John 1:19-28 | Erik Armusik | A voice that cries in the wilderness

John 1:19-28   A voice that cries in the wilderness

Baptism of Christ, Painted by Erik Armusik (born 1973), Painted in 2018, Oil on alumacomp © Courtesy of the artist and St Mary RC Parish, Hamburg, PA, USA This is how John appeared as a witness. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ he not only declared, but he declared quite openly, ‘I am not the Christ.’ ‘Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’ ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?’ So John said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord.’ Now these men had been sent by the Pharisees, and they put this further question to him, ‘Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the prophet?’ John replied, ‘I baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.’ This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.   READ MORE     Reflection on the Painting John the Baptist is preparing the way for Christ. John is raising people’s expectations, excitement is in the air and he instills a sense of urgency around him. John is asking everyone around him to prepare the way of the Lord. Finally the era that the prophets spoke about for hundreds of years has arrived. the Son of God is here! John the Baptist is saying in today’s reading: ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness’. This image of a voice crying out of the wilderness shows that John’s whole mission is to emphasise the importance of Jesus and not his own. John is just the voice, he is not the main man. This is one of the main teachings of Christ already put into action: humility. John understood that his role was being a messenger, but that ultimately the true message would come from the Son of God when Christ would start his ministry. Born in 1973, painter Eric Armusik grew up in the northeastern coal region of Pennsylvania. Once one of the largest coal mining operations in the USA, his hometown was a landscape riddled with the depressions of post-industry mining. His first experiences with art were inside the various churches near where he lived. Through the beauty of the Church he discovered God and art. Now his life is at service of painting Christian Art subjects. He works in the tradition of academic realism and I must say some of his work is very striking. In today's painting we see Christ being baptised in the river, with a gentle ray of light of the Holy Spirit descending on Him. by Patrick van der Vorst