In November 2008 one of
the great masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance was restored to its original
splendor and returned to its home at the world-renowned gallery in Florence.
The Madonna del Cardellino was
painted by Raphael in 1505 for the wedding of his friend, a wealthy Florence
merchant. It portrays Mary, the mother of Christ, and two children playing with
a bird. According to art connoisseurs, the toddling boys are John the Baptist
and Jesus, while the goldfinch symbolizes Christ's crucifixion because it is a
bird that feeds among thorns.
As with any restoration
project, this priceless piece of art has a checkered past. The painting’s problems began in 1547 when an
earthquake toppled the merchant’s house where it hung. The painting was
recovered from the rubble in 17 pieces. Another artist tried to salvage what he
could. He drove long iron nails into the frame, trying to patch the pieces
together. Then he painted over the cracks to conceal the breaks in an attempt
to make it look whole again.
By and by, time and the
elements took their toll. After nearly five centuries, the original artwork
faded. Dust and grime obscured the composition. Raphael’s work needed extensive
restoration.
A team of fifty
technicians and artists were assembled to work on the project. After ten years
of tedious and painstaking plodding the restoration was complete. The cracks
were erased. Centuries of brown film
and grime were erased. The dulling veneers and patches were stripped away. Today,
the finished product glows with all of the deep reds, blues, and golds of the
original vision. Given how badly it was damaged, some experts have said that the
restoration of Raphael's painting is arguably even more amazing than the
painting itself.[1]
Aren’t the spiritual
parallels profound? Tragically, the beautiful design of God’s creation has been
marred by sin. Not only does the earth plead for redemption, but so do we. Paul
wrote, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs
together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the
adoption, the redemption of our body” (Rom. 8:22-23).
Perhaps, you've
experienced earthquakes that have shattered you—addiction, divorce, depression,
sickness, stupid choices. You’ve tried to patch up the brokenness of your soul with
quick fixes—self-help, retail therapy, sports, drugs, even religion—but nothing
has filled the void. In fact, those jury-rigged repairs only made things worse.
Thus, the need for restoration.
Thankfully, the Gospel
declares that “Operation Restoration” has already begun. Here is just a handful
of verses which promise that Christ can put it all back together again:
·
“The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads
me beside the still waters. He restores
my soul.” (Psalm 23:1-3)
·
“So I will restore to you the years that the
swarming locust has eaten . . . ” (Joel 2:25)
·
“Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old
things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (1 Cor. 5:17)
·
“Behold, I make
all things new.” (Rev. 21:5)
Through Christ the curse
is being reversed. The promise of the Gospel is that God will restore it all—from
depraved souls to the distant stars. This restoration is both present and
future. What God does individually to those who repent and trust in Christ is a
preview of what He will do universally. The restoration of His creatures is
phase one, while the restoration of creation is phase two. It’s a new life
today, but a new heavens and a new earth tomorrow.
Philip Yancey has summed
up “Operation Restoration” by writing:
“To judge God solely by the present world would be a
tragic mistake . . . Imagine this scenario: vandals break into a museum
displaying works from Picasso’s Blue Period. Motivated by sheer
destructiveness, they splash red pain all over the paintings and slash them
with knives. It would be the height of unfairness to display these works—a mere
sampling of Picasso’s creative genius and spoiled at that—as representative of
the artist. The same applies to God’s creation. God has already hung a
“Condemned” sign above the earth, and has promised judgment and restoration.”[2]
-DM
-DM
[1]
Peter Popham, “Return of the Fallen Madonna,” Independent, 28 October 2008
<http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/return-of-the-fallen-madonna-976897.html>
[2] Philip
Yancey, Where is God When It Hurts (Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1990), 58-59.
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