“Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” (Matthew 26, v21)
The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci, is arguably one of the greatest, and certainly most recognisable, religious paintings in the world. It was completed between 1495 and 1498 for the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, and has been the subject of much scrutiny, analysis and the occasional conspiracy theory over the centuries. It has been restored several times, to the point where almost nothing of the original remains. Yet it continues to draw thousands to see it. Today you can only visit in small groups, and then only for 15 minutes in order to protect its fragile environment.
The painting depicts the moment when Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him. The painting is universally regarded as a masterpiece, not only for the way that Leonardo handles perspective and space, but also for the complex display of human emotions he reveals. The disciples are shown in groups of three with Jesus in the centre, slightly separate from them all. In the first group on the left, Bartholomew, James - son of Alphaeus, and Andrew all show surprise and shock. Next comes Peter, wearing an expression of anger, John – who appears to be swooning - and Judas Iscariot who is slightly in shadow and looks (perhaps understandably) taken aback. In the third group Thomas is upset and angry, with his raised finger perhaps foreshadowing his incredulity at seeing Jesus after the Resurrection. James just looks stunned, and Philip appears to be seeking an explanation. The final group of Matthew, Judas - son of James, and Simon the Zealot are looking at each other, bewildered and seeking answers they cannot provide.
So much emotion. So much turmoil. So many unanswered questions.
However much we try to read the Easter story each year with fresh eyes, it is hard sometimes to truly put ourselves in the place of those closest to Jesus at the time. After all, we know the punch line! We know how the story played out over the coming days; how the dread of the Passover meal, the fear of Jesus’ trial and the horror of the crucifixion was replaced by the joy and new hope of the resurrection. However much we try to do otherwise, we tend to sanitise the story, viewing it as a series of tableaux depicted in beautiful paintings such as this.
Perhaps, as well, we lose sight of the human story of Easter. We understand that in his death and resurrection, Jesus was the fulfilment of God’s divine purpose for, and promise to, the world. Maybe we also need to remember that at the heart of this is a very human story. It is a story of love, friendship and – occasionally – betrayal; a story of ordinary people from very different backgrounds who sacrificed much to follow Jesus. It is a story of people taking faltering steps as they grew in faith and understanding, but at different times and in different ways. It is a story of people who were often frightened, confused and uncertain.
Maybe Leonardo is suggesting that it is the story of us all.
Philip Clarke
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