Art in Scripture: Be Anxious for NothingSýnishorn

Animalia Rationalia et Insecta (Ignis): Plate XIV, c.1575–80
JORIS HOEFNAGEL
Watercolour and gouache, with oval border in gold, on vellum, 14.3 x 18.4 cm, The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Gift of Mrs. Lessing J. Rosenwald, 1987.20.5.15, Photo: Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Opening Prayer:

O LORD, as we spend time with art and Scripture today, stir within us those longings which tie us to our awaited togetherness with You.

Open our minds to the evidence of our souls’ longings for You, that we may more deeply rejoice in the ultimate satisfaction You will be to these questions, curiosities, and desires.

Guide our eyes to connections between our hearts and minds and those of your children who penned Scripture millennia ago: the questions we ponder, confidence for which we grasp, and beauty we crave.

Thoughts for Reflection:

Let your eyes fall on each butterfly in the frame above. What about them stands out to you? Beauty, complexity, fragility?

The artist of this painting, Joris Hoefnagel, includes with this work the Psalm, “The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds” (145:13, NRSVA). Rather than species names or other information of this sort, he combines with his paintings a “commentary of a very different sort,” as described by Marisa Bass (Associate Professor of Northern European Art at Yale University) in the Visual Commentary on Scripture. “They reflect the lessons that might be derived from the investigation of the natural world,” she comments, “and a conviction that even the tiniest insect that exists has something to teach us.”

Picking Luke 12 back up, we will consider again the birds for which God provides. Seeing each of Hoefnagel’s butterflies, intricately painted by him and even more complexly crafted by the same God who created and provides for the birds and for us. Faithfulness and graciousness are the traits of God that stood out to Hoefnagel as he selected a text to accompany this work. As Bass concludes that “we simultaneously read and see the faithful investment in every living thing that the verse proclaims” as we look at the Psalm’s words with this physical example of God’s gracious deeds.

Take your time to read through Luke 12:24 again, then on through the end of 26. Consider the evidence that creatures like the butterflies bring of a God who cares. Read and pray for God to deepen your belief that He cares for you even more.