Jesus in Bubble-Wrap
In the magnificent Cathedral/Mosque, the Mesquita in Cordoba, we came across a bizarre sight in one of the alcoves.
Large representations of Jesus and Mary, which had obviously been used for the Easter festivals, were wrapped in bubble-wrap protecting them until next year’s celebration.
Being an English teacher, I see metaphors in most things, but this metaphor was screaming at me!
For me it was a picture of how Jesus is so often treated: the Jesus of Christmas and Easter or the Jesus who comes out at hard times and forgotten about when things are OK. The token Jesus. The aspirin Jesus.
Even those of us who profess a strong faith have times when we remember to pray with a passion, only, because there is an issue that needs to be dealt with in our lives. At other times we have placed Jesus in “bubble-wrap”.
The image in Cordoba was a reminder for me personally, to be aware of how I treat our Lord. I am his child, He is not at my beck and call. Jesus is my 24/7 Lord, not my occasional remedy.
So from now on, whenever I see this picture from Cordoba I will be asking myself some hard questions. Maybe I should hang it on my study wall …
Great post! Love the metaphor!
Thnaks! I was rather amused at the time.
I’ll always remember the words from the Ken Medema song -Do you wanna corner drugstore Jesus passing happiness pills? Do you want some kind of magic potion that will cure all your ills. – and so the song goes. Very powerful & challenging. Cheers
Great comment. Thanks.
Pieter you’ve really nailed this one; great photo! I think we’ve all done this, i know I have and this is a great reminder for us to remain followers of Christ every day, all day… not just when we need a “Jesus fix” for life is all about His will, not mine. Thanks for sharing this!
At the time I took the photo it was more for the bizarre appearance – however the image kept coming back to me that I often do the same thing but in a metaphorical sense. Thanks for the feedback Don.