A true valuation
- Steve Richards
- Oct 4, 2019
- 2 min read
An artwork masterpiece by Florentine Renaissance artist Cimabue, which depicts the mocking of Jesus Christ, has turned up in an elderly French woman’s home in the town of Compiegne, northern France. Thinking that it was just a religious icon, she had it hanging above the hotplate in her kitchen. It has since been valued at £5.3 million and its auction is to take place later this month.
We are told about this mocking of Jesus Christ in all four Gospels in the Bible. Jesus had stood before a hastily convened court. Here the will of the religious leaders, combined with the easily swayed crowd, prevailed upon the Roman authorities (namely the governor Pontius Pilate) to have Jesus condemned to death by crucifixion. First, however, he was handed over to soldiers to be an object of sport and amusement. This consisted of brutality and cruelty, humiliation and mockery. So, physically ‘softened up’, he was nailed to a cross and hung naked, while further insults and mockings were directed at him.
Clearly, the religious leaders, crowds, governing authority and soldiers had not understood, or they had chosen to disbelieve, just who Jesus was saying that he was, i.e. the long-promised rescuer of God’s people. Nevertheless, ignorance is no excuse for wilful, wrong behaviour. How gracious then that Jesus, hanging there on that cross of physical pain and anguish of heart, should pray, ‘Father forgive them they do not know what they are doing.’
There is a Christian hymn that has the line, ‘Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers.’ The writer of these words is looking back to the time when he was ignorant as to the central relevance of Jesus Christ. He sees his own indifference or antagonism towards Jesus and the things of God as being tantamount to standing with those mocking soldiers and people. I think that I can identify with the hymn writer.
Perhaps there is someone reading this who is now sorry that they have been so disinterested in Jesus, treating him with disdain, or have been dismissive of him, seeing him as a mere religious icon and consigning him to the kitchen wall above the hotplate so to speak. Is there a way back?
Remember those words, ‘Father forgive them, they know not what they do’. Christians teach that there is forgiveness to be had, followed by a new way of living. I wonder if that old French lady is sorry that she did not recognise earlier what was available to her. How different her life would have been with 6 million Euros at her disposal! May we each recognise the value of the once mocked Jesus Christ and what spiritual riches he may still bring us.