If Jesus were Korean
An artist's depictions
The Holy Land is the place where Jesus actually was born, lived, and died. But just as he comes to every human heart and wants to gather all men to himself, his story belongs in every culture.
Celebrating Easter in Yeongwol community and hearing and singing about Jesus in Korean and English affirms to me His presence in every culture and language.
Forgive me, I have to interrupt myself here: make sure you’ve subscribed to Seasons of Community Living, so you can receive our next blog and hear about my Easter in Yeongwol, Korea, along with beautiful contributions from Marianne in New York and Norann in Australia.
During the height of the Korean war, Korean artist Kim Ki-chang 김기창 (a.k.a Woonbo, 운보) painted a series of pictures entitled the “Life of Jesus”. I shared some of his paintings in a blog one Christmas, and now would like to share a few of my favorites from Christ’s ministry years, last days, death, and resurrection. I’m not sure why Jesus is depicted as a scholar and wearing a hat indicating nobility, as I would have chosen a lower class depiction, but I am sure the artist had his reasons. To read more about Kim Ki-chang’s life and work, here’s one site of many.
While living in Korea, I’ve been to palaces and historical buildings in the city, Bethlehem-like villages in the countryside, and most often—rocky mountains and sheltered groves where I think Jesus would have gone to pray. My heart resonates with the Korean portrayal. I can feel how deeply the artist poured his heart and personal anguish into his work. No captions needed.
Well done!