A Parable of Restoration

After a lengthy, intensive restoration project, one of the greatest masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance has been restored to its original splendor and returned to its home at the world-renowned Uffizi Gallery in Florence.  The Madonna del Cardellino was painted by Raphael in 1505 for the wedding of his friend, a wealthy Florentine merchant. It portrays Jesus Christ’s mother, Mary, with two children, who are caressing a goldfinch. The children symbolize John the Baptist and his young cousin, Jesus. The goldfinch bird, which feeds among thorns, is interpreted as representing Christ’s future suffering.

Unfortunately, about 40 years after the work was created, the house in which it hung was destroyed by an earthquake, smashing the oil-on-wood panel into 17 separate pieces. Another artist used long iron nails and blocks of wood to piece the fragments of the painting back together, and then painted over it to conceal the breaks. But over the years, so many layers of paint were added to cover the damage, that the original colors were completely obscured.

The contemporary restoration project fixed the shattered areas, and painstakingly removed layers of paint and dirt to get the colors back to their original hues. The massive undertaking was a multi-disciplinary team effort involving about 50 people, including wood specialists and photography technicians. Altogether, it took ten years.

The result is stunning. The cracks are gone. Centuries of brown film and grime are gone. The dulling veneers and patches have been stripped away. The finished product glows with the deep reds, blues and golds of the original work. The restoration also revealed intricate details in the painting that were invisible before, including several plants.

Given how badly it was damaged, the restoration of Raphael’s painting is arguably even more amazing than the painting itself. The original was splendid. But the miracle of restoration compounds the beauty. Knowing the drama of the whole story, one can only gawk in wonder.

The spiritual parallels are profound. To me, restoration of Raphael’s painting speaks of the restoration of a far greater masterpiece.

God’s Masterpiece of Creation

Man and woman —and by extension, manhood and womanhood— are the work of God’s hands (Isaiah 64:8). They are His “workmanship.” The word “workmanship” (Greek=poiema), denotes a work of art or a masterpiece. It’s the word from which we derive our English word “poem.”

Poeima is only used twice in the New Testament— in Romans 1:20 and in Ephesians 2:10. These two verses tell the poem of God’s masterpiece of creation. Romans tells part one of the story. It explains that God painted the masterpiece in order to display some very important truths:

What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For [God’s] invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in [his workmanship].* [Gk= poiema] Romans 1:19-20

God created male and female in his image for the purpose of displaying his glory (Isaiah 43:6-7). Romans 1:19-20 informs us that this masterpiece displays something about God’s “invisible attributes.” Most specifically, his “divine nature” and “eternal power.” That means that male and female were created in the image of God to display two very important truths:

1. Who God IS (His divine nature)
2. What God purposed to DO (His eternal power).

From the beginning, the beautiful design of male and female pointed to mysterious, invisible realities about the character and purposes of God. Psalm 145:10-12 reinforces that God’s works “speak of the glory of [his] kingdom and tell of [his] power, to make known to the children of man [his] mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of [his] kingdom.”

Tragically, the beautiful design of manhood and womanhood was marred by sin. The fall of mankind was an earthquake that shattered it into many pieces. Despite this assault, God’s masterpiece – and the beautiful mystery – endured.  And then, in the fullness of time, Jesus Christ came to tell the rest of the story.

God’s Masterpiece of Re-Creation

The second part of the poem is God’s masterpiece of re-creation through Jesus Christ:

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked… But God, being rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ… For we are his workmanship [Gk= poiema] created in Christ Jesus… “  Ephesians 2:1-10;

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her… ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” Ephesians 5:24-25; 31-32

In the second part of the poem, God’s masterpiece is triumphantly and magnificently re-created by Jesus Christ, the Husband who died to make a rebellious people his Bride. The painting is restored. The mystery is finally revealed. We learn that in the final analysis, HE is the One who the wonderful picture of gender and marriage is all about.

God’s design for manhood and womanhood is truly spectacular. Men are to reflect the character, strength, love and self-sacrifice of Christ. Women are to reflect the character, responsiveness, grace and beauty of the Bride He redeemed. The sexes compliment each other in terms of which part of the redemptive story they display. But both exalt the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and the beauty of the gospel to the praise of God the Father. Ultimately, that’s what manhood and womanhood were created to do.

God’s Masterpiece on Your Canvas

So what does all this mean for us? God created male and female to display the breathtaking beauty of God and his masterpiece of Salvation through Jesus Christ. But we all know, from personal experience, just how badly manhood and womanhood and our relationships have been shattered and marred by sin. The good news – the picture hidden in the picture – is that through Jesus, sin loses its death-hold grip on us. Through Jesus, we can move beyond the distortion of male-female roles that sin introduced. New life in Jesus gives us the freedom and power to live according to God’s magnificent created design and to delight in the differences between man and woman. The masterpiece can be re-created. The true beauty of manhood and womanhood can be restored.

Here’s what this means for you: No matter how much sin has damaged you. No matter how many dull, ugly layers of paint and veneer you’ve applied in an unsuccessful attempt to cover the cracks. No matter if the colors are faded or the picture is so obscured that you can barely see the original. No matter how morally or sexually broken you are. No matter how much you struggle with issues of personal identity. No matter how much you’ve messed up in your personal relationships. God’s power can restore your life to its original beautiful design. He is in the restoration business. The restoration of Raphael’s oil-on-wood doesn’t hold a candle to the restoration of divine image on the canvas of human flesh.  As you seek him, he will begin to do the spectacular work of restoration of his masterpiece in you.

© Mary A. Kassian

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