Gospel in Art: Jesus asked 'What do you want?'

Look we have found the Messiah, by Domenichino © Sant'Andrea della Valle, Rome

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 14 January 2024
John 1:35-42

As John stood with two of his disciples, Jesus passed, and John stared hard at him and said, 'Look, there is the lamb of God.' Hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, 'What do you want?' They answered, 'Rabbi,' - which means Teacher - 'where do you live?' 'Come and see' he replied; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day. It was about the tenth hour.

One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. Early next morning, Andrew met his brother and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' - which means the Christ - and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked hard at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas' - meaning Rock.

Reflection on the Fresco Painting

It is always worth reflecting on the questions that Jesus asks in the gospels. They are invariably questions that he is addressing also to us. In John's gospel, the opening words of Jesus take the form of a question, the question we find in today's gospel reading addressed to two disciples of John the Baptist, 'What do you want?' Jesus is asking after their deepest desires, 'What are you really looking for?' would be another way of phrasing this question. By means of this question, Jesus invites all of us to bring our deepest desires to him. And what is our deepest desire? For all of us it is happiness.

Hence Jesus tells the two disciples 'Come and see'. Indeed by following Jesus, and seeing what he is all about, we will find true happiness. Both the question 'What do you want?' and the invitation of Jesus to 'Come and see' are worth holding onto and pondering over, as we begin this new year.

Our fresco was painted by Domenichino (Domenico Zampieri) in the choir of Sant'Andrea della Valle, Rome, between 1622-28. Domenichino painted the entire vault of the choir with scenes from the life of St Andrew, set within elaborate stucco frameworks designed by the artist, painting and architecture blending into one. Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a shoemaker, and there initially studied under Denis Calvaert. After quarrelling with Calvaert, he left for Rome in 1602. There soon after his arrival he was nicknamed Domenichino, meaning "little Domenico" in Italian, because of his small stature. He soon became one of the most sought after artists in Rome. Our fresco depicts the Gospel reading of today, where John the Baptist is pointing to Jesus, flanked by a lamb at his feet. Andrew and Simon Peter are depicted on the right. Their joyous pose expresses both that they have found the Messiah and their willingness to 'go and see', and follow Christ.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-1-35-42-2024-2/