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A Beard and a Cross |
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written
by pev42 / 10.24.2005 |
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| Two Michelangelo sculptures |
1 of 1 |
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Assignment |
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Moses holds the two thin, precise tablets of the Ten Commandments to him with his right arm, but his face is turned away from them and his hands are occupied with his beard. The solid set of his jaw and the distant look of his eyes under intense furrowed brows make it clear to me that he is troubled by deep thoughts. It may be that he is upset with his people for disobeying the Commandments that he worked so hard to bring to them. Certainly, his muscled bulk and his active posture make it clear that he is not a man I would want to upset. However, the fact that he is holding his beard in his hands rather than the Commandments suggests that he is not thinking about God’s exacting laws, but rather the difficulty of real life. The small, rounded horns that mark him as the messenger of the divine are unimpressive except for their surprising presence on a human head. His beard, however, is long and flowing, its soft, curling locks cascading from his face down his front, the last strands pooling at his waist in the fingers of his left hand. Moses’ right hand has pulled his beard aside halfway down, as if he wants to examine this hair that he has been wearing and growing since before he first talked to God. The occupation of his hands reflects the focus of his thoughts. He is reflecting on the complexity of his life, on the fact that following God’s will is not clear-cut like the sharp edges of the tablets, but twisted and dynamic like the strands of his beard.
Jesus holds his cross and staff in much the same way that Moses holds his beard. His standing figure also turns away and stares into the distance, calmly facing his task with unreadable, blank eyes. All emotion seems to roll off his soft, beautiful face. His strength is not in his lightly muscled body, or in a fiery presence, but in the calm security that he brings to people and the power of the task that he is about to undertake. Jesus considers his leadership and his sacrifice, represented by the cross and staff that he holds, but he is not troubled by them. He doesn’t have to anguish over the meaning of God’s word because he is God’s word. He doesn’t have to deal with uncertainty, he just has to live. His life was not easy, and his final days will be painful, but he accepts it with divine patience. The anguish of his last questioning moments on the cross have yet to shadow his perfect face.
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