Crucifixion (Mystical Moment)
2009
30 x 24 in
oil and acrylic on rag paper
Biblical Themes, Easter
WALL TEXT
Genesis 1:2 (ASV)
And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Matthew 27:45 (ASV)
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
Matthew 27:50–51 (ASV)
Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks were rent.
Colossians 2:14–15 (GNB)
He cancelled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross.
15 And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.
This painting was done for Good Friday, when believers immerse themselves in the mystery of the Redemption. The red moon is a sign of God’s power and judgment. It signals cataclysmic changes in the world order. The black birds receding into the distance remind us of Christ’s victory over sin on the Cross. Emanating from His side, the water that signaled His death has become a fountain of living water that now springs eternally.
A prayer by Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667):
Grant, O Lord, that in your wounds I may find my safety, in your stripes my cure, in your pain my peace, in your Cross my victory…