The Good Samaritan

One of twelve paintings in the “What We Believe” Ascension Press series. Prints are available through Ascension here!

You’ll be directed to the canvas print options, for paper prints, click the “shop now” button on the right, under a photo of the Baptism as a paper print.

Scroll down to learn more about this piece!

Description

This is one of 12 paintings for the Ascension Press program “What We Believe” found here.

The composition on this one in particular was very important; if you compare all the other paintings in the series, this one is the most zoomed out, and it’s completely by design: it’s just far out enough that we can look upon the scene and either enter it, or move on.

This is the image of the moral life, our duty to go out and serve the Body of Christ, to receive others as if they were Christ Himself.

We see the whole of the wounded man, laying as though dead, bruised and bloody. In the desolate desert in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, there is absolutely nothing. No flowing streams, no shade, no nothing for the Good Samaritan to use to alleviate the pain of the wounded man.

But he doesn’t let that stop him from awkwardly, strugglingly to hold up the wounded man. But in this, he draws the man into an embrace, with a gaze full of nothing but love.

But what about us, will we come to the wounded man’s aide, or move on by?

To flip the scene, and enter in AS the wounded man, we look at his bruised and battered body. Cut on the cheek from a blow, sliced knee and shin from trying to run away, cut arm and wrist, perhaps in defense, bruised ribs unable to be sheltered from blows by the thieves, and wounded heart, still bleeding.

Battered by evil and left for dead. Jesus comes to us and cares for our wounds.