The Carving Of Christ!
"But I will see you again
and your heart will rejoice."
John 16: 22
German sculptor Heinrich Dannecker, early in
his career, sculpted beautiful Greek goddesses.
But as he got older, he felt he needed to pour all
his strength, talent, and time into a
masterpiece;
so he set out to sculpt a representation of Christ.
It took three tries before he was satisfied with
his carving, and it turned out to be so beautiful
that when people laid eyes upon it, they could
do nothing
else but love and adore it.
Hearing of Dannecker’s expertise, Napoleon
desired to commission a carving of Venus for
the Louvre, to which Dannecker replied, “Sir,
the hands that carved Christ can never again
carve a
heathen goddess.”
For centuries, artists such as Dannecker have
been creating beautiful portrayals of Christ that
have both inspired and comforted people. But
are we really capable of imagining what the
risen Savior looks
like?
Even the most glorious of sculptures and
paintings can only depict His human image;
they can't come close to the beauty, majesty,
love, and perfection we'll see on the glorious
day when our Lord and Savior
returns.
"Our Lord has written the promise of
the resurrection, not in books alone
but in every leaf in springtime."
Martin Luther
