"Victim, no resurrection"
by Rachel
(London)
I read with interest your article as to Christian art and the artist's cause.
In respect to this and if you really want to see art that questions and challenges, I think you need to see the painting "Victim, no resurrection", by the artist Terry Duffy, recently exhibited at St Martin-in-the Field London.
www.victim-no-resurrection.co.uk
My Response:
Hi Rachel,
I did as you asked and visited the site to view the work of Terry Duffy. As he describes it, the work is a heart felt response to the riots in UK of 1981. The work is now a topic of debate and discussion about victims worldwide. His companion poem for the work, also reflects his sentiment about what is the cornerstone of the Christian faith - the cross and the resurrection of Jesus.
However, I respectfully disagree on the basic premise of the work.
The Bible is very clear that Jesus was NOT a victim. The cross is NOT a symbol of helplessness, but of victory. Jesus knew His destiny was the cross, it was His mission. He was deliberate about it - His every action a conscious step toward it. Here is what He had to say about His own life.
"No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again."Jhn 10:18
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb 12:2 KJV
As for the -"no resurrection" aspect of the title, I once again beg to differ. We are Christians BECAUSE of the Resurrection of Jesus. Our faith would be futile, and frankly ridiculous, if it were not for the Resurrection.
As someone who has been transformed by the Resurrection power of the Cross, I am saddened that all the discussion and debate seems to miss the very essence of Christianity.
Because of the Cross and the Resurrection, I am no longer a victim, but a victor. It is a victory that Jesus won for me, deliberately, with authority and finality. My life was changed and will never be the same.
I do thank you, Rachel, for sharing this work. It does seem to provoke a response.
However, my response is one of disagreement with both the title, and the fruitless debates on victims, with the underlying premise that Jesus was the chief victim around which the discussions seem to focus.
Sara