James 1:19-21

His Master's Voice (2009) (9" x 12")

collage on paper



James echoes Proverbs in the first part of this passage urging us to "be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger."  But, he continues, you must also rid yourself of all sordidness in order to hear God's word and plant it in your heart.

James 1:17-18

Shadowless (2009 (9" x 12")

collage on paper

These verses describe the unchangeable God as the Father of lights who "gave us birth by the word of truth. Note the contrast with verse 15, which described the process by which evil desire "gives birth to death."

James 1:12-16

Death's Life Cycle (2009) (9" x 12")

collage on paper

These verses form a sort of contrast to James 1:2-4, which describes the spiritual growth caused in a believer by the process of testing and trials. In verses 12-16, the final result of giving in to temptation is seen as spiritual death.

James 1:9-11

Ups and Downs (2009) (9" x 12")

collage on paper

A reversal of fates is a common theme in the Bible. Living in central Texas, I especially like the image of the rich being compared to wildflowers in a field that bloom and then wither in the heat of the sun.

James 1:5-8

Wavering (2009) (9" x 12")

collage on paper

James admonishes his readers to petition God in faith and not be double-minded. This last term is a very rare word appearing in the New Testament only here and in James 4:8 where he applies it to those Christians who are having trouble resisting temptation.

James 1:2-4

Topsy-Turvy Teaching (2010) (9" x 12")

collage on paper

The result of trials, according to James is so that we can become "mature and perfect."  This seems like a high goal, but it is an echo of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount to "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." One commentator has explained that perfection means being all that we can become.

James 1:1

This is the first in a series of posts illustrating all of the Letter of James.

To the Tribes (2010) (9" x 12")

collage on paper



James addresses this letter to the "twelve tribes in the Dispersion (or diaspora)."  If taken literally, this would mean that he is writing exclusively to Jewish Christians. However, most commentators take this address to mean the Christian community (both Jewish and gentile) at large. This meaning is consistent with usage elsewhere in the NT epistles employing terms formerly designating the Jews as God's chosen people, but now enlarged to include gentile believers.

Isaiah 13:19-22

Mansion or Menagerie? (2011) (6" x 4")

collage on wood panel

In keeping with the recent spate of apocalyptic movies like World War Z, it is interesting to note that the Old Testament prophets similarly warned the people of their day that any civilization stands only if God allows it. Even Babylon was overthrown to become a place where "wild animals will lie down and its houses will be full of howling creatures." 

Matthew 12:38-40

Type (2009) (6 3/4" x 8" x 1 1/2")

collage in linotype box

I keep coming back to the interesting parallels between Jesus' life and that of Jonah. The most famous one, of course, is the three days and three nights in the belly of the whale compared to Jesus' time in the tomb. While scholars continue to debate the exact days of the week included in the latter event, it is interesting to note that there was an ancient belief that a dead person had to travel three days after death to reach Hades.

Mark 16:9-20

Dubious Denoument (2009) (32" x 16 3/4" x 1 1/4")

collage in type case



If most of you try to look up these verses in your Bible, they will be missing or given in small type. This is because they are not present in the earliest existing manuscripts of Mark that we possess. There are several theories to account for their appearance in later manuscripts. The most popular one is that Mark either intended to end his Gospel at verse 8 or that the original ending was lost early in the process of transmission. In either case, someone later on appended verses 9-20 to provide a "more appropriate" ending.

My own feeling, based on structural analysis, is that the last verses of Mark's original Gospel were lost, but that we can go to the ending of Luke's Gospel to get a good idea of how it originally read.

Leviathan

God's Plaything (2009) (32 1/4" x 16 1/2" x 1 3/8")

mixed media in type case

Many other ancient Near Eastern societies had myths involving sea monsters representing forces of chaos that were at war with the deities. However, Leviathan in the Bible (Psalm 104:26 and Job 40-41) is pictured as a sort of bath toy for God.

John 4

Living Water (2004) (9 3/4" x 2" x 8 1/2")

mixed media construction in wood box

 This strange piece is hard to picture since it was constructed in an antique sewing machine parts box with figures formed from the parts themselves. It shows Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman at the well and trying to explain to her the concept of living water. As usual, even with his disciples, she takes his words literally instead of figuratively. Nevertheless, the words have their intended effect and result in others in the village coming to hear Jesus.

John 2

Transformed Water (2004) (9 3/4" x 2" x 8 1/2")

Construction in water testing kit

The first half of John's Gospel is arranged around seven "I am" sayings of Jesus, seven feasts of the Jews, and seven miracles. The turning of the water into wine at Cana is the first of the miracles, or "signs" as John prefers to call them. This sign not only shows Jesus' power over natural laws; it also points to his Father, who also changes water to wine using a slower process. 

Exodus 15

Bitter Waters (2004) (7 7/8" x 3 3/8" x 2 1/2")

mixed media construction in wood box

During the Israelites' wanderings in the wilderness they came upon a a source of water but it was too bitter to drink. God showed Moses a piece of (charred?) wood which was thrown into the water so that it became drinkable. As a scientist, I know that activated charcoal can be used to remove trace contaminants from water, which is possibly the "explanation" of this miracle.

However, the miracle consists of the proper knowledge imparted to Moses just when he needed it, and the existence of the very wood near at hand. It is somewhat the same as the coincidence of me happening to find an old medicine bottle which had an inscription containing the words "Moses," "formerly," "bitter," and "wood." 

Numbers 5

Waters of Testing (2004) (10 3/4" x 5" x 3 1/2")

mixed media construction

One of the strangest rituals in the Bible is this passage in which a woman accused of unfaithfulness by her husband is subjected to a trial in which she must drink a wierd concoction while holding two sheaves of wheat in her hands. Without going into all the details, it is obvious that the trial is weighted heavily in favor of the wife and was meant to discourage unfounded suspicions by her husband.

Numbers 19

Waters of Impurity (2004) (3 1/2" x 4 1/4" x 12 1/4")

mixed media construction in wood box

This chapter contains the regulations and rites concerning the purification of a person who has come into contact with a dead body. As with many of the other laws concerning ritual purity, the means of counteracting it may seem to be arbitrary. However, the major import of these rules was to stress the gap between man and God--a gap that was only removed by Jesus shedding his blood on the cross. This sacrifice is prefigured in Numbers 19 by the killing of a perfect heifer and sprinkling its blood toward the tent of meeting.

Amos 9:9

Shaken, Not Stirred (2011) (4" x 6")

collage on wood panel

God's revelation to Amos is one of separation. He will destroy the sinful kingdom of Israel, and all its sinners "shall die by the sword." However, God holds out hope for a remnant in verses 11-12. As the note in my NRSV Study Bible says, "Amos refutes the idea that Israel's relationship with God implies its superiority" or will protect them from God's righteous judgment. Something for Americans to keep in mind.