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Further Afield,
Painted by Paul James,
Painted in 2011,
Oil on canvas
© Paul James Art, Private Collection, London |
| Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? I tell you solemnly, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.’ |
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| | Reflection on the Painting
Today’s Gospel reading is a very short parable, basically telling us a very short, simple and powerful message: God never lets go of us, no matter how far we move away from Him.
That is how God behaves towards us, but this short passage tells us also something about ourselves: no matter how in our hearts we feel that we are far removed from God, we only need to turn to Him and He is there, waiting for us, and ready to be there with us and for us. A wonderful image, where we can feel God rejoicing in our return to Him.
So it is important in our daily lives to look out for that lonely sheep; one that can be returned to God. Temptation is always wanting to feel comfortable with the 99 sheep and focussing on them, and celebrating with them. But Jesus sends us on mission to bring back any lost sheep, one by one.
This beautiful painting is by Paul James, a British contemporary painter who focusses on animals and landscapes. I have seen a lot of his work over the years, and this is one of my favourite paintings he did. It shows three sheep in Charnwood Forrest in Leicestershire, close to where the artist grew up.
by Patrick van der Vorst |  | |
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