Gospel in Art: Maundy Thursday - What I am doing you do not understand now

No. 301 (Reds and Violet over Red/Red and Blue over Red), by Mark Rothko, 1959 © Alamy Images / MOCA Gallery, Los Angeles, California

Source: Christian Art

17 April 2025
John 13:1-15

Before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it round his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped round him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, 'Lord, do you wash my feet?' Jesus answered him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterwards you will understand.' Peter said to him, 'You shall never wash my feet.' Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.' Simon Peter said to him, 'Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!' Jesus said to him, 'The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.' For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, 'Not all of you are clean.'

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, 'Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.'

Reflection on the Contemporary Art Painting

Understanding the full significance of certain events often requires the passage of time. In the moment, as the events unfold, their true meaning often eludes us. It's only with the benefit of hindsight, after we've moved beyond the immediate context of these happenings, that we can look back and comprehend their deeper implications. This retrospective view offers us insights that are simply unattainable in the midst of the experience. The same can apply in art. At the time when an artist has painted a work, it is often not understood or can even be misunderstood. Only years later, when a 'retrospective' of the artist's work is organised, can we understand what the artist wanted to convey and how important his or her oeuvre is.

This notion is poignantly illustrated in this evening's gospel reading. After Jesus washes his disciples' feet, he tells Peter, 'At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand'. Initially, Peter couldn't grasp the significance of Jesus's actions; his strong resistance was a testament to his confusion. However, it was only after Jesus's death, resurrection, and the descent of the Holy Spirit that Peter and the other disciples came to understand the profound lesson of servitude and love embodied in Jesus's act of washing their feet. The retrospective view helped them to finally make sense of things.

The retrospective exhibition of an artist, especially after their passing, serves as a lens through which we can more fully comprehend the essence of their body of work and the intentions that lay behind it. At the time, an artist's work might be met with confusion, skepticism, or outright misunderstanding. The true depth of vision and the nuances of the artist's message often remain obscured by contemporary biases. However, with the distance provided by time and the finality of the artist's oeuvre sealed by death, a retrospective offers a unique opportunity for reevaluation and deeper understanding. Moreover, the passing of an artist often liberates their work from the immediate contexts that may have constrained its reception.

I recently saw a retrospective on Mark Rothko. It was a magnificent display encompassing his whole oeuvre. After seeing his body of work, I understood it much better; it opened up for me the artist's importance. Seeing the whole picture of his oeuvre, made me understand the artist better. Seeing the whole picture of Christ with his Passion soon to be upon us, makes us understand him better. I thought I would therefore simply show a 'blood red', a 'Passion red' Rothko canvas for today.

The Passion of Our Lord is upon us.... in a few hours' time...

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-13-1-15-2025/ (with audio)