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Do You Know Him?

By Elsa Day

Giving my friend a sideways glance, or finding a face across a room, looking down at my shoes or even up to the sky, these things are all fine. Looking up to a someone you admire is acceptable.

But what about looking down on someone? What do you think of that?

Yet one of my very favourite paintings by Salvador Dali is of ‘St John of the Cross’ and we are looking down on the figure of Christ hanging there.

Yet this figure from this perspective is as I imagine Christ, young and strong and beautiful yet broken as his head hangs forward. There at His feet is the seaside view of Figueras, the home of Dali… but it could be Galilee: sand, rocks, a net and a fishing boat. I guess he called this after St John because only in his gospel we read that Jesus looks down on those He loves, His Mother and friend, entrusting her into his keeping.

I have a number of books of Dali’s paintings and those telling me of his life.

I have visited his house in Figueras. There I saw the Rolls Royce in the garden with plants growing out of it. I have seen the sofa and soft pillows that make up the face of Mae West. I have seen the face of President Lincoln made out of painted cubes on canvas, and the soft watch… Oh! and there on the ceiling the enormous picture of feet; are they going up to heaven or coming down to earth? Ascension or second coming? And much, much more.

If you are not familiar with his paintings, you won’t know what I am on about!

So, I have been to where he lived, I have seen the pictures, I have read the story of his life. I have even spent a considerable time with his best friend, one he went to school with and the one he trusted with his property when he was away from home, I even met a young man, a protege of Dali, another painter… yet I cannot say I know Dali.

The words that provoked this muse come from the book of Job.

Those of you who have read Job maybe think of him as Godly, yet this is a book of relentless pain and suffering.

Terrible loss, physical agony, agony of mind agony of spirit, all, not helped. by the advice and criticism offered by insensitive friends; yet it is a book which totally changes when God speaks.

From Chapter38 onwards we see the Lord’s magnificent painting in words of His Creation; the most awesome of pictures, His amazing knowledge of it all. His words are also hard hitting… and relentless in their questioning. Somehow, He has to break through Job’s conception of Him and open his eyes to who He is.

Then in Job 42:5, Job says this: “My ears have heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You.”

“My ears have heard of You…” you could say, I have read the stories about You. I have a good knowledge of Him. How many of us are satisfied with this?

There came that day when the Lord met me, and I invited Him into my life, and He journeys with me still; I know Him more and more. He knows all about me: past, present are in His hands, and He holds my future, and that’s enough for me.

Throughout this lockdown He has painted the beauty of His glory through nature, tiny and huge, beauty and the ugliness. Life and loss and change.  Only, His love never changes.

Look again at Him.                   Do you know Him?


 (Painting of Christ of St John of the Cross, by Salvador Dali – accessed here: https://www.dalipaintings.com/images/paintings/christ-of-saint-john-of-the-cross.jpg)


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