ‘we saw him but did not recognise him’; Jordaens humorously depicts a man holding a large pair of glasses, leaning over towards Christ and not recognising Him). The Pharisees are seen reading the New and Old Testaments, the painter wanting to make the point that Jesus did not come to abolish the Law of the Old Testament , but that He is the fulfilment of the Old Testament. We can read further Flemish statements on these books saying ‘Jesus Christ is the truth’, ‘God lives forever’ and ‘I am the Risen One’.
Christ, with His one hand on the scriptures and the other pointing upwards, shows He is the only way to salvation… So the Pharisees can conspire all they want and aim to destroy Christ as per our reading today, but ultimately, Christ’s salvation and message of love will conquer all…
by Patrick van der Vorst |  | |
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