I made a sketch this past week, titled “The Every Single Day Supper”, and it is my response to the Easter message. My pencil sketch is inspired by the renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci’s well known painting, “The Last Supper”.
I find it fitting to briefly tell you the story of this event. (You can read the original text in Matthew 26:17-30.)
It was the first day of Passover and Jesus called the disciples together to celebrate. They had reason to celebrate… Why? They could look back in remembrance of the day that Israel was freed from slavery. They could remember the day when the angel of death passed over the homes of those who had sacrificed a lamb, saving them from death. And so, they celebrated, and with food of course – because Jesus loved food.
It was also the final meal that Jesus could share with his friends before his suffering. I can imagine mixed emotions being seated around the dinner table… They could look back at the glorious works that God had done, celebrate His faithfulness. However, they all knew that Jesus would soon be murdered and that their time with each other was short lived. I can only imagine that there must also have been a heaviness around the table as everyone tried to spare themselves the pain of confronting the reality they face: that the Son of God would be crucified.
Just to make things even worse, Jesus tells them that one of them was going to betray him. They argued about who that person could be, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”. It was Judas that would betray him. Jesus then breaks the bread, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Next, he took a cup, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” The Passover meal ended with Jesus becoming like a servant, washing the feet of the disciples.
That in itself is quite a chunk of meat to digest.
It brings me to my sketch, “The Every Single Day Supper”. This pencil sketch depicts a family seated around a dinner table sharing a meal together. My intention was for it to be contrasted against the historic image of the twelve disciples feasting with Jesus. The differences are that the scene in my sketch takes place in our lifetime – it could very well be a dinner taking place in April 2017. Also, it shows a regular family (most likely a middle-class, black, South African family) instead of Jesus and his disciples. However, the similarities are far more significant to me. Both images represent community, fellowship, feasting. There is a celebratory element in both.
My heart in this artwork is to act as a reminder. It is a reminder that we have a reason to celebrate and to come together in fellowship to celebrate together! And why? We have reason to celebrate! We have been freed from slavery! We no longer need to sacrifice a suitable lamb as a temporary covering of our sins! We have reason to celebrate because Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice! The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). We have reason to celebrate because his blood shed made the forgiveness of our sins final! No other blood shed will ever be needed. We celebrate because Jesus is the only mediator between us and our Father in Heaven. We celebrate because we can stand in right-standing, without blemish, before God. We celebrate because we can be in relationship with God.
“The Every Single Day Supper” is also a reminder that Jesus’s next feast is still to come and more importantly that it is one that we are ALL invited to, but that it is one that we need to prepare for. Jesus’s next celebratory feast, The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, will be with us when he returns to fetch his bride. I would like to include the text from Revelations 19:6-9:
“The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
My artwork, “The Every Single Day Supper”, may as well have been titled, “The Every Single Day Breakfast, Lunch and Supper, and Every Snack In Between”. For there are not enough meals per day to acclaim all the reasons we have to celebrate.
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I would love to hear about the things you celebrate and the good works Jesus has done in your life! Feel free to comment below!
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