Gospel in Art: There stands, unknown to you, the one who is coming after me

Homeless Jesus, by Timothy Schmalz, 2013 © Timothy Schmalz / Alamy

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 2 January 2024
John 1:19-28

This is how John appeared as a witness. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, 'Who are you?' he not only declared, but he declared quite openly, 'I am not the Christ.' 'Well then,' they asked 'are you Elijah?' 'I am not' he said. 'Are you the Prophet?' He answered, 'No.' So they said to him, 'Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?' So John said, 'I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord.'

Now these men had been sent by the Pharisees, and they put this further question to him, 'Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the prophet?' John replied, 'I baptise with water; but there stands among you - unknown to you - the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.' This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.

Reflection on the public sculpture

Towards the end of today's gospel reading, John the Baptist declares to those who question him, 'There stands among you, unknown to you, the one who is coming after me'. Jesus was standing among them, but they were unaware of his significance. Only John knew who Jesus really was. He could see more deeply than anyone else there present.

Jesus was close to them, standing among them. Yet, he was also remote from them, because they were blind to who he was. John the Baptist could use the same phrase with reference to us today, 'there He stands among you, unknown to you'. True, Jesus is as present to us now as he was to his contemporaries. Yet, he often stands among us, unknown to us. We do not always recognise his presence. We maybe need a John the Baptist figure to help us to see the Lord around us.

Jesus is indeed present in everyone we meet. He is maybe first and foremost present in the homeless person on our streets. Many of you will be familiar with this sculpture by Timothy Schmalz. Titled 'Homeless Jesus', it shows a life-sized figure shrouded in a linen blanket showing visible wounds on his feet. Jesus is depicted as a homeless person, sleeping on a park bench. His face and hands are obscured. Schmalz visited Pope Francis in November 2013 to present a miniature version of this statue. He recalled the Pope's reaction: "He walked over to the sculpture, and it was just chilling because he touched the knee of Jesus, and closed his eyes and prayed. It was like, that's what he's doing throughout the whole world: reaching out to the marginalised." Three years later, in 2016, over 100 casts of the sculpture were installed throughout the world. Our photo shows one of these bench sculptures, outside Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland.

What I like about the sculpture is that Jesus leaves just about enough room on the bench for someone else to sit down…. right next to him. If that was a real homeless person sleeping on a bench, would we go and sit beside him?... Or would we walk away and fail to see Jesus...?

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-1-19-28-2024/