Behold The Man

Agnus Dei; Francisco de Zurbarán 

Ecce Homo; Mark Wallinger

Once in a while, we encounter a phenomenon that seems to impact the whole world even if we are not directly involved. 9/11 is an obvious example, the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral seems to be another. Coinciding with Holy Week, it has touched a chord that most people did not even know existed in them. What I found interesting was the many questions that have arisen since the fire: does it matter if an old church burns down when people no longer worship in it in any meaningful sense? Does God care? What are people so distraught about – the fact that a monument with artistic value is destroyed, or is the distress because it is believed to be a cornerstone of faith and ‘God’s house’? Thus far, the donations pledged have topped $1,000,000,000. One billion dollars and counting, and that is regarded as a ‘good start’. The billionaires of France have been subject to much calumny after pledging 300 million Euros on the first day: the general sense seems to be that they are hypocrites trying to buy salvation. Now, I do not know the people involved and therefore cannot assess their piety but even if I did know them, I would not presume to know what is in their heart. I am in no position to judge another man’s servant.

It just made me think that if I were in a position to drop several hundred million euros without a second thought, which would be most honouring to God – replacing a church roof or helping the struggling humanity right outside my door? This strikes at the very root of which God you believe in and what your God is like. It is the quintessential WWJD- ‘what would Jesus do’ question. One of the reasons I liked the Mark Wallinger ‘Ecce Homo‘ statue so much was because its Jesus is so ordinary. Supremely dull, everyman, same as you and me except with one fundamental difference. This is Immanuel, God with us. By whom, and for whom all things were created, whether in heaven or on earth, and in whom all things hold together. A thoroughly ordinary person, yet one who when he rode into Jerusalem looking I suspect, fairly preposterous on the back of a donkey, the crowd spontaneously threw their Sunday Best on the floor for him to ride over, crying, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.’ Just a few days later, they nailed him to a cross. We complain about the horrors of social media but mob rule is as old as the Earth itself.

In a world where 80% of us live on less that $6 a day, my quandary is whether God is honoured by us spending billions of pounds to fix a building. So, I behold the Man. The person that building was raised for came into this world naked and left it also naked, nailed to a cross and bearing our shame. The only possession he had was the robe he wore to the cross – he did not leave a house, a car, offspring, livestock, land, not so much as a spoon or a cup. And when later we found the alleged crown of thorns that had been forced upon his head, we covered it liberally in gold and put it on display in an empty cathedral. God in a box where we can contain Him, or so we hope. And I behold the Man and what he said was, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour”

And the people God says are dear to him? The fatherless, the widow, the stranger, the oppressed. Magnificent empty buildings and gem-encrusted chalices? Not so much. If Jesus was distraught about the destruction of Solomon’s temple which he predicted, he certainly hid it well. Our tendency towards idolatry is nothing new. Not that God is going to disregard the wanton destruction of things built for his glory so I don’t advise you to start vandalising or stealing from churches. I can guarantee that won’t end well. So I guess you pays your money and makes your choice.

You know what would be a really good charity? One that just takes a random person who is struggling and lifts their burden for just one month – pays their electricity bill, buys their food, pays the school fees. No blame, no questions about whether their problems are self-inflicted, just one instance of unconditional help. Impractical? Logistically impossible? Maybe. Pie in the sky? God, I literally hope so. Talk about the windows of heaven opening and pouring out blessings! Coincidentally, my reading for last night was Isaiah 29 and I can tell you I found this verse very discomfiting: The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish. Not a mirror that I am particularly anxious to hold up to my soul, I can tell you. Not your typical post today but quite frankly there is plenty of secular stuff out there; my little devotional piece shouldn’t make anyone anxious. So, what does all this have to do with a skincare company? Nothing whatsover – except that the next time you want to buy something from me, don’t. Take that money, find a small local charity and give it to them. Just the once mind, or I’ll never sell anything 🙂 Blessed is He comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. Have a joyful Easter weekend.