I am using this generosity in the sense of poor in spirit. In the Middle Eastern Hebraic context, grasping the figures of speech of “A Good Eye” in Hebrew (ayin tovah) means: to look out for the needs of others and be generous in giving to the poor. And when they came, he welcomed them, he fed them and prayed over them. As the Roman authorities came to take Polycarp captive, he waited in submission for them.
I selected Polycarp, a martyr of the first Century Church, and 1 Peter 2:18-24 as the subject for this piece. Sin, no longer a wall between us and our Lord, our relationship is restored. We can lift our heart to the light exposing our sins, allowing Jesus, the only one who is able, to clean and renew our heart. When our eyes are opened, we see our sinful state and repentance and confession can occur. We hide it in darkness, represented by the dark area of the background.
Spectra painting company skin#
This sculpture shows a heart with black skin that represents sin sin accumulates when we ignore it. He will take the filth and cast it as far as the east is from the west. We must take the sins from the darkness and hold them up to His light. We have only to regret and admit our wrongdoing, believing in what He has done. Died and lived again and has given us the opportunity to live with Him. Our maker has taken the filth of our sins as His own and died for us. Ashamed, we hide our sin in darkness, not wanting others to see or even admit to ourselves its influence on our heart. No amount of good deeds will rid us of sin's filth. No matter how hard we try, we cannot rid ourselves of its darkness. Our sins do not disappear, but accumulate getting thicker, deeper, dulling our senses and squeezing the life out of us. Lying, cheating, stealing, arrogance, gluttony, abuse, murder, pornography, embezzlement, snobbery, pickiness, jealousy, lust, idolatry. “So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation.” 1 Peter 5:10 (NLT) It is also a place where we can laugh, recollect good times, and experience real joy. Silence, Solitude, and Prayer: A place where we can struggle, be in agony, and ask hard questions. In silence and solitude, a place of conversation with our Lord, can my tears be repurposed? Can I develop a new sense of purpose and celebrate my own uniqueness in Christ, even when in the deepest struggle of my life? Can I recycle the scars I bear, and indeed find my identity and sense of worth only in the finished works of Jesus? Yes. He persevered, endured, and calls us to do the same.
Jesus “repurposed” His pain and tears and as scripture goes on to read, He wanted nothing more than to please His Father God. Jesus wept real tears, even falling to the ground at one point. Although there was much struggle, sorrow, and pain, He went to a quiet place…a place of solitude and silence, where probably only the sound of His own cries and pleadings could be heard. Jesus’s soul was crushed with grief, and He pleaded for His heavenly Father to somehow provide a way out of what He knew was soon going to happen. Jesus took some of His closest friends to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Mark 14:36 (NLT) Please take this cup of suffering away from me. “Abba, Father, cried out, “everything is possible for you. “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.” Mark 14:34 (NLT)
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