The Resurrection Celebrated in Art

^“3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also . . .” (The Apostle Paul – 1 Corinthians 15)

Some of my favorites pieces of art that celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ!  I chose them for the realism that they portray to the resurrection. Many artist have painted resurrection art, but so often they are mystical in nature.  These four images help us connect biblical reality.  Jesus died.  He rose again.  He was touched.  He ate.  He walked.  He appeared to many.

(click on pictures for larger image)

The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection ( Eugène Burnand - 1898)

Burnand shows Peter and John running to the empty tomb – notice the concerned, wondering, anticipation on their faces as they run.  Of course John gets there first as he is clear to point out in John 20: ^“3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. ⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.”

Christian Arts

Skip the title and first sentence, and read the rest of this (read the part that starts with “On a vaguely related note”). I agree with the sentiments – the state of Christian fiction is pretty poor.  Unfortunately, I think it applies to music as well (although I listen to a lot of Christian music). More unfortunately, the post at the link was written by someone who is not a Christian and has no axe to grind.  But her view of Christian arts probably influences their view of Christ.

Following Jesus: a radical reorientation of life

We are doing a sermon series in Matthew this coming year: Following Jesus – a radical reorientation of life. We hope it raises the bar for all of us as we follow Jesus.

The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection

A little culture for us . . . a painting by Eugene Burnand (1898). Oil on Canvas displayed at Musee d’Orsay museum in Paris.