The Lamb's Eyes
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. ”
As parents, we must correct the behaviors of our children or they become unruly little miscreants. This is one of the most challenging parts of parenthood. Knowing when to correct, how to correct, and what volume to use when correcting misbehavior is an elusive skill. We admire those special parents who can stop misbehavior with just an intense steely eye. That look is something we all recognize, even if we have yet to master it for ourselves.
Recently, a section of a famous 15th century painting in Belgium by brothers Jan and Hubert van Eyck , The Ghent Altarpiece, was restored. People were upset when they realized that the Lamb of God (in the panel called the Adoration of the Lamb) was giving all of us just that very kind of parental glare. Centuries ago, the painting had been altered to bear a benign fuzzy gaze, but the newly restored glance was not so approving. Suddenly, people felt judged by the painting.
In the side by side images above, compare the expressions of the Lamb.
People in the art world have been taken aback by this change. For example, art historian and writer Shannon Stirone wrote. "I have mixed feelings about this iconic creature turning into something that looks like it's about to tell you that you left the fridge door open." Some view the restored sheep as confrontational or even creepy. Maybe it’s a good thing to remember that Jesus is coming to judge all of us. Lots of us like the concept of a fuzzy-lamby Jesus who tenderly puts up with whatever we do, but we resist the notion that He comes as a fierce lion to set us right. C. S. Lewis depicted the concept of Christ as a Lion and Lamb in a way we can more easily understand when he described a fictional Christ figure- Aslan:
“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.” …”Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”...”Safe?” said Mr. Beaver ...”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
“The speed of him was like the ostrich, and his size was an elephant’s; his hair was like pure gold and the brightness of his eyes like gold that is liquid in the furnace. He was more terrible than the Flaming Mountain of Lagour, and in beauty he surpassed all that is in the world even as the rose in bloom surpasses the dust of the desert.”
“There is a way into my country from all the worlds,” said the Lamb; but as he spoke, his snowy white flushed into tawny gold and his size changed and he was Aslan himself, towering above them and scattering light from his mane. “Oh, Aslan,” said Lucy. “Will you tell us how to get into your country from our world? “I shall be telling you all the time…”
The lion is fierce, glorious, and majestic, but the lamb is meek and gentle. Christ combines these qualities in His very Being. The intense gaze in the restored Lamb’s eye is good for us to consider. God sees us, He loves, us, but He does also judge us. We need God’s love, but we also need His judgement to save us and keep us from being unruly miscreants.
