Passion Sunday
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
This powerful and evocative artwork by Oksana Romaniv-Triska captures the profound suffering and sacrifice of Christ's crucifixion in a strikingly modern and symbolic way. The central figure, with outstretched arms, clearly represents Jesus on the cross, though abstracted and fragmented into expressive, flowing forms.
The vivid reds and oranges convey the bloodshed and violence of the crucifixion, while also suggesting the flames of divine passion and sacrificial love. The blues and earth tones create a sense of depth and movement, drawing the viewer into contemplation of this cosmic event.
The iconographic halo and stylized facial features remind us that this is a depiction of the incarnate Son of God, taking on human form to bear our sins and iniquities. The splatters and drippings evoke both the brutality of the scourging and the pouring out of Christ's lifeblood for our redemption.
In light of this week's scriptures, particularly the epistle's focus on Christ as our great high priest, this artwork powerfully expresses how Jesus fully understood human suffering, being "tempted in every respect as we are" (Hebrews 4:15). And yet, it was through this agonizing death that the "new covenant" foretold by Jeremiah was established, writing God's laws on our hearts through the shedding of Christ's precious blood.
The unsettling abstraction forces us to ponder this unfathomable mystery - how the grisliness of the cross could become the very means of our eternal salvation and forgiveness of sins. As Jesus says: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." This artwork is a powerful visual meditation on that sacrificial, fruitful death that has become for us the source of life everlasting.
The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.
— John 12:35
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Texts for this Week
Prayer
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of this world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Jesus Stretches Forth his Hand
The haunting aria "Sehet, Jesus hat die Hand" from Bach's St. Matthew Passion provides a powerful musical meditation on the very heart of this week's scriptural themes. As the gospels recount, it is from the cross that Jesus establishes the new covenant promised in Jeremiah - "Behold, the days are coming when I will make a new covenant...I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31:31, 34). And it is by the shedding of Christ's blood that this new covenant of forgiveness and grace is eternally sealed.
In this aria, we encounter Jesus hanging on the cross, his arms outstretched in a gesture of loving invitation - "Sehet, Jesus hat die Hand, uns zu fassen, ausgespannt" (Behold, Jesus stretches out his hand to embrace us). The humble vulnerability of the vocal line captures Christ's willing suffering and His desire to draw all people into the redeeming embrace of His sacrifice. It echoes Hebrews' comforting words that our great high priest can "sympathize with our weaknesses" since He has been "tempted in every respect as we are" (Hebrews 4:15).
Yet even in His agony, Jesus beckons us - "Kommt! Wohin? In Jesu Armen sucht Erlösung, nehmt Erbarmen" (Come! Where to? In Jesus' arms seek redemption, receive mercy). What tender affection that the Savior uses His dying breaths to implore humanity to find life through His broken body! This is the gospel John proclaims - "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24). Jesus' outstretched hands are an invitation into that abundant, resurrection life purchased by His death.
"Sehet, Jesus hat die Hand" compels us to fix our gaze on Christ crucified, even as Hebrews exhorts - "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). At the foot of the cross, through Bach's sublime music, we encounter the depth of divine love - a love that suffers and dies so that we might live eternally as the Lord's beloved.
