A painting about giving.
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12 NIV
This is the 28th and final painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7 in the New Testament.
Just let your "yes" mean "yes" and your "no" mean "no."
Jesus taught this in Matthew 5:33-37,
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’;anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
This is the 27th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7 in the New Testament. What happens after tomorrow? Stay tuned, big announcement to come!!!
This painting comes from the conflict described in Matthew 5:24 when Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
The roads are from Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
This is the 26th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7 in the New Testament.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." (Matthew 5:13)
8x10" acrylic on mat board. This is the 25th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7 in the New Testament.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Matthew 5:10-12 NIV
This is the 24th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7 in the New Testament.
Daily painting #23... I began this piece with finding an image to illustrate mercy, as described in Matthew 5:7,
"Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7
The use of birds as a metaphor reminded me of how God provides in Matthew 6:26, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
Also 6:14, the idea of acting in obedience to God has God to showing those acts towards us:
"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."
This is the 23rd painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7 in the New Testament.
The painting is a sketch in acrylic on gessoed 8x10" mat board.
This is the 22nd painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
In Matthew 5:5, Jesus said,
"Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth."
Which way would you choose?
This is the 21st painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Matthew 7:13-14 NIV
A painting about deceitful people. This is the 20th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and is an expansion of painting 17 about false prophets being like wolves in sheep's clothing. Symbolism in this painting:
Sheep - downward posture, angry eyes as if inwardly ferocious as a wolf.
Fruit trees - We can tell what is going on inside a person by the "fruit" they bear, for example is their behaviour nourishing or damaging to those around them?
Fire - Bad tree to be cut down and used for the fire
In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus said,
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
This is the 19th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and is part two of yesterday's painting titled "Seek and Find."
"For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:8)
This is the 18th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." - Matthew 7:7-8
This is the 17th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:17, Jesus said,
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."
This is the 16th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. On hypocrisy and judging others: Jesus said in Matthew 7:3-5,
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."
This is the 15th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
Treasures in Heaven: In Matthew chapter 6 verses 19-21, Jesus says,
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
The painting is a sketch in acrylic on gessoed mat board, all materials used are professional quality and acid-free. Includes Certificate of Authenticity.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:14, "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."
As I worked through coming up with an image for forgiveness, I used pearls to symbolizing the way forgiveness is valuable and freely given. I also thought of Jesus' advice in Matthew 7:6, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." Not referring to forgiveness here, but the image of giving pearls works for this passage as well, in that there is no need to continue to give out gems of God's word to those who will ridicule rather than receive it. People are often referred to as being like sheep in the Bible, so I have pigs in the curtain on the left, and sheep on the right. The curtain represents the way the meanings behind Jesus' parables is often hidden.
The pearls may be seen as seeds, which also fits the agricultural theme of this piece and brings in a growth aspect to the idea of giving and receiving.
This is the 14th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
A painting about prayer being like opening a portal to heaven, with it having ripple effects across heaven and earth, after considering Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6, and the way the Lord's Prayer begins in verses 9-10,
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. "
This is the 13th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
The painting is a sketch in acrylic on gessoed mat board, all materials used are professional quality and acid-free. Includes Certificate of Authenticity. Comes varnished, mounted on 11x14" foam core and wrapped in clear packaging, ready to frame or gift.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Matthew 7:24-27 NIV
This is the 12th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
This is the 11th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
This image came out of Matthew 5 verses 38-48 which talks about the best way to deal with enemies:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The painting is a sketch in acrylic on gessoed mat board, all materials used are professional quality and acid-free. Includes Certificate of Authenticity. Comes varnished, mounted on 11x14" foam core and wrapped in clear packaging, ready to frame or gift.
This is the 10th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew chapter 6 ends with a beautiful passage encouraging us not to worry, that God takes care of the flowers of the field and the birds of the air, and just how much more he cares for us.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34 NIV)
The painting is a sketch in acrylic on gessoed mat board, all materials used are professional quality and acid-free. Includes Certificate of Authenticity. Comes varnished, mounted on 11x14" foam core and wrapped in clear packaging, ready to frame or gift.
