Paintings can be worth millions.
The finest of artworks are those of undisputed origin. Van Gogh’s seminal self-portrait, roughly painted in his chaotic style, has a price tag beyond belief.
Then there’s Rembrandt. He did nearly one hundred self-portraits, including paintings, etchings, and drawings. We can know the man because we have his image from over the total years of his life.
How can we know God? From the Bible, of course, where we can read of his nature as he interacts with humanity. Yet, we have more. We have portraits of the Son of God all around us all the time.
Hebrews 2:14 reveals the self-portrait of Jesus:
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.”
Before we skew into misunderstanding, this isn’t a portrait of what Jesus looked like. It’s a portrait of who he became to form our spiritual bridge unto God. It’s an example of how the supreme Father could begin to truly understand what it was to be human.
This verse paints a picture of Christ before the artist’s easel as he stood clothed in humanity’s likeness and lived humanity’s traumas. It reveals a portrait of flesh and blood, and of a life lived experiencing the human condition.
If Van Gogh’s likeness, painted with his own hand, is worth millions, and Rembrandt’s self-portraits are of inestimable value, what’s the image of Christ worth?
Flesh and blood, and human experiences. That’s Jesus’ self-portrait, and we see it in every human we meet, every man, woman, and child. When we’re kind, and we offer unbelievers a way to discover a connection to the Savior, we’re upping the price tag of Jesus’ self-portrait. We’re raising the value of humanity’s worth, and we’re enlarging the kingdom of God.
Jesus has power over the devil, and when we become like Christ, so do we.
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Code: FGO.H.01.17.vp.esv