Art is Everywhere

Art is everywhere, and it changes style over time and cultures. But the thing about Art is that it tells a story. As the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Therefore, art isn't always in portraits of people or things; portraits may be in the words themselves.

In the case of the Bible, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The Word shows us the beauty of God.

Psalm 27:4, "One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: 'That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.'"

Isaiah 33:17, "Your eyes will see the King in His beauty…" And yet, Isaiah goes on to describe the beautiful king in a different than expected way in Isaiah 53:2-3, "...He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by mankind..."

What is the beauty of Jesus? How is His life an expression of God's artistic nature?

Just as art is interpreted differently by different people, so is the image of Christ.

Psalms 18:25-26, "To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd."

Jesus' disciples had trouble seeing God's beautiful design, when they were drawn to the beautiful buildings (Luke 21), but despised Mary's sacrificial gift of perfume in Matthew 26:10, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to Me."

How we see Him has a lot to do with our own heart; theirs changed, so can ours. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

So, the beauty of Christ focuses on what God was willing to do for us to be part of His family, His kingdom, His life! Be an "art critic" that can see the beauty in God's love for us.