One of the book clubs I belong to (yes, there are four!) just finished Ravi Zacharias's Jesus Among Other Gods: the Absolute Claims of the Christian Message. The subtitle tells it all: the Christiam message is unambiguous about the identity of Christ. Postmodernism tolerates eveything but its own absolute claims, and the certainty of Christ's lordship stands in direct contrast.
In the last chapter, Zacharias tells a moving story about Catholic scholar Henry Nouwen, who had a deep fascination with Rembrant's The Return of the Prodigal Son (above). When Nouwen was finally able to see the original, he sat gazing on it for four hours! Here are Nouwen's thoughts about this remarkable painting:
"And so there I was; facing the painting that had been on my mind and in my heart for nearly three years. I was stunned by its majestic beauty. Its size, larger than life; its abundant reds, browns, and yellows; its shadowy recess and bright foreground, but most of all the light-enveloped embrace of father and son surrounded by four mysterious bystanders, all of this gripped me with an intensity far beyond my anticipation. There had been moments in which I had wondered whether the real painting might disappoint me. The opposite was true. Its grandeur and splendor made everything recede into the background and held me completely captivated.
Rembrandt's embrace remained imprinted on my soul far more profoundly than any temporary expression of emotional support. It has brought me into touch with something within me that lies far beyond the ups and downs of life, something that represents the ongoing yearning of the human spirit, the yearning for a final return, an unambiguous sense of safety, a lasting home."
We all share this longing for a "lasting home." In Christ we have been provided that hope! Thank God for Rembrandt, and his ability to portray the fulfillment of this hope!
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