Bill Steinburg, communications manager for the Toronto archdiocese, says the decision not to accept the sculpture at St. Michael’s may have had to do with renovations at the cathedral and “partly to do with someone’s view of the art.”
To some who have seen it, it speaks the message of the Gospels. When theologian Thomas Reynolds came upon it he felt “the shock of recognition.” He quoted the biblical passage: “ … the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
“I’m so used to seeing images of Jesus that are palatable,” says Reynolds.
“The Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” That’s the first thing I thought about when I saw the statue. Also, “What you do to the least of my brothers, you do to me.”
But the thing that really grabbed me and won’t let go, is the thought of how many times I’ve left Jesus out in the cold, instead of bringing Him inside. How often have I stepped over Christ? How often have I tried to just pretend He isn’t there? And it makes me so ashamed.
I don’t think the artist is using Christ just to cause controversy or for attention as so many “artists” seem to do. I looked at his website sculpturebytps.com/ and he specializes in Christian sculptures and has done many amazing works.
This is so true for each if us. We should never judge who is deserving or undeserving poor,never walk away from helping homeless people. “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters you do to me”
You are good to have this attitude bless your heart
when I first read the title of this thread, I thought it was a statue of Jesus that needed a church to call home. Then I read the article…its a sculpture of Jesus as a homeless person…
It makes sense and I suppose I can understand why a church would be uncomfortable with having it. But we should remember
** For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.**
I don’t think Jesus qualified the statement that we must care for the homeless.
Matthew 25:45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
I would say “the least of these” includes the homeless, even if they are mentally ill or substance abusers. Going from the previous verses, it certainly includes the hungry, thirsty, strangers, those in need of clothing and those who are in prison.
I think the statue captures the spirit of this passage very well.
At the end of the day, HE IS the Creator of the universe. HE IS God, and is perfect in every respect. He is NOT a human who is subject to the fallen nature of the rest of us (thus the circumstances and situations that cause one to become homeless). He is NOT your average Homeless Joe. I believe this statue reduces or even removes the Divinity of Christ, and attempts to make Him just like the rest of us. That is heresy. And I don’t care if it’s “art” and is symbolic – there are other ways to get a point across, I do not believe this is one of them.
Should we then remove every image of Christ dead on the cross from every crucifix around the world? Showing our Lord’s broken and lifeless body, where is the divinity in that? Should Jesus only be shown in blazing white robes seated on a throne in Heaven, with perfect hair, perfect teeth, and the abs of an Abercrombie and Fitch model?
I’m not sure how a fallen nature leads to homelessness. There are many people, through no fault of their own, find themselves on very hard times. Remember, He said what you do to the LEAST of my brothers, you do to me. So every single time we turn our backs on those in these terrible situations we are literally turning our back on Jesus. So in actuality, the Homeless Jesus statue is biblically accurate.
No – and I knew you were going to ask that, but I waited to respond until you did.
The difference is that Christ’s death was to redeem a fallen world. It was not in vain. We reflect on Christ’s suffering for many spiritual reasons - it is not the death of a mere man, it was the death of the Son of God. Big difference.
I’m not sure how a fallen nature leads to homelessness. There are many people, through no fault of their own, find themselves on very hard times.
Fallen nature absolutely does lead to homelessness. If the person is mentally ill, if they have lost a job because of cutbacks because someone made bad business decisions, if they lost their home because their spouse gambled money away ---- it’s all going to come back to fallen nature every.single.time.
Remember, He said what you do to the LEAST of my brothers, you do to me. So every single time we turn our backs on those in these terrible situations we are literally turning our back on Jesus. So in actuality, the Homeless Jesus statue is biblically accurate.
I can’t disagree more. Christ was never homeless. Period.
You are trying to make this into some artistic statement, and I think it fails miserably.
But I’ll not continue to argue this with you, because I have my opinion about this, and you have yours.
Deuteronomy 15:7
“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother.
Matthew 5:42
Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
1 John 3:17
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be that person?
Deuteronomy 15:11
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.
Deuteronomy 24:14
Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.
Proverbs 19:17
Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.
Isaiah 58:10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
Hmm, I think what would make this Statue more real Is if Our Lord Jesus was helping the homeless man or another person (whether it be a man or woman) helping the homeless person out after all we are supposed to see Christ in everyone.
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[BIBLEDRB]Matthew 8:20[/BIBLEDRB]