acrylic on cradled panel 12″ x 18″

© Teresa Kogut

….it is still the Easter season! Even though I have many deadlines at this time, sometimes I have an overwhelming urge (nudge from God, maybe?) to paint something “out of the blue”. That is the feeling I had Good Friday and Holy Saturday….and the above painting is the result of that nudge. 

Good Friday evening, Ryan and I watched The Passion of the Christ. I saw it at the theater the year it came out and was deeply moved and disturbed. It is a realistic and graphic depiction of the suffering Jesus endured for all of us. I remembered when we left the theater (Kevin and I saw it with another couple) nobody said a word until we were almost home……that is how powerful this movie was for us. Ryan was too young then, but I felt this year is was mature enough to watch it with me. I kept looking at him through my tears to see how he was handling it and he did better than me…….girls are obviously more emotional. And, too, I think because as I watched this time, I was looking through Mary’s eyes and trying to understand how she could witness the horrible torture her Son endured…..just thinking about it moves me. 

After the movie Ryan and I had a great discussion. When we go to church and see the crucifix at the alter or see paintings of Jesus on the cross, it doesn’t sink in how abused his body was. It would be too grotesque to have a depiction of Jesus’ bloody body on display at the front of the church.  But that is  exactly why we both like this movie….it gets our head straight about the intense abuse and suffering  Jesus’ went through for us….all of us….and it also shows us the amazing courage Jesus had.

One of the incredible scenes that shows the love Jesus has for all of us is when he is hanging on the cross and asks God to forgive the very people that scourged, beat, whipped and hung him on the cross. It is very powerful to think God will forgive us as we forgive others……this was my inspiration for my painting “Forgive”.