The Portrait

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus. Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing Him. And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures about Himself. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him and He disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:13, 15, 27, & 31)

It's been said, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Like a page from our collective life stories, pictures and portraits, invested with memories, cover our walls, shelves, desks and tables. When first exposed to photography even remote tribes people have remarked, "The soul is captured in a picture's image." Maybe that's why when calamity threatens our homes unexpectedly, we safeguard the photo albums that we cherish. Given the emotions bound by pictures and portraits, it's not surprising that the most effective communicators speak to us using stories and "word pictures" that are formed in the mind's eye and stored in our hearts...

And how about what's pictured in the written word? I recall reading about an art collector who happened upon a novel piece of artwork in an antiques shop that was crowded with weekend shoppers. At first glance, in close proximity, he recognized the work as a unique rendering of the Declaration of Independence. Curiously the words were unevenly grouped together, with many empty spaces dispersed throughout the framed piece. But as he stepped back from the artwork to gain better perspective, he noticed that a portrait of George Washington emerged. Just like the travelers on the road to Emmaus discovered, Christ also emerges in pictures throughout Scripture.

From Genesis to Revelations, God's Word frames a portrait that reconciles mankind to Himself through the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament alone Jesus is seen as the: Creator, Seed of the woman, Lion of Judah, Noah's ark, Abraham's lamb, Melchizedek, a type of Joseph and Moses, the burning bush, the Passover lamb, the Tabernacle, the cloud of Shekinah glory, manna, the Rock, the High Priest, the annual feasts, the serpent on the pole, the City of Refuge, the Captain of our salvation, the Kinsman-redeemer, the splendor of Solomon's reign, the suffering Servant, the glorious Messiah, the Stone cut without human hands, Jonah's revival in the whale and so on...

From there Jesus is variously pictured in New Testament Parables like: the Pearl, the wedding banquet, the ten virgins, the Good Samaritan, the prodigal son, and in the Master and His servant. Elsewhere His character is framed as our: Advocate, Lamb of God, Resurrection, Lord of Lords, Door, Bread of Life, Alpha & Omega, Mediator, good Shepherd, Light of the world, Word, chief Cornerstone, Savior, Almighty, King of Kings, Prince of peace, Bridegroom, King of the Jews, Way, Truth, and Life, Son of man, and Son ofGod. Have you seen His portrait from these perspectives?

Likewise, in great literary works, Christ is pictured in: Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Twain's Prince and the Pauper, Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and so on. The Lord's portrait is also seen in the handiwork of His created order, from the most distant constellations to the animating vitality that sustains the smallest of creatures moment by moment. And He's pictured in relationships, husband to wife, parent to child, brotherhood, the closest friend, and providential leadership of every stripe. Have you discovered His presence in these dimensions?

Especially during Christmas season, we look to share our most cherished portraits with you and your family: from the nativity scene to the cross of Calvary--as well as the one of you and your loved ones seated at the banquet table celebrating the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Every life can become a masterpiece of inestimable worth. With each brush-stroke on the canvas of your heart, the Master longs to complete His portrait...Christ in you--the hope of glory (Col 1:27).

Merry Christmas,

Roy Tanner