Father's Image

Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-25)

You may not believe me, but I've recently met Rembrandt! No, not the man himself, but I visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and stood face to face with one of his great paintings, ‘Titus as a monk’. And you know what? I didn't know this painting at all! It really is an extraordinary piece of art. Most of the canvas is painted with all the dark colours that Rembrandt is famous for. Your eyes are automatically drawn to the pale face of Rembrandt's son Titus, posing in a dark brown robe and monk's hood. Please allow me to share this special experience with you... No, I can't show you the real painting (you have to visit Amsterdam and the Rijksmuseum to experience this sensation) - but I can give you a little picture with this official description:

Rembrandt painted this portrait of his son Titus dressed as a monk in 1660. The monk's habit offered Rembrandt the opportunity to show his skills in the painting of brown tones. He depicted every possible nuance of brown, both in the deep shadows and light areas, so that the thick woolen material almost becomes tangible. In the background, Rembrandt has loosely painted a bush and a wall. Titus's thin face is separated from the background by the brown hood. This concentrates attention on his downcast eyes and his introspective gaze. Titus was not a monk, although he probably served here as a model for the famous monk: St Francis of Assisi.

Maybe you are thinking, hmm, that's all very interesting, but why do we need to know this? Please visit the Rijksmuseum and be awestruck by Rembrandt! No, the man is not there in person, but then again - he is... You can see his master skills in every touch, in every little detail. But you can also see how much he cared about his son, because his love is mirrored in a face that is so real that you almost feel like touching it. You can also hear Rembrandt's heartbeat and experience his passion in this timeless painting. Yes indeed - you can feel his creative genius deep down inside your soul...

There's no denying, you can meet Rembrandt in the Rijksmuseum. A piece of art was never produced by sheer coincidence - out of absolutely nothing. If you think that such a coincidental creatio ex nihilo is a human possibility, you need to get a mental check-up. Only God can create beauty out of nothing and speak things into existence! Just look around you, do you recognize the Master's hand in the beauty of his creation? Did you ever have an up-close and personal look at the image of his Son, as depicted in God's living Word? Did you ever hear the Father's heartbeat and did you ever experience the power and inspiration of his Holy Spirit? Well, you can. And you don't have to travel to Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum to get in touch with the Father through his Son. Open your heart to the Spirit of God and he will open your eyes for the truth that can be found right here.

Click pic to enlarge. Source picture and description.