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Heads of Six of Hogarth’s Servants,
Painted by William Hogarth (1697–1764),
Oil on canvas,
Painted circa 1750
© Tate Britain, London |
| Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”’ |
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| | Reflection on the Painting
What a huge dose of realism today’s Gospel reading brings. Jesus suggests that we are ‘merely servants’. It sounds rather harsh to tell us that, but let’s look closer at what the word ‘servant’ actually means. It is isn’t only about being subservient to a master or a boss. No, ‘servant’ means that we have limits. We have limits as we cannot act without our master; limits in our abilities, limits in our achievements; limits in our talents; limits in our generosity… because we are human. It is only when we understand that we are limited and seek to go beyond these limits that we can find God.
So this reading is not about Jesus wanting to enslave us or putting us in our place. It is a direct call to humility and invites us realise our limits. And having limits is fine. We actually should treasure these limits, as because of these limits, we can seek and find God. Each time we reach our limits wether physically, mentally, emotionally, this can be a direct invitation to grow closer to Our Master, Our Good Lord.
This unusual and attractive group portrait of William Hogarth’s servants hung originally in his studio. It did not only just show off his skills of being able to paint great expressions and characterisations of figures, but to me it gives the servants great dignity and respect. If it wasn’t for the title of this painting ‘Heads of Six Servants’, we wouldn’t really know that they were serving staff. There is a collective sense of dignity and humanity emanating from this picture; dignity that God gifted to us all. We are all creatures, coming from dust. The dust isn’t all that significant when considered isolated and on its own, but it becomes important when we see God’s artistic hands pick up this dust and shaping it into a human being… a creature made in His image… But we have our limitations and should realise that… for only God is unlimited, eternal and almighty!
by Patrick van der Vorst |  | |
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