Gospel in Art: I have kept my Father's commandments

Moses' Descent from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, by Ferdinand Bol, 1662, © Royal Palace, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 12 May 2023
John 15:12-17

Jesus said to his disciples:

'As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.

I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.'

Reflection on the painting

When we hear the word 'commandments', our mind immediately makes us think of Moses and the Ten Commandments. As we know, the Ten Commandments are a set of rules or laws which God gave to the people of Israel. As a devout Jew, Jesus would have been very familiar with these Ten Commandments. Christ himself taught throughout His life that these commandments are much much more than just laws, and more than merely being a list of 'dos and don'ts'. Commandments should enhance our relationship with God and with one another. Jesus builds on the ten commandments when he gives his Sermon on the Mount by showing us further how to remain in God's love.

The painting shown here of Moses descending from the mount after having received the Ten Commandments, is enormous in size at 423 by 284cm. (14ft. By 9ft). It was commissioned from Ferdinand Bol in 1662, for a room in Amsterdam's City Hall which was used by the city's magistrates. A depiction of the Ten Commandments was obviously very appropriate in such a chamber.

We see the moment depicted here where Moses descends from the mount with the second set of tables with the Ten Commandments. He had destroyed the first set when his people turned out to worship pagan gods (Exodus 32:19). We see his brother, Aaron, and the people in the foreground, now more devout and meeting Moses with great enthusiasm. Moses is surrounded by cherubs carrying a variety of symbols. The white lily stands for purity and chastity, the fasces (a bundle of rods from which an axe protrudes) for justice and unity and the circular snake for eternity. There is a lovely S-shaped line of light throughout the painting starting at the middle top of the canvas, illuminating the main figures on its way, and ending in the left bottom corner with the child in red dress praying; the line takes us from the old wisdom of Moses, to the innocence of the child yet to learn everything.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-15-12-17-2023/