Images of God: Salvation He Brings

by Brad Malone

It’s uncommon to look to the death of Christ during this season. This week of Christmas celebrations is normally a time where we do not think about death rather we think of life. Well, maybe that is not completely true. Sometimes when we are gathered with our families it is hard not to think of the person who couldn’t be there because they have since shuffled off this mortal coil. But after a few brief thoughts and a small cry we move on to carols, cookies, and comedy. It would be ridiculous to think that this is something that should stop or that it is all-together a bad thing. We are in the darkest part of the year, if it were not for Christmas we would all move a bit slower and be a bit sadder because of the grey winter skies and the overwhelming, cold night. However with the message of Christmas there is a low-key theme of death. The Savior has come to die.

In a way what should be on our minds Christmas day is the death the babe Jesus will come to face. Without the death of Christ, the incarnation would not have shown its power and work. “What Child Is This”—which happens to be my favorite Christmas song—highlights both the incarnation and the death of the babe. The song pleads, “Good Christian, fear: for sinners here The silent Word is pleading. Nails, spear shall pierce him through, The Cross be borne for me, for you; Hail, hail the Word Made Flesh, The babe, the son of Mary!” The birth we celebrate on the 25^th was a birth with a purpose. The birth, one of extraordinary circumstances as is, was the incarnation of God in the flesh. Knowing that the world would reject Him, the birth of Christ was a birth focused on an untimely death at the hands of everyone. The very King of kings in the manger, who wears the crown and the shepherds guard and the angels sing, comes to bear the cross.

To continue looking at interpretations of Christ’s life we look at another painting by Sergei Chepik called Golgotha. The image does not actually show the death of the King of kings or even the throne on which He hangs, but shows the crowd at the foot of His tree. Some of the people could barely look at the atrocity of the cross while others stand in judgment affirming their actions, some stand in outrage with arms outstretch, and then on the ground barely able to hold herself up is the mother Mary. The same Mary who the angel spoke to and brought tidings of joy and the same Mary who clung to her son in the manger. The Man on the cross is her babe, the son of Mary, the Son of Man, the Son of God. Congregated at the foot of the cross stands the guilty (even the ones we would consider innocent) who watch the purpose of the birth come to fruition.

Something different about Chepik’s image of Golgotha is the color. In the other images we have seen there are backgrounds of dark and deep colors. The colors made what we had thought to be joyous and light-hearted moments much more serious. This image of Christ’s death actually has a very light and vibrant color scheme. Despite the dark shadows of death at the bottom, the sky is blue and light is shining brightly. The color scheme affirms us that despite the darkness of the death of the King of kings, there is still the Christmas hope. The incarnation has served its purpose; the Savior has paid the ultimate price. The hope of Christmas is there because at the cross the Savior laid down His life. The peace of man’s salvation has come and in His death the angels sing of joy for “the King of kings salvation brings.”