I came across this painting today by accident, or rather, I think, as a gift from the Holy Spirit. It arrested me immediately. I felt chastened , grieved. Why are there not more paintings like this one, I wonder, looking from the eyes of Christ?
Perhaps it is because we believe it presumption to imagine seeing through Jesus’ eyes. He is, after all, the Son of God. His ways are far above our own. Many of Tissot’s contemporaries objected to the composition of his crucifixion for just this reason. But I believe that reasoning is false humility. Jesus came so that we might know the Father as He does. So that we might be with Him in the Father’s house. He died and rose again that we might become new creations, filled with the Holy Spirit who “searches the deep things of God.” Paul writes that those who are filled with the Spirit “have the mind of Christ.” ( I Cor 2:16)
We honor Jesus by receiving His gifts. By coming to know Him and His desires. By asking to see the Father through His eyes, the world through His eyes, and our own selves through His eyes.
When we stand for judgment, it will not matter how we perceive Jesus. All that will count is how He sees us..Has He found us weeping at His pierced feet? Or looking with love into His eyes? Will He recall us mocking and jeering? Or looking away in distraction, or boredom, or disgust?
Of course, the way we perceive Jesus shapes our response to Him. This is why the gifts or the artist and the teacher, the song writer and prophet, are so vital to the Church. Brothers and sisters help form our perceptions, but only the Spirit can give us the mind of Christ. We must yearn for the Spirit of God in order to see with the eyes of Jesus.
I want to be like the women in this painting, looking straight into Jesus’ face. Grieving when He is in pain. Rejoicing when He rejoices. Attentive when He teaches. Silent when His anger flares. This, I believe, is what it means to have the mind of Christ. It is not to understand all mysteries and possess all knowledge. Not in this age. Rather it is to know Him and trust Him and attend to His direction.
What moves me so deeply about this painting is the love I feel in Jesus’ eyes for those who look into His face.. I believe the women who stood at the foot of the cross were a deep comfort to our Lord. That is a wonder that makes my heart burn. The Son of God desires the love of men! The affection of a single woman brings Him consolation. The faith of a thief gives Him joy.
This Holy Week as the world finds itself gripped in crisis, I pray that Jesus finds many friends standing in attendance at His throne, looking toward His face, trusting in His power, confident in His mercy, waiting for His return. This is a kindness which will not be forgotten. It is faith which bears much fruit. Jesus sees and He remembers. He is moved.