“Last Supper” by Jen Norton. 40×30″ Acrylic on Canvas, $6000
If you knew you were about to suffer through something horrible, even to death, could you find a way to enjoy your last happy moment with your friends? Could you even take a bite of food? I personally know I’m not spiritually evolved enough to do so. Yet, this was Jesus’ frame of mind as he celebrated the Passover in Jerusalem with his apostles, stating, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it again until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” Luke 22:15-16. Jesus had something to reveal to them that was so important he had “eager desire,” even knowing what came next. That line is the inspiration for this piece because it speaks to the immensity of Jesus’ love for each of us. I painted the line (in Hebrew) across the bottom portion of this piece, surrounded by the various details of the event.
“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer…”
Can you imagine a love so great and so focused that it drives out all fear? That is what Jesus promises to we who follow him…to each of us who are willing to take and eat of his body, to make him part of us. As you move your eye around this piece, you see the man with the water jug, the tethered donkey, the women preparing the meal (because I’m assuming that was the case). You see Jesus in the olive garden under a stars-of-David moonlit night as Judas leads the soldiers his way. You see elements of what’s to come with Pontius Pilate, the sacrificial lamb and the crosses on Calvary. But in the center is Jesus, with the figures of the apostles and the shape of his halo creating a sacred heart. His love overrides everything, both then and today.
