How do you depict the Resurrection in a single image? That was the task I set myself last night. Could I produce a series of digital doodles that could be used with different age groups during Holy Week and Easter? Where could I begin?
On Easter Sunday we heard one of my favourite Gospel readings, from St. John, Chapter 20, verses 1 to 18 (see below). It is the dramatic account of Mary Magdalene’s early morning visit to the tomb, to attend to the body of Christ. But, the stone has been rolled away, and Jesus isn’t there. Mary tries to find out where his body is, and even asks the gardener…she is desperate, in her grief, she weeps.
And then everything changes as she realises that the gardener isn’t a gardener after all but her “Rabbouni” – her teacher. Mary is actually talking face to face with Jesus, the risen Christ!
This was totally new territory. The man she saw crucified only two days before, the man she saw give out his last breath, was now talking to her. Mary had arrived at the tomb carrying her jar of spices, and left with tidings of a brand new world.
She was entrusted with the Good News for his disciples. All she could say at the moment was “I have seen the Lord!”
Everything had changed. Through the power of God, Jesus had conquered death, and would encounter hundreds of his disciples over the next 40 days.
So, how would you capture a moment like this?
Seeking inspiration I checked Bishop John Pritchard’s excellent “Living Easter Through the Year” (SPCK) and found that he too had noticed there are far fewer paintings depicting the resurrection compared to those of the crucifixion.
So, how could I hint at this wonderful hope in a simple way? I attempted to draw Mary as she was leaving the tomb, worry wiped away from her face, glowing in the sunrise, the empty tomb behind her. It was okay-ish, so I saved it. My App at this point had a bit of a glitch and would not open another page, so I began to ‘paint’ over the resurrection image with something else, and would try again later.
And then, accidentally, I clicked the wrong tool and wiped away part of the new image, revealing the resurrection scene below. What emerged was a sliver of the tomb from beneath, a hint of the resurrection. It looked quite strange. One more swipe, and I had a cross shaped view.
Suddenly, I found something compelling about about having both images – the cross and the empty tomb – occupying the same space.
The cross appears much softer now – a symbol of hope. There is the hint of pink glow of sunrise, the light emerging from the tomb, and Mary, relieved, looking towards her teacher. Her eyes fixed on the Lord, not Christ crucified but the risen Lord.
Is there a reminder here about looking beyond the cross with hope?
Does it say something about life’s constant ebb and flow?
So, does this provoke a reaction for you? If it does then do let me know.
Many Thanks.
Lesley
***
The Gospel reading from St. John, Chapter 20 (Verses 1 to 18)
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)
The Resurrection of Jesus
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’
Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’
Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Here is the link to the reading on Biblegateway –It is a great site and has lots of different translations:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2020&version=NRSVA
Find John Pritchard’s “Living Easter Through the Year” at http://spck.org.uk
creativerev 