Canvas Composition

As an option for homework last semester, I was able to make some paintings for my meditation assignments. This is the 2nd one I did.

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The Woman Caught in Adultery (John 8:1-11)
While meditating on this passage, a few questions came to mind regarding specific verses:

Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him… (8:2)
-Did the people wait for Jesus at the temple?
-Did they assume he was coming to the temple since Luke says, “he came again”?
-Was this a routine?
-Was Jesus going this early out of custom, or for solitude?


Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground… (8:6)
-What did He write?


And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground… (8:8)
-What did He write?!
-Was it the same thing He wrote the first time, or something different?
-Why did He write?


They went away one by one, beginning with the older ones… (8:9)
-How long did it take for everyone to leave?
-Why beginning with the older ones, was this custom, or wisdom?
A Sinful Woman Forgiven (Luke 7:36-50)
The sinful woman did 3 things when she ministered to Jesus:

1. She wet & wiped His feet – cleansing them & removing impurities
2. She kissed His feet – expressing her love & affection
3. She anointed His feet – giving Him all that she had & revealing her devotion

The way that the woman ministered to Jesus is a representation of what Jesus does for us:

1. He cleanses us and removes our impurities
2. He lavishes us with expressions of His love & affection
3. He gave all of Himself for us & constantly reveals His devotion

Here are a few things I noticed between the 2 accounts compared & contrasted:


The Woman Caught in Adultery
-Brought to Jesus by the Pharisees
-Brought against her will
-Offered nothing to Jesus
-The Pharisees questioned in public
-Jesus gave to the Pharisees (teaching)
The Sinful Woman Forgiven
-Came to Jesus by herself
-Came to Jesus by her own will
-Offered everything to Jesus
-The Pharisees questioned to themselves
-Jesus received from the Pharisees (eating)


Both women were forgiven.
Painting

The bottom portion of the painting incorporating the gold and brown swirls represents 2 things:


The sinful woman’s hair: stemming from the bottom and moving upward shows her roots in humility and interlaced with Jesus (shown with the gold) as she unites herself to Him. Because hair represents a woman’s glory, her glory and Jesus’ glory intertwine when she serves Him in such a humble way.
Jesus writing on the ground: The account in Luke does not reveal what it was that Jesus wrote, so the mysteries are represented by the indefinable swirls. The gold again reveals the glory of God that is here interlaced with the mysteries of His will; His presence composes His will, which is why the gold is the dominant color, the mysteries are rooted in His glory.

The top portion of the painting composed of the gold and red also represents 2 things:

The gold dripping down represents the anointing oil the sinful woman poured out on Jesus’ feet. The gold and glitter express the purity of her absolute offering despite her sinful lifestyle. There were no hidden motives or expectancies of reciprocity on her behalf; she simply longed to offer her everything to the man who could redeem her. The red outlining the oil reveals Jesus’ absolute offering of Himself at the cross for us. His offering, like hers, was a spotless sacrifice that didn’t go unnoticed. The offering Jesus made of Himself at the cross also represents the justification of the woman caught in adultery being spared her stoning. This is why the gold and the red bleed down on the canvas, because Jesus’ sacrifice has covered it all and in Him we are absolutely forgiven.