Matthew 3:13-17 | Piero Della Francesca | The baptism of Our Lord

Matthew 3:13-17   The Baptism of the Lord

The Baptism of Christ,  Painted by Piero della Francesca (-died 1492), tempera on panel, Painted in the mid 1450’s © National Gallery, London Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. John tried to dissuade him. ‘It is I who need baptism from you’ he said ‘and yet you come to me!’ But Jesus replied, ‘Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that righteousness demands.’ At this, John gave in to him. As soon as Jesus was baptised he came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And a voice spoke from heaven, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’   READ MORE     Reflection on the Painting I have stood many times in front of this painting. It is on display at the National Gallery in London. The shape of the panel indicates that it was originally part of a larger architectural setting, that of the Camaldolese Monastery of Sansepolcro in Tuscany. The main composition shows Christ in a prayerful pose being baptised by John the Baptist on the right. Behind John, a man in white briefs, his feet already in the water, is struggling to get out of his undershirt. He is the next one to get baptised. Above Christ is a white dove, the Holy Spirit. The clouds in the sky have taken on a similar shape to the white dove. The figure of Christ, John's hand holding the bowl, and the bird, form an axis which divides the painting in two symmetrical parts. Another line, this time a horizontal one, divides the painting in two, starting with the three angels’ heads on the left through to Christ and John. The two divisional lines, one horizontal and one vertical, form a cross… The three angels on the left who are wearing different, colourful, bright clothing. In a break from traditional iconography, the angels are not supporting Christ's garments, but are holding each other's hands. It is thought that this could be an allusion to the contemporary Council of Florence (1431-1445), whose goal was the unification of the Western and Eastern Churches… Anyway, enough art historical information about this painting! Today’s reading is important. It is a short passage, yet it contains three quotations in it. The first is John being uneasy about baptising Jesus;  the second is Jesus’ explanation about why John should go ahead and baptise Him; and the third is the voice from heaven. All three are present in this painting. I guess what always attracted me to this painting is that unlike many of the other Gospel passages and paintings depicting them, they are often a call to action as in ‘go and do the same’. But with the Baptism of Jesus, it is different. We are mere witnesses to an important event in His personal life. We simply watch Him being baptised, join him in this intimate moment and marvel in the presence of the Trinity: Christ, his Father and the Holy Spirit. With our finite human minds we cannot fully understand the infinite relationship between Father, Son and Spirit... looking at this painting, we are in the midst of their dynamics and… touched by the divine mystery… by Patrick van der Vorst