The Import Of Image

Last Monday the world watched as Barack Obama was inaugurated into office for his second term as president of the United States. You can be sure that great care was taken behind the scenes to project a certain image of power and wisdom through all the proceedings. Armstrong Williams writes in his Townhall.com column these words about the importance of image for modern day politicians. 

Today, most voters grow up learning from television images, rather than words. The successful politician, therefore, must be more adept than ever at using images to solicit knee-jerk reactions from voters.

In the Gospels we find a most important story about how Jesus teaches his disciples to relate to earthly rulers. Throughout his public ministry Jesus was opposed by several important political parties. Three are mentioned in the Gospels: the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Herodians. We know precious little about the latter group. It may be that they were friendly to the continued dynasty of Herod the Great and his family. Political family dynasties are well known also in American politics. I need only mention the Kennedy and the Bush families as examples. In any event, as these parties saw Jesus' influence grow they became alarmed, fearing that he and his followers would threaten their power. So they tried to entangle him in a paradox. They asked him about paying taxes, a subject at the very center of current American politics. The Gospel of Matthew records the story,  found also in Mark 12 and Luke 20. 

Roman Imperatorial Coin of Julius Cesar

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." - Mat 22:15-21 ESV

Newsweek available

The Jews had an extreme problem with the Roman Caesars' penchant to proclaim themselves as one of the gods. Consequently they would not accept Roman coins as offerings in their temple and they had a deep hatred for those Jews who sold themselves out as tax collectors. On the other hand they could not avoid paying taxes to their Roman rulers. Either way they felt that had Jesus in a noose. Were he to say it was lawful to pay Roman taxes they could nail him as a traitor to their nation. On the other hand, were he to say it was unlawful, they could report him to the Romans as one stirring up insurrection. It was a perfect plan. Jesus' answer is most intriguing. 

The challenge for us Christians remains. Our "caesars" would still like to think of themselves as gods. Note the controversial front page of the current edition of Newsweek. The image quite obviously alludes to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and suggests that we are or will be tempted to deify the current president. This in any event is an extremely dangerous thought. Together with the Jews of Jesus' day we must resist with all our hearts and lives any such ideas. 

The response of Jesus to the Jews does indeed remind us who are citizens of the United States that we are to pay our taxes to the established government. I'll not get into the current controversy about who should pay them and how much. Instead I would emphasize that we owe allegiance to our president and our nation. Our president has been rightfully and properly elected. We may agree or disagree strongly with his politics, but we will pay our taxes one way or the other. 

In addition to that consider again the second part of Jesus' teaching: "Therefore render . . . to God the things that are God's." Our God and Creator has indeed established His image in our midst. I quote again the Apostle Paul's words about Jesus Christ.

He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. - Col 1:15-17 ESV

 In Jesus we find everything we need to know about the invisible God. He has made Him known. To Him, King of all kings and Lord of all lords belongs all power and glory forever and ever. 

The Tempting Power Of Images

During this Lenten season I have been meditating with you upon the temptations the devil placed before Jesus during the forty days he spent in the wilderness after his baptism (Matthew 4:1-11). Matthew writes about the third temptation in this manner:

"Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory." 

Jesus was tempted as we are and on our behalf, as the Hebrews writer says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). So I ask, why a very high mountain and how did the tempter show him all the glory of worldly kingdoms?

My wife and I have a second home in some very high mountains of Colorado. Here's a sample of what we can see from them.

Note that you can see a long way, but you cannot see all the world by any means, regardless of how high you go. And yet there is a sense of superiority. You are looking down at everything that is spread before you. We own but a tiny piece of all this, but what if it were all ours?

My second question is how did the devil do this? The text seems to suggest that the temptation was internal, especially since satan and his minions are spirits that interact with our spiritual nature. Let me give you an example of how the word show is used in this manner. It's from the Acts of the Apostles, the story of how Peter came to realize that the Gospel is for all manner of men (Acts 10:1-43). While Peter was on a rooftop praying something very strange happened to him. He had a kind of dream. His way of seeing things was altered. What he saw was inward and yet it seemed to appear before his eyes. Most translations call this a trance. One translation copies the Greek to call it an ecstasy.

What Peter saw was something like a great sheet of linen held up by its four corners. In this huge sheet were animals, reptiles and birds of all kinds. Peter, as a devout Jew knew full well that the Lord forbad him to eat many of these creatures (Deut. 14:3-21). They were unclean. Listed among them are camels, rabbits and pigs. Birds of prey such as the eagle, vulture, falcon and owl were also forbidden. And yet he heard a voice distinctly saying, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." When he objected the voice came a second time, "What God has made clean, do not call common or impure."

