The Human Jesus

Maggie Murphy

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” - I John 4:9

The God of the Bible offers his followers a unique sense of peace, comfort, compassion, love, and mercy which sets him apart from any other religious deity. However, the ultimate characteristic of the God of the Bible is his empathetic connection to his followers by manifesting himself as a human being: Jesus Christ. Christ walked alongside his people and experienced everyday temptations, hardships, and emotions of everyday life on Earth. Many religious works of art highlight the holiness and royalty of the Christian God, but the artworks that depict the life of Jesus Christ remind the audience that Christ was in fact a real human. Whether it is his dependence on his mother, Mary, to raise him, his need for food, or his feelings of intense emotions, Jesus Christ walked alongside his people as a human being himself. Artworks that belong to the early 14th century through the late 18th century show Jesus experiencing loneliness, pain, celebration, feasting, fellowship, and childhood. These seven artworks in this exhibition work together to answer the question: How does Christian artwork reveal the humanity of Jesus Christ?

Gerard David, The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, 1512-1515

oil on wood, 20 x 17 in, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, 49.7.21

Life on Earth begins in the form of a baby. God could have manifested himself on earth differently, but instead Jesus came in the form of an infant who needed a mother and a father to raise him into a functioning man. In David’s work, Jesus is being fed by his mother, Mary which depicts the helpless dependence on his mother to feed and raise him. Jesus depicted as an infant reflects the human incapability of doing things independently.

Ugolino da Siena, The Last Supper, 1325-1330

Tempera and gold on wood, 13 ½ x 20 ¾ in, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, 1975.1.7

Humans cannot live without food and relationships with one another, which is exactly what is depicted in Ugolino da Siena’s The Last Supper. Jesus is feasting with his disciples, fulfilling his need for food and fellowship. Jesus is also wearing garb that is similar to his disciples and eating the same food as them, which puts him on the same level as his human friends, even though he is still a Holy God. Jesus is fully god and fully human which is depicted successfully in Siena’s work because Jesus is bigger than the other figures and comforting someone, too.

Adriaen Collaert, Jesus Calling the Apostles Among the Fishermen, 1585

engraving on laid paper, 6 x 8 ⅛ in, Rosenwald Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1964.8.361

Humans have professions, and a popular one during the time of Christ was to be a fisherman. Collaert’s piece depicts Jesus walking alongside his apostles as they fish. This reflects how Christ did not sit high and holy on his throne, but rather met his people where they were, in the middle of their work, and walked alongside them and offered them help. Jesus was never too good or too holy to be absent from the everyday lives of his people.

Master of the Catholic Kings, The Marriage at Cana, 1495-1497

oil on panel, 137.1 x 92.7 cm (54 x 36 1/2 in.), Samuel H. Cress Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C., 1952.5.42

Celebrations are another important event in the lives of humans. Special celebrations, such as weddings, have been a celebrated tradition throughout the majority of history. The Marriage at Cana shows Jesus being both God and human. He is performing his miracle of turning water to wine while also everyone is celebrating a wedding feast. His right hand in the painting shows the miracle being performed and the surrounding people show his acceptance into the celebration.

Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi), The Agony in the Garden, 1504

oil on wood, 9 ½ in x 11 ⅜ in, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, 32.130.1

This artwork reflects the story told in the Bible of Christ praying to his father in heaven to spare his impending death on the cross while his close friends fell asleep in the garden. Christ experiences a sense of loneliness and helplessness which are both very human emotions to feel. This artwork suggests how Christ can empathize with his people because he experienced not being held up by his closest friends in times of trouble and pleading to spare the pain and suffering he was to feel in the next day.

  Nicolás Enríque, The Baptism of Christ, 1773

oil on copper, 22 ¼ in x 16 ½ in, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, 2014.171

Certain Christians throughout time conduct the ritual of baptism. During Jesus’ time on earth, John the Baptist baptized him. The act of being baptized shows one’s need for a savior and other fellow christians to pour into their lives. Christ is fully God, however, he is baptized which shows that he is fully man at the same time. This act is depicted in Enríque’s artwork, which shows a look of humility and the submission to his heavenly father. The spirit of God is also reflected in this piece in the form of a dove descending upon Christ. 

Pietro Lorenzetti, The Crucifixion, 1340’s

tempera and gold leaf on wood, 14 1/8 x 10 1/8 in. (35.9 x 25.7 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, 2002.436

The most human thing that Christ could have done is experience human mortality. Christ’s act of being tortured and hung on a cross to die reflects his ultimate humanity. Pietro Lorenzetti’s artwork depicts Christ crucified next to two criminals. The act of Christ dying is one thing, but the fact that he is experiencing the same torture as the figures on either side of him works together to reflect a narrative of the human act of bleeding and dying. The emotion expressed on Christ’s face suggests that he is in great pain, which again proves his humanity.