Monday, January 13, 2014

Lazarus, Van Gogh and John 11

So in my sermon prep over the last week i was taken with Vincent VanGogh's painting "The Raising of Lazarus".


Some of the many features that critics and expositors talk about this painting and its connection to John 11 are: 
  • The look of horror/astonishment/fear/shock on Martha's face (4 days of rot changing before her eyes)
  • The red beard of Lazarus (possible self portrait of VanGogh) 
  • The absence of a visible Jesus
  • The fact that VanGogh painted this and his other "biblical" paintings while recovering from his dementia in the Saint Paul Asylum in Saint Remy France. 
As a pastor what i find most intriguing is VanGogh's painting of Jesus in-absentia - in other words NOT including him in his version of these events. Especially compared with the etching that Rembrandt did of this same subject which we know was brought to VanGogh and partially inspired his version of this same scene from John 11. Rembrandt's "Raising of Lazarus" is here for comparison...


Note the light in Rembrandt's etching... the light emanates from Lazarus, reflects off Jesus and seems to almost repel the crowd that had gathered on the far side of the grave to see what Jesus would do for this his beloved "friend". For Rembrandt the scene is all about Jesus divine power to resurrect this man he loved and wept over.

By excluding Jesus from his representation of these events, what was VanGogh saying?

He might have been simply using the Lazarus scene to show his very religious sister that he was getting better and "rising from the dead" after his stay at Saint Remy... which didn't satisfy her given the look on her face. Have someone like that in your life? :)

Might VanGogh also be trying to offer a comment on the text of John 11 itself? By painting Lazarus without Jesus visible what was VanGogh saying?

A careful reading of the text of John 11 shows that everyone else in the story is obsessed with the idea that Jesus' presence equals his power. That what is needed is for Jesus to work is for him to be in the right place at the right time with the right people for the right things to happen. The disciples worry that his presence back in Judea and near Jerusalem will have a bad result (vs 8,16). Lazarus' sisters equal his absence with their brother's death (vs. 21-22,32). Even the crowd blames Lazarus' demise on the absence of Jesus.

Where is he, why is he there, what is he doing there, why isn't he here, if only he had been here or there or somewhere else, then this or that or some other thing would or wouldn't have happened.

But what does Jesus say must be present for this miracle or any miracle to occur?

After he tells Martha that he is the resurrection and the life and that anyone who believes in him will never die, Jesus asks her, "Do you believe this?"

The issue for Jesus pertaining to Lazarus' resurrection then is NOT where Jesus is, or when he showed up... the deciding factor for Jesus was - and always is - FAITH.

We know from elsewhere in the Gospels that Jesus' power was not bounded by his physical presence. The Centurion of Matthew 8 is commended for believing simply that "the word" from Jesus would be enough to heal his servant. Jesus does indeed heal the servant without visiting him with the words, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.”

So i think VanGogh, reading the Bible in the asylum, recovering from his own dementia, hearing people's incessant pleas all day for the doctors and nurses to come do this, do that, fix this, fix that, gave him the insight that what Mary and Martha needed most was not the presence of Jesus there to heal their brother, but was rather faith in Jesus' love for their brother and in His ability to raise him up to life again... whether he was there or not.

Therefore you don't need Jesus in the painting because - in a sense - it really isn't about Jesus being there to raise Lazarus from the dead, it is about Martha and Mary trusting in Jesus to do what we know he said he would (vs.11) regardless of WHERE he actually was.

Often we think that God's being there or not being there for us in whatever trial or difficulty we face is the issue. How often we pray for God's action or blessing or healing or changing a circumstance... when in a very real way - as VanGogh's painting about John 11 shows - the issue is NOT about God at all. Three times Jesus is said to "love" Lazarus in John 11. Four times Jesus says he is going to raise Lazarus to life. The text leaves God's love and will beyond reproach. The only matter left in doubt by the narrative is the faith of his disciples, Lazarus' sisters and that of the crowds. Will they - as Jesus said to his disciples in verse 14 - believe?

VanGogh's self portrait.

(For those that want a critic's view and some splendid digital reproductions of this piece and other biblical works by VanGogh visit here.)

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