My point is simply that inward visions can have a powerful impact upon us. The devil knew this full well as he pulled up a mighty vision of the world's kingdoms in their majesty and power to parade them before Jesus "in a moment of time," as Luke writes (Luke 4:5-7). "All this authority and their glory can be yours. I can give it to you if you will only worship me."

We live in a multi-media culture, dominated by visions and images of all sorts. Do not under estimate the impact and power of such. The advertising and entertainment industries do not. Nor does the pornography industry. The god of this world uses these images to tempt us in all kinds of ways to abandon the will of God in favor of the pleasure, power and glory they offer. As always, this prince of darkness says, "All this can be yours if you will only worship me."

Consider carefully that these are lies. Know your own weaknesses. Admit your failures and how you have fallen into such temptations. And take then the counsel of the Hebrews writer to heart as he urges you to draw near to Christ's throne to receive forgiveness, mercy and "grace to help" in those times of grave spiritual need (Hebrews 4:16).

The Power Of Word Pictures In Prophecy

Poets use figures of speech, word pictures and symbols. If most prophecy is indeed poetry, then we should expect to find many examples of that. Here's what the Missouri Synod Lutheran theologians say in their 1989 study of the End Times about symbolic language used in apocalyptic literature:

Symbolic language of this kind is especially common in apocalyptic literature such as Daniel and Revelation. In Revelation, for example, one. reads of horsemen (chap. 6), locusts (chap. 9), beasts (chap. 13), Satan chained and bound in a bottomless pit (chap. 20), and more. Moreover, in apocalyptic literature numbers are regularly used symbolically (the seven horns and seven eyes of Christ [Rev. 5:6], the 144,000 sealed [Rev. 7:2-8; 14:1-5], the 1000 years of Revelation 20). Clearly, this type of literature does not purport to be speaking literally,[10] as if every verse is presenting straightforward, newspaper-like prose. The goal of the interpreter must be to seek the one intended or literal sense of the text, and to do so with the recognition that God in some cases has chosen to convey meaning through symbolism and figures of speech (e.g., metonymy, metaphor, and simile).

So let's take a look at one of their quoted examples from the N.T. prophet John as he writes in the much studied book of The Revelation.

"And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer" (Rev. 6:1-5).

In this chapter we read of four horses, white, red, black and pale or ashen. The white came out to conquer, the bright red to bring war, the black to bring famine and the pale to bring death. What a frightening word picture that is! Similar word pictures are found among other inspired prophets. The prophet Zechariah tells about seeing three horses and their riders.

"I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. Then I said, 'What are these, my lord?' The angel who talked with me said to me, 'I will show you what they are.' So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, 'These are they whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth' (Zechariah 1:8-9).

The prophet Zechariah lived and worked after the Babylonian captivity. With his colleague Haggai, he led the returning Jews in the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple. He is one of the most comforting of all the prophets. His book opens with gracious words from the LORD of hosts, promising that the temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. While Judah was in bondage, the unbelieving heathen nations around them prospered and were at rest. That is about to change. These nations will be punished.

It is vital that we read Zechariah's prophecy in its historical context, rather than try to impose what he wrote upon the modern Middle East, for instance. The word from the LORD was first for the exiles now returned to Jerusalem. Standing among them in the fragrant myrtle trees were the mighty angels of God. Through them God governs the world. Behind them stand three horses, red, sorrel (speckled) and white. Why is Zechariah given such a vision?

The horses are images of angels patrolling the land (Zech. 1:9-11). Of course angels do not need horses to do that. However, their horses, red, sorrel and white have symbolical meaning.

• Red - Earlier the prophet Isaiah had comforted exiled Judah with his vision of the LORD coming with vengeance to tred the winepress of His anger. The lifeblood of the LORD's enemies was spattered on His garments and stained on all His apparel (Isaiah 63:1-6). This promise was reaffirmed through Zechariah as he saw an avenging angel about to ride out on a horse. The nations at ease will now experience the anger and judgment of the LORD (Zech. 1:12-15)
• Sorrel - Here we must be very cautious, because there are no other books in Holy Scripture where horses are described as sorrel or speckled (see Zech. 6 below). It is interesting to note that the root word for this color is sharak, a word that sounds like what it means, namely to whistle or hiss. The prophet Jeremiah writes about the destruction of Edom and Babylon. When people see what has happened they will hiss or whistle in amazement, he writes (Jeremiah 19:8; 49:17). So it may well be that this sorrel horse is a reference to this whistling or hissing at the destruction of these enemy nations. 
• White - In Zechariah 6:1-8 we read of chariots with red, black, white and dappled or spotted horses. With that image the LORD assured Judah that they would not have to fear Persia or Babylon to the north or Egypt to the south, because they would now be at peace. God was in charge.