This is the 9th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Most of these daily paintings are done start to finish the day of, but this one I began to sketch out the night before. I was reading Matthew 5:17-20 (see below,) trying to illustrate how the whole of the Bible fits together and stands the test of time, and how Old Testament prophesies come true in the New Testament. Struggling to make the Fulfillment of the Law into a visual, I scratched out a doodle which I realize also applies to the Wide and Narrow Road in chapter 7 (see below,) and then refined my sketch into the painting shown here. Surrealist art can be nonsensical or deeply symbolic. Most of my paintings contain symbols that are open to the interpretation of the viewer, in this piece some of the symbols are easy to read, such as God's hands and the book and scroll being the Bible, but the globe/magnifying glass could be seen as different things to different viewers.
The painting is a sketch in acrylic on gessoed mat board, all materials used are professional quality and acid-free. Includes Certificate of Authenticity. Comes varnished, mounted on 11x14" foam core and wrapped in clear packaging, ready to frame or gift.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20 NIV)
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV)
Each of my paintings has a lot of thought behind it before it gets painted. Here is a snapshot of some of the work in my sketch book that I did in preparation for this piece, as well as the reference photo I took for the tree.
This is the 8th painting in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. This concept came from Matthew 5:3,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
You may feel like this tree, but negative feelings and circumstances do not take away the fact that you are blessed by God when you are in relationship with Him. Light and colour and growth spill down from above.
The painting is a sketch in acrylic on gessoed mat board, all materials used are professional quality and acid-free. Includes Certificate of Authenticity. Comes varnished, mounted on 11x14" foam core and wrapped in clear packaging, ready to frame or gift.
This is the seventh piece in my month-long daily painting journey on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and is a further exploration of yesterday's theme of being the light. This time I have used a tree instead of a candle as the metaphor, giving it glowing pinecones as the giving of light. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16,
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
This is the sixth edition of my month-long daily painting journey exploring Jesus' Sermon on the Mount:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14,16)
This is the fifth edition of my month-long daily painting journey exploring Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
Here is a tough section of scripture that could have made for a gruesome illustration, but I chose a gentler approach for this painting because the issue is really about what's going on in your heart rather than any physical act.
The saw leaning up against the tree reminds us that we need to cut off whatever is tempting us to stumble. The two trees have branches crossing the fence tangled together, but the bird sits on top to remind us that God can resolve even the most difficult circumstances if we let him.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-30,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."
I think this image also applies to the section on murder and anger in Matthew 5:21-25, where the advice is to resolve your conflict with the other person before it leads to something more serious.
This painting is a sketch in acrylic on gessoed mat board, all materials used are professional quality and acid-free. Includes Certificate of Authenticity. Comes mounted on foam core and wrapped in clear packaging, ready to frame or gift.
For this painting I have a person kneeling in grief. Christ approaches gently from behind in love and comfort, while a dove can be seen in the light from behind to indicate the Holy Spirit's presence.
"Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted." - Matthew 5:4
This is my fourth piece in my month-log daily painting journey exploring Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, from Matthew 5-7 in the New Testament.
(This painting is a sketch in acrylic on gessoed mat board, all materials used are professional quality and acid-free. Includes Certificate of Authenticity. Comes mounted on foam core and wrapped in clear packaging, ready to frame or gift.
Copyright watermark does not appear on the original painting or prints.)
Today is the third piece of my month-log daily painting series exploring Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:9,
"Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God."
A child is centred between two angry figures, and with God's power is able to bring peace between them. The gestures also speak of conquering fear and standing up for what is right. Contrast between "hot" and "cool" colours help reinforce the message of peace in the middle of harsh circumstances.
Day Two of my month-log daily painting journey exploring Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, from Matthew 5-7 in the New Testament:
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled." - Matthew 5:6
This painting is a sketch in acrylic on gessoed mat board, all materials used are professional quality and acid-free. Includes Certificate of Authenticity. Comes mounted on foam core and wrapped in clear packaging, ready to frame or gift.
Today is the first day of my month-log daily painting journey exploring Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, from Matthew 5-7 in the New Testament. I expect most of my paintings to be less literal than this one, but I wanted to open with an introduction and context for the paintings that will follow in the coming days:
Matthew 5:1,
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.
I created a ripple-like movement across the valley to show that Jesus' teachings continue to have spiritual impact and relevance for us today.
This painting is a sketch in acrylic on gessoed mat board, all materials used are professional quality and acid-free. Includes Certificate of Authenticity. Comes mounted on foam core and wrapped in clear packaging, ready to frame or gift. Original is available now to purchase; prints will be available soon.
