Seeing Past Jesus
By Sally Bishai (03/23/06)
While I don’t know the official reasoning behind the Muslim banning of images of Muhammad (I’ve heard several things, but 1- I’m no Islamic scholar, and 2- neither were any of my sources, hence my leaving it as I left it), I can certainly understand the recent to-do about the cartoons from Denmark.
See, I have Jesus everywhere—on the living room wall, in a glass-enclosed statue on my desk, on a candle from the local Catholic Church... and, rather than be happy that I can be reminded of Him every five seconds, I have begun to visually tune Him out; not out of a lack of love or respect, but because I realize that this isn’t Jesus, that looking the artwork in the eyes is nothing like connecting with Jesus Himself.
But that’s not all. Sometimes, when something (or someone) is so familiar to us, we take them for granted, we get the idea that we can get away with more. (Or less, as the case may be. Married people, back me up, here.)
Like, I know for a fact that someone would dress better for a date with someone they met only twice (and liked, obviously), than for someone they knew for 20 years. (Come back here, married people, I ain’t finished with you!)
And I know that no one in the history of the world makes it a point to appreciate the artwork on the wall or on the bookshelf every single time they walk past it. Nothing would ever get done!
Also, seeing such an exalted figure (I have no words to even express how high He is!) so often, even though we Christians take Jesus not only as a savior but as our best friend, might denigrate His status to that of, say, a boss we were fond of and respected, but didn’t tremble before.
(This is why they warn teachers against fraternizing with their students—because when there’s a power structure involved, it always changes the dynamic, and usually gets in the way.)
Another thing—and I might just be the only one who feels this way, but I’m sure that the more intelligent of my readers will at least see where I’m coming from (and where I’m going), even if they don’t agree with my statement that Jesus should be too exalted a figure in our minds to be mere artwork.
Like, I have this great poster of Him in my piano room, just behind a double-decker synthesizer stand, and between a framed copy of me on the front page of a newspaper (it was for the release of Mid-East Meets West—wow, has it really been almost three years since my first book came out?!) and a beautifully matted print of Marilyn Monroe, holding onto her poufy dress for dear life.
Did you hear what I just said?
I just informed you that I have an artist’s representation of the Son of the Creator of the whole universe between a piece of Plexiglas and some over-priced paper! And next to Marilyn Monroe, for that matter!
“Well, Sally, instead of going on for 17 hours, why not just take the poster down?”
It’s not as easy as that, though. How would it look if I were to do that? I can just see it now.
“Hey Sally! You’ve actually cleaned! There’s WALLPAPER on the walls, and not just stacks of papers and books adorning them! Wait a second.. where did that fabulous painting of Jesus with the green eyes go? Wasn’t it across from the microwave?”
See what I mean? As though I were good enough to untie his sandal, much less pick him up because he was blocking the view of the geraniums!
I can’t be the only one who thinks this, although I know I’m not going to get any support from my icon-loving Orthodox friends, who would get Jesus wallpaper if they could.
This is not to say that, because I’m a protestant, my faith or my religion is any better than theirs (they would be the first to set me straight if I was insane enough to suggest it! ;)— only that they (oftentimes) believe you can get a blessing from touching a Jesus photo, and I don’t.
I’m sure I’ll get some comments (as usual) from some long-lost Copt (or Catholic, for that matter) who just has to inform me that this is a cultural thing, but has no Biblical backing.
That’s fine, but the fact is that there are SOME Copts (et al) who subscribe to this, and no one can ever tell me “Oh, there are NO Copts who believe in the whole superstitious-touchy-photo-thing.”
In a final point before I leave this topic, I’d like to point out that this artwork thing is NOT the same as wearing a cross around your neck or wearing a Jesus t-shirt!
Why? Well, because wearing something is, more often than not, a way to indicate that it’s a symbol that you’re behind (or not).
Like, I would never in my life wear a Budweiser t-shirt, or a pentagram around my neck. (This is not to say you COULD not, only that I, Sally, WOULD not.)
By the same token, I know co-eds who wear anything that libraries, colleges, credit-card companies or the street-teams of hillbilly recording artists would give to them.
(And rock stars love to wear the cross, or other religious symbols, for that matter.)
But a shirt or pendant is eminently changeable (and, as previously discussed, not always indicative of one’s affiliation or lack thereof), whereas it’s harder to go about changing paintings and wall treatments at one’s whim.
At any rate, I must away now; there’s a framed portrait of a blonde bombshell that I really do need to take down from the wall of my piano room...
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