In both the prophecies of John and of Zechariah we are told that the LORD God sends His holy angels out upon the earth to bring God's vengeance upon His enemies and to protect and restore His chosen people.

God's word is revealed through images and word pictures to tell us that we are not alone and that the LORD rules the nations. As the Lutheran theologians quoted above said, this is not "straightforward, newspaper-like prose". It does, however, convey meaning, powerful and emotional, stirring feelings of fear, fright, hope and joy. 

As we ponder the images we can hear the horses snorting and galloping. We can see the great beasts and their avenging riders bearing down upon frightened and fleeing hordes. Blood is flowing, people are screaming and dying and buildings are burning. All the ravages of war and death come before us. And then it is over and God's people are at peace. War, destruction and death are past. The avenging angels have done their work. Now the rebuilding may begin. Crops will be planted and flourish. God's people will gather in His new temple for worship. And with the peace comes hope for a joyous future.

This is the power and importance of this kind of literature. However, let me caution you to allow the Scriptures to interpret the Scriptures. Do not force them to say more than they are meant to say. Do not ignore their historical context. The prophets preached to a definite life situation and delivered their messages so their original hearers would understand them.

Another time I shall say more about the symbolism of numbers like 3, 7, 10, 12 and their multiples. 

Jesus Is The Image Of God

Last evening my wife, some friends and I attended a dinner and a movie at The Houston Club. After a fine meal we viewed Mao's Last Dancer, the story of how an acclaimed Chinese ballet dancer defected to the United States here in Houston back in 1981. It was a moving, emotional story and is based upon the autobiographical account of the dancer himself, Li Cunxin. He believed that as a citizen of the United States he had much greater freedom to develop and practice his art. He is now retired from the ballet.


The Epistle appointed for Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of the Church Year of worship, Colossians 1:13-20, speaks of how we Christians escaped from the power of darkness and were transferred to the domain of the Lord Jesus, the beloved Son of God. All this began, Paul writes, when we were baptized and the Spirit worked faith in our hearts to believe in the forgiveness of sins. Paul then goes on to make some astounding claims for Jesus Christ. Permit me to make a list.

1. He is the image of the invisible God
2. He is the firstborn of all creation
3. Through him all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, thrones, dominions, rulers and authorities—all things were created. 
4. For him all things were created. 
5. He is before all things
6. In him all things hold together
7. He is the head of the body, the church
8. He is the beginning
9. He is the firstborn from the dead
10. He is preeminent in everything 
11. In him all the fullness of God dwells
12. By the blood of his cross all things, whether on earth or in heaven, are reconciled to him and at peace. 

This is a rather astounding list, a list that does not exhaust all that the Apostle says about Christ in this marvelous letter to the believers in Colossae and to us. Were we to examine each of these statements in the light of the rest of God's revelation we'd have enough to write for the next two years—and more. So let me lift up but the first, the image of the invisible God. Even that I can but point to, for there is so much wrapped up in it. I have no room here to explore with you all the implications. 

Let's look at Genesis 1:26 where we read of the Creator saying, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." The Greek Old Testament word for image, icon, is the same Greek word Paul uses in Colossians. The word for likeness is homoiousin. Both words are claimed for man in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 11:7 a man is called the icon of God. In James 3:9 the apostle says mankind was made in God's likeness. So what, if any, is the difference between image or icon and likeness. And what does it mean that Christ is the image or icon of the invisible God?

Perhaps a couple analogies will help. Take out a coin or a bank note from your pocket. On them you find the image or icon of a President of the United States, say Washington, Lincoln, Franklin or Jefferson. Why? Because the coin or the bill has behind it the power of the United States. Its value is drawn from the resources of that country and guaranteed by the same. The image points to all that.

Closer to the heart of the matter is the fact that a child is the icon or image of her parents. She carries their DNA and in most cases their rights as a citizen of a particular country. Her being is  derived from her parents. Of course, she also bears the likeness of her parents. One may say she looks very much like her mother or her father. However, likeness is not the same as image. One can look like others and yet not bear their image. 

