Jonah leaves the city of Nineveh

Jonah 3

What I love about the Jonah story is that he is generally portrayed as a villain. He is a prophet that flat out did not want to do what God told him and he went out of his way not to. As much as I would like to go into the back story of why Jonah would want Nineveh to be overthrown I would rather keep it simple.

Mat 12:39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

Jonah being in the belly of a fish for three days and Jesus being dead for three days; Jonah preaches to a city of gentiles and they repent and the message of the apostles “the Gospel” goes out and us gentiles turn and believe. This is the sign given to the Jews and for us, Jonah points to Jesus and the Salvation he wrought.

Nino  

The New Temple

The picture comes from a view of 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.  The reality that we do not ascend up a mountain top to meet with God nor do we have to visit a temple, but that we are now the temple of God. The smoke is the mystery of being filled with the presence of God. This is a new relationship between humanity and God that comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ, being united with him through the Holy Spirit. The simplicity in this picture is like the simple relationship we have with Christ.  On the surface not much, but the deeper you dig the richer it becomes.
Nino

Baptism of Jesus

The baptism of Jesus should be more amazing than this picture shows. Yet, it seems to me from the encounter between Jesus and John what was happening was only known to the two of them. Reading all the Gospel accounts, I was thinking over the fact that God revealed and concealed his Son for so long and no one knew, even in this moment he was as normal in appearance as everyone else.  Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve.  Jesus stands apart from any man who Claims to be holy, in the fact that he lived and moved and pursed God by becoming and being common. Even at Jesus’ baptism he only showed his glory to John. My thought is how much we dress up for one another and Jesus had dressed down for us, he doesn’t expect us to reach his level, he comes down to ours. For comfort, we would rather ascend for a mountain top experience instead of descending to serve the least of these lost and broken sinners.

God Bless

Nino

Prayerful Obedience

The passage is taken from Philippians 2:5-11. The humility and obedience of Jesus is amazing, considering that He is God in the flesh worthy of all honor and praise.  The painting is that of Jesus praying with his hands raised to heaven, and the aroma of his prayer caught up in the vision of his obedience unto death (and that of one on the cross) on the mount of skulls. I believe the passage calls believers to serve one another humbly, because none of us are better than Jesus. Even though there is more than that which can be said, I will leave it at that.

God bless ,

Nino

The Word

John 1:1-4

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

John 1:14 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

My thought about the Word of God coming, which is Jesus; is him reading the word of God, The incarnate Word reading from the written word.  He is the perfect mediator between men and God, equal to represent both sides, he came into this world to be the first born amongst his brothers (Hebrew 2:17). On this day in history we celebrate the birth of one who preexisted whom through all things was made. And through ultimately his death and resurrection, everything will be made new when he returns, to the praise of His glorious grace.

Merry Christmas

Nino

The Shepherds High Honor

The reason for the white page is the un-represent able experience of the shepherds.  In my mind the little use of color best represents the glory that was seen.

I feel envy over shepherds whose eyes have seen the Glory of heaven, yet it produces in me such a hope. To know that what the shepherds experience was a Holy and reserved honor, the fact that the incarnation was a onetime event, and God in His love for the meek and lowly invited shepherds to the birth of His Son. God still does this today (1 Corinthians 1:26-31) yet he gives us more (John 1:9-13). God adopts us as sons and daughters. The high honor of the shepherds was to see what had been proclaimed to Adam and Eve.  The seed of the woman was finally here.

Merry Christmas

Nino

The Journey

The painting takes root in Luke 2:1-7. My original idea was to have Joseph and Mary struggling to get to Bethlehem with a ghostly Herod looming over them.  But as the painting does, it decided with a simple picture of them approaching the top of a hill overlooking Bethlehem. The journey of faith the newlywed couple has embarked on, has taken them from their home with uncertain prospects for their future. Mary’s walk of faith realized with the birth of her First Born Son and for Joseph, the hard road of faith with the adoption of the Son of God.  Little did they know, after the census they would be on the run to save the life of their son into Egypt which was once the land of captivity for their people.  I can’t help but wonder what it was like filling the days in between the message of the angel to the birth of the child. How many late night talks did they have of who the boy would be, what he would be like?  I know that with every child, my wife and I were in continuous wonder and anticipation. The amazing incarnation would blow my mind!

Merry Christmas

Nino