Putting Flesh on our Faith

In 1500, Albrecht Durer painted a self-portrait that at first glance resembles the classic image of the Christ.  I have tried without success to post a copy here, but if you want to google "Durer Self Portrait," you will see what I mean.  This is one of the most unusual self portraits I have ever seen, because of the deliberate modeling of the picture on that of Jesus Christ.

In that year, the general worldwide feeling was that the Apocalypse was expected; anxiety had spread throughout Christendom.  In response to this and in a spirit of humility, Durer painted himself in the attitude of Jesus Christ.  (You may be more familiar with his famous painting of The Praying Hands.)  His work was inspired by the book Imitatio Christi (Imitation of Christ) by St. Thomas a Kempis.

In the most familiar painting of Christ, Jesus extends one hand slightly in blessing over the world.  In Durer's portrait, the same hand points rather to himself, as one who accepts the gift from God and whose hand imitates the divinely-created world.

As I pondered the serenity and peace of Durer's portrait, I thought about the theology that seems to have inspired such a work.  In 1 Cor., Paul writes, just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we (or let us) bear the likeness of the man from heaven (15:49).  And I think Durer has captured that idea in his portrait.

We are all familiar with the shape and appearance of our bodies, much to our chagrin, for most of us.  However, we are less familiar with the shape and appearance of our souls, because they are immaterial.  If we think, however, about what constitutes the soul, it becomes easier to "see" whether or not we bear the likeness of the Man from heaven.

Our souls are comprised of our minds, our hearts/emotions, and our wills---and these qualities in us are so closely connected that it is hard to speak about them individually.  However, it we look at the "shape" of our minds -- or whose image we bear in our minds, or in our hearts, or in our wills -- it is less difficult to see whose image we bear: Adam's or Christ's.

Abraham Lincoln once rejected the suggestion that he choose a particular man for his cabinet: "I don't like his face," said Lincoln.  "Surely," Lincoln's advisor said, "a man is not responsible for the way he looks."  "Before 40, no," said Lincoln, "but after 40, yes."

If our souls bear the image of Christ, surely we will physically begin after 40 to reflect that image in our physical bodies also.  St. Paul's list of the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 can actually be seen in us, even by strangers:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  These belong to the Spirit of Christ, and they are called "fruits" because they grow in us only through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  No one of us can "give" himself love, or joy, or peace......This is the Gift of God given to us so that we begin to resemble His Son.