Do you begin to get it now? Do you see why Jesus is called the icon or image of His Father in Colossians 1:15? He is not merely like the Father. He is the image of the Father. He has received from the Father power, glory, preeminence and fullness. He is very God of very God. He is not created or made. This is why the church has resorted to the word begotten rather than made. All power and authority reside in Him. By Him were all things made and without Him nothing exists. He is the image of the heavenly Father.

This Son of God was made man and was born of the Virgin Mary. He who is true God from all eternity is also true man, with flesh and blood and lineage. By the shedding of His blood this One of priceless worth has paid the price of all men's sins.

In days gone by the church had a huge quarrel about all this, reaching all the way back to the years following 250 AD and beginning in the city of Alexandria with a clergyman named Arius. Arius and those who followed him were greatly influenced by Greek philosophy. To say that Jesus bore the image of the Father did not make sense. It was, they said, irrational. Instead they taught that Jesus and the Father were not together eternally and before the creation of all things. They denied the Trinitarian teachings of the church.  The Nicene Creed came out of this long controversy, a quarrel that continues in one way or another to the present day as people ask who Jesus was and is.

On this final Sunday of the Church Year we affirm with great enthusiasm that Jesus is the very Son of God, the image of the eternal Father. 

Images In Worship

This is the seventh article to reflect Upon the Use of Tangible Images in the Worship Life of the Church by Larry D. Harvey. Previous articles may be found in the archives of Reclaiming Our Heritage under Christian Worship.

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In this issue, we continue our consideration of the use of tangible images of God and the Persons of the Trinity within the worship life of the Church.  In the last issue, we considered "The Statements and Teachings of Sacred Scripture About Images, Pictures, or Statues" from Martin Chemnitz's Examination of the Council of Trent, Part IV.  In this issue, we will begin an historical overview of the primitive New Testament Christian Church, employing the same form of citation as previously noted in prior issues.

The New Testament contains no commandment from our Lord Jesus Christ about the use of tangible images for the Word and Sacrament ministry of the Church.  In addition, we find no Scriptural reference to the use of tangible images or statues by the Apostles for the proclamation of the true doctrine.  This is true even when the Apostles were engaged in proclaiming the Gospel to pagan peoples.  When they had completed their work of laying a true foundation of the true faith in any particular location, they proceeded on to other places, and when they did so, "they did not commend repetitions and reminders of the doctrine to statues, but to faithful men who were fit to teach others [2 Tim. 2:2], and for this purpose they reduced to writing the doctrine they had taught.  For they did not teach that images or statues are the instrument through which the Holy Spirit works efficaciously, calling, enlightening, converting, sanctifying men, but the Word of God, written, preached, heard, pondered (Rom. 1:1 ff.; 2 Cor. 3:3; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 1 Peter 1:10-12; Ps. 119)."  (IV, p. 82)  Although the Apostles attacked the worship of idols which involved the worship use of statues and images, and proclaimed and introduced true worship of the true God, they did not transfer the use of statues and images over to the true worship of the true God, nor did they simply substitute replacement images in their stead.  "But they taught that the true God is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, not according to either private or public devotions, but according to the prescription of the Word." (IV, p.82)

When the legitimate histories of the Church of the first three hundred years are examined, no mention of the use of tangible images or statues in their public worship life can be found.  Since the worship of false gods involved the adoration or worship of images, "...the Christians simply abhorred images and condemned as heretics those who wanted to worship and adore either the statues of others or also Christ Himself in statues or through images." (IV, p. 83)  It was not a small thing that the worship life of these early Christians differed from the heathen worship forms in that the heathen worshipped their idols employing likenesses, tangible images, and statues.  These early Christians knew well God's clear Word "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24)

"And in order to cut off every occasion for idolatry, in order that the Christian religion might have no affinity with paganism, which consisted in the worship of images, and lest the seeds of heathen superstition should through the occasion of images either creep into the church or remain in the minds of converts, the primitive church did not want to receive even the images of Christ and of the saints into the places of worship.  And among the points of accusation the heathen threw also this up to the Christians, that they had a religion without images." (IV, p.83)

