Gethsemane, Part 4: To Drink Or Not To Drink?

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Victoria Emily Jones

Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane has always been a question-raiser for me, mostly on the subject of wills.  I might have alternatively entitled this post “A Will Divided?”.

Before I go any further, let me first cite the three parallel Gospel accounts of Jesus’ prayer (which I take from the New International Version):

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.  Yet not as I will, but as you will. … My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”  -Matthew 26:39, 42

“Abba, Father, everything is possible for you.  Take this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will.”  -Mark 14:36

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  -Luke 22:42  Continue reading →

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Gethsemane, Part 3: Through the Oil Press, or The Final Temptation

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Victoria Emily Jones

The Garden of Gethsemane is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (yes, it’s still there).  The name literally means “oil press.”

Oil Press

I’m going to fly away with a metaphor here, so bear with me, and reflect, if you will, on the image of Jesus as an olive, being pressed on all sides not only with thoughts of impending death and abandonment, but with the temptation to cease and desist from his mission.  We talk a lot about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, where he actually dialogued with Satan, but what about his temptation in the garden?  God’s plan for Jesus is just about to reach its climax, and it’s Jesus’ last chance to back down.  Satan knew that he would be particularly vulnerable at this time, so he attacks.  Here in the garden, Satan tries to crush the soul of the Lord—he runs a millstone over him, so to speak, putting pressure on him in an attempt to squeeze him dry.

What does a mind under such heavy pressure look like?  Well, probably something like this: Continue reading →

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Gethsemane, Part 2: Hematidrotic Jesus

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Victoria Emily Jones

(If you’re not familiar with what happened in Gethsemane, the story is chronicled in three places:  Matthew 26:36-45, Mark 14:32-42, and Luke 22:39-46.  I will be referencing only bits and pieces at a time.)

“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”  -Matthew 26:38 / Mark 14:34 (NIV)  (Alternative translations: “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow,” “My soul is crushed with grief,” “My heart is oppressed with anguish”)

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”  -Luke 22:44

Physical torture is one thing; psychological torture is wholly another—the worser of the two, in my bold opinion.  The mental and emotional stress that Jesus underwent in the garden was so intense that his blood vessels ruptured, and he literally sweat blood.  This medical condition is known as hematidrosis.   (Fittingly, the physician Luke is the only Gospel writer who mentions this detail.)  Although rare, it has been noted on a handful of occasions, most frequently in the case of soldiers before battle, or men before their execution.  Continue reading →

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Gethsemane, Part 1: Pain in a Tear

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Victoria Emily Jones

The Easter season is upon us, and I feel overwhelmed by all there is to address.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of Christianity.  It has tremendous implications for everyone, because if Jesus really did rise from the dead, then that proves that he really is the Son of God, and that all that he said was true, and we are obligated to respond accordingly; on the other hand, if he didn’t rise from the dead, then the Christian faith is entirely false and pointless.

So this month, instead of trying to address every minute narrative and theological detail of Christ’s Passion, I’m simply going to focus on a few small sections of the Passion accounts, as recorded in the canonical Gospels.  First, I’ll be reflecting on the episode of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Continue reading →

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‘Give Us This Day Our Daily Meds’

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Victoria Emily Jones

Then Jesus declared, “I am the med of life…”

Jesus pill box

Pill box found at philosophersguild.com.

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Jesus Invites Us to Touch, See, and Know

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Victoria Emily Jones

Doubting Thomas
One of my favorite narrative paintings of Jesus is Caravaggio’s St. Thomas Putting His Finger on Christ’s Wound (1603). I like it not just because of its display of technical skill but because of its theological message. To me this painting says that Jesus is a person who welcomes the questions of honest seekers.

Thomas has always gotten a negative rap in the church. “Don’t be such a Doubting Thomas,” we say disparagingly to those who dare to ask those “but how do we know . . .” sort of questions regarding the Christian faith.  Continue reading →

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Does Jesus Have Your Sole?

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Victoria Emily Jones

Jesus shoe

Jesus footwear… How trendy… Now not only can you walk in the footsteps of Jesus, you can wear him on your shoes, too.Jesus shoe

Jesus shoe

 

 

 

 

 

Found at zazzle.com.

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Do Things Fall Apart When Jesus Meets an Indigenous Culture?

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Victoria Emily Jones

Traditional Igbo white-faced mask, twentieth century, eastern Nigeria. Its crest bears a depiction of a crucified Christ flanked by two angels.

I recently subscribed to Indigenous Jesus, a blog whose purpose is to celebrate the Christian art produced by nonwestern cultures. Its author, who has a background in anthropology and studio art, encourages his readers to learn from other cultures’ views and experiences of Jesus, rather than putting Jesus into a box, saying that he can only be experienced this way, or pictured that way. He warns Christians, and missionaries especially, to be careful not to conflate Christianity with Western culture. The two are completely separate; the one does not necessitate the other.

. . . when Jesus told his followers to ‘make disciples of every nation’ (Matthew 28:19), he wanted these disciples to follow him with all of their hearts, minds, souls and strength (Mark 12:30)—not a foreign culture. Therefore, the Gospel should be given to every nation (ethnos) so that they might follow Jesus in culturally relevant ways of their own choosing, in order to express their hearts’ praise to him.

Continue reading →

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Sallman’s Pretty Jesus

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Victoria Emily Jones
Sallman's Head of Christ

Warner Sallman, Head of Christ, 1940. Oil on canvas. The Warner Sallman Collection, Anderson University, Indiana.

In 1940, commercial artist Warner Sallman created the oil painting Head of Christ. This image has since been reproduced hundreds of millions of times, on prints, plaques, bookmarks, greeting cards, funeral announcements, church bulletins, buttons, calendars, clocks, lamps, coffee mugs, stickers, billboards, and key chains. Stephen Prothero, author of American Jesus, says that the wide dissemination of Sallman’s Head of Christ transformed Jesus from a celebrity into a national icon, making him now instantly recognizable by Americans of all races and religions. And, more than that, Prothero says, the picture became the most common religious image in the world (out-popularizing Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper and dozens of other works of religious import). Even today, Warner Press receives requests for the use of Sallman’s work on a weekly basis from national media outlets, gift companies, publishers, ministries, and individuals.  Continue reading →

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Astronaut Jesus

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Victoria Emily Jones

Astronaut JesusAstronaut Jesus

Apparently during his lost years, Jesus went to outer space.  And I guess he needed a pressurized spacesuit to do it—you know, even though he’s God and all.

 

Astronaut Jesus

<< Oh, and he can’t forget his life support backpack, either.

DOMA, the argentine company that designed the toy, says that Astronaut Jesus is “an elite member of the astronaut gods that have come to our planet since the beginning of time to shape our civilization and the world as we know it.”  Really?

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