Artists of the Western World have had on-again/off-again experience with Christianity. The authors of great literature belong to the list as artists of language to elevated thought and conduct. Some did give us art about the divine. This is true for sacred music as in The Messiah by Handel, in Sculpture like David or The Pieta, in painting seen in the various renditions of Christ’s Crucifixion and other scenes. I have a very striking copy of the Crucifixion as rendered by one of my nieces. It is meaningful to me in that it represents an event highly meaningful to me, very well cast, and she is the author of a rendition with the implications of the event. Not only is it a print of her painting, but holds additional meaning in our personal relationship. A painter is often referred to in even current news literature since his death: Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). He attracted attention for his talent, but may be remembered by the general public more as a troubled man who cut off his ear and became friends with brothel persons. He is seen as a part of the renditions of his canvases, and presumed to have been mentally and emotionally unsettled in the standard culture of his time. In the art world he is numbered among the elite painters of all time. He was different. His Christian beliefs are seldom considered. He was a missionary for a period early in his life.
As a young man he was an intense missionary working through his related evangelically oriented society for mission appointees. Except for some biblical characters, he was as intense as any missionary I have ever known from biography. Even those who worked with him perceived that he was obsessed with ministry to others and self-denial. He did art pieces, largely treated as amateur efforts to be tossed away. Even he treated the efforts with casualness. Inevitably he fell into some disagreements with his sponsors, and felt that what was being done was simply related to words, words, words. The words became shrouded. He dropped out, picked up his few belongings and moved to Paris. What emerged there in his life daemons and events is well known to the world. The treatment of his early paintings reminds me of the beautiful art of my niece, perhaps taken as of little public import. His disagreements with his sponsors in Christian ministries reminds me of the exchange of two Christians, Barnabas and Paul, whose differences divided two of the most eminent Christians of history, the first missionaries of the Christian faith. The sad story of the divide between Paul and Barnabas is alleviated in that one team of missionaries was broken into two teams for the widening of ministry, and the differences must have been resolved in the comforting words from the Apostle Paul who later wrote of John Mark, the object of the rift with Barnabas: Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable for me for the ministry. (2 Timothy 4:11)
Paul seems to have become his own mission director, incorporating his own team. He seems no longer to be guided by the church committee who originally sent him with Barnabas on the first missionary journey, and to whom the two missionaries reported on their return home. He has sent Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia, Tychicus to Ephesus, and has only Luke with him. He is waiting for Timothy who is directed to bring his (Paul’s) clothing with him as well as books and manuscripts. The instructions are larger than we imagine in that finances to meet costs are not mentioned, the preferences of Timothy are not solicited, the division related to Mark from years past is not noted for healing, and the marginal issues are assumed as normal to Paul’s expectations. Many persons might take umbrage at Paul’s approach, as Demas seems to have done in abandoning the Pauline team of missionaries. That difference too may have been resolved when Paul later wrote to Philemon to salute Demas who is identified among his fellowlabourers. (v.24) We can only imagine what exchange occurred that worked things out. Having served on a large mission board, counseling persons and groups on issues identified in like experiences above, I agree with the observations of a missionary, an educator, an administrator of approved institutions that we acknowledge that there are high-flyers in any context. We respect them if their goals are respectful and hope for respect in our plodding ways. We may not do well with that – in either perception. We need to be assured that God works in simple and dramatic ways to achieve purposes. Mankind responds appropriately to faithfulness. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020