Early Church fathers strongly defended the Church's lack of tangible images with numerous arguments based upon the fact that God has chosen to reveal Himself in His Word, which is heard, read, considered, and meditated upon in the mind of man.  These Church fathers fought with great earnestness those who claimed to desire to now worship the true God through tangible images, who argued that it was not the image itself that they were worshiping but the name of the one to whom it had been consecrated.  These Church fathers fought also against the argument that the image was to assist in recalling into present memory those now separated by death or absence.  For example, Lactantius, a Christian apologist born circa A.D. 240-260 and died circa A.D. 320-340, who was born of heathen parents and became a Christian perhaps around A.D. 300, (Lutheran Cyclopedia,)  stated "Surely, an image of a God whose spirit and divinity is diffused everywhere and can never be absent is superfluous." (quoted, IV, p. 86)  These Church fathers consistently treated the use of images in worship as a teaching proceeding from Satan as Satan sought to turn people away from the worship of the One True God.  Lactantius also said "Therefore there is no doubt that there is no religion where there is an image." (quoted, IV, p.87)

"To sum it up, it is certain from sure and approved histories...that until the age of Jerome there were men of approved piety who allowed no image, either painted or sculpted or woven, in the churches, not even an image of Christ.  For we read in Eusebius that not even in the time of Constantine, who adorned churches with many costly offerings of gold, silver, and precious stones, were images received into churches." (IV, p. 88)  Therefore, for at least three hundred years, there is no evidence from reliable and trustworthy written histories that the primitive Christian Church used tangible images in the worship life of the Church nor that such were allowed in places of public prayer.

"It still remains to be shown that, excluding worship and adoration, not every historical use of images was simply rejected in the primitive church." (IV, p.91)  Eusebius, sometimes identified as Eusebius of Caesarea, circa A.D. 260- circa A.D. 339, called "The Father of Church History", (Lutheran Cyclopedia), for example, wrote of the civil and historical use of tangible images, and did not condemn images of Christ and of the Apostles in their historical use, but the early church did not institute any public worship gatherings or pilgrimages to any statue or worship or adoration.  The Church fathers, such as Origen, circa A.D. 185 - circa A.D. 254 (Lutheran Cyclopedia), a Greek Church Father, and Lactantius, also did not condemn the civil use of images such as statues of kings after their deaths.  But a clear line was drawn.  For example, Constantine, circa A.D. 280 - A.D. 337, Roman Emperor A.D. 306 -337, who granted the Christian church not only legal standing but also Imperial support (Lutheran Cyclopedia), after his conversion to Christianity, had his picture painted.  He was depicted as "...standing upright, looking upward to heaven, his hands uplifted as though he were praying." (IV, p. 94)  He was not condemned as having violated God's Law in Exodus 20:4,5.  "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and forth generation of those who hate me." (ESV)  However, Constantine commanded that this picture of him not be placed in any temple of an idol.  But, it should be noted that it was not reported that it was placed in any Christian church either.

We do find frequent references in the writings of the early Church fathers to the sign of the cross.   During those times, it was not a tangible image of a man with outstretched arms, nailed to the cross, "but at the time of Tertullian [circa A.D. 155/160 - circa A.D. 220/230 (Lutheran Cyclopedia)] and afterward the Christians with their fingers formed a transverse figure like a cross in the air, and in this way identified themselves.  It was not, however, a sign put forward for worship and adoration, for it was at that time not something with continued existence, but was only a profession and reminder that they believed in Christ crucified, and that they were placing all their hope and confidence in Him."  (IV, p. 94)

 It was after the conversion of Constantine that "the sign of the cross began to be represented by two pieces of wood joined crosswise, or painted in this form." (IV, p. 94)  This arose from Constantine having purportedly seen the sign of the cross "formed by the splendor of the light" (IV, p. 94)  when deciding whether or not the cast off heathen worship and follow Christ, with the addition of "In this sign conquer!" (IV, p. 94)  Constantine directed that a military emblem be made as follows: "A long spear, overlaid with gold, with a transverse arm, constructed in the form of a cross.  At the top a crown woven about with precious stones and gold, in which the mark of the Savior was inscribed with the first two letters of the name of Christ.  On the crosspiece a cloth was suspended shining with precious stones.  Downward, below the cloth on the long spear, there was a golden effigy of Constantine and his children, depicted as far as the breast."  (IV, p. 95)  It is important that we note that this sign was not placed in churches for worship and adoration.  It was a military banner or emblem, which was thereafter "preserved privately in the royal palace" (IV, p. 95)  and engraved on the weapons of his soldiers.  Constantine hoped to use this as part of his confession of faith to his soldiers in the hope that it would help lead them to worship of the true God.  This image was not taken into or used within the churches, nor was any other image placed in churches during that time.

In this discussion, we have seen that during the first three hundred years after Christ that tangible images were not employed in the church's worship of the true God and were not allowed into places of prayer.  In the next part of this series, we will look at when images began to be received into churches and what the first use of such images was, along with what followed thereafter.