April 11: The Descent from the Cross
♫ Music:
Day 46 - Saturday, April 11
HOLY SATURDAY
Hymn for Holy Saturday: When You descended unto death, O Life Immortal, then You slayed Hades with the lightening of Your Divinity. And when You also raised the dead out of the nethermost depths, all the power in the Heavens cried out: O Life-giver, Christ our God, glory be to You. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. The noble Joseph, taking Your immaculate body down from the Tree, and having wrapped it in pure linen and spices, laid it for burial in a new tomb. But on the third day You did arise, O Lord, granting great mercy to the world. Now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Scripture: Ephesians 4:9-10
Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive [He led a train of vanquished foes] and He bestowed gifts on men. [But He ascended?] Now what can this, He ascended, mean but that He had previously descended from [the heights of] heaven into [the depths], the lower parts of the earth? He Who descended is the [very] same as He Who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things (the whole universe, from the lowest to the highest).
Poetry:
Ascension
by John Donne
Salute the last, and everlasting day,
Joy at the uprising of this Sun, and Son,
Ye whose true tears, or tribulation
Have purely wash'd, or burnt your drossy clay.
Behold, the Highest, parting hence away,
Lightens the dark clouds, which He treads upon;
Nor doth he by ascending show alone,
But first He, and He first enters the way.
O strong Ram, which hast batter'd heaven for me!
Mild lamb, which with Thy Blood hast mark'd the path!
Bright Torch, which shinest, that I the way may see!
O, with Thy own Blood quench Thy own just wrath;
And if Thy Holy Spirit my Muse did raise,
Deign at my hands this crown of prayer and praise
THE DESCENT FROM THE CROSS
The machinery of suffering and death has done its malignant work, and Jesus is dead. His death was not only humiliating and agonizing; it was also unjust (as Peter will later claim on the Day of Pentecost), enacted through collusion between the religious leaders and the Roman authorities. This one who spoke of God’s love and forgiveness, who called Israel to faithfulness to God, this one who forgave sins and healed bodies has now been overcome by sin and death. Jesus is dead.
In Ephesians 4:9-10, Paul borrows a text from Psalm 68, a psalm that speaks of God’s victory over his enemies. Paul interprets the text as a reference to the ascension of Christ, an ascension that was preceded by his descent into “the lower parts of the earth.” Such descent is described by the Apostles’ Creed as the descent “to the dead” that comes because Jesus “was crucified, died, and was buried.” But before he could descend to the place of the dead, Jesus would inhabit the physical place of the living.
In Rogier van der Weyden’s The Descent from the Cross, there is a stark contrast between the living and the dead. While those who are alive are clearly in grief, they are also attired in the finery of van der Weyden’s day. Mary has swooned, her hand almost brushing against the skull on the ground that gapes up at the scene, but the elegance of her gown is preserved.
Jesus, however, lacks such elegance. Jesus is dead. All that defined him in life—his ethnicity, his socio-economic status, his gender—has died. He has taken all that frames a human life to the place of the dead, the place that is the destiny for all humans.
We Christians believe that, in Jesus, the fullness of God dwells (Colossians 1:19). We believe that the very word of God has become flesh in Jesus (John 1:14). And we believe that, in Christ, God has entered fully into our human experience, including our suffering and death.
Suffering and death are not comforts to us, but they are realities. This God who, in Christ, has ascended, is also the one who has descended. He has descended into our human existence and tasted the death that we will one day taste. We are not alone in our existence and we are not alone in our suffering and death. As Jesus stands in solidarity with us in suffering and death, so do we stand with him. As the definers and measures of his human life and worth were shattered by death, so are our definers and measures shattered by his death. We now find ourselves in Christ, in whom there is no Jew or Greek, no slave or free, no male and female (Galatians 3:28). Yes, in life our various identifiers and statuses and preferences are still apparent, but they no longer are allowed to define who we really are. We are in Christ, the one who has descended and ascended, the one whose presence fills all things.
Prayer:
God,
Thank you that in this life and in the life to come, you stand with us in Christ. Even though our lives are often defined by fear, sickness, and death, we are grateful that we are ultimately defined by the hope that lies in you.
Amen.
Michael McNichols, DMin
Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies
Fuller Theological Seminary
For more information about the artwork, music, poetry, and devotional writer selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab
About the Art:
Deposition
Roger van der Weyden
c. 1435
Oil on oak panel
220 x 262 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain
The Descent from the Cross (or Deposition of Christ) depicts Jesus being lowered from the cross, his lifeless body held by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. The skull and bones that litter the green ground in the front refer to Golgotha, “the skull,” and the new life available through Christ’s death and resurrection. The figure on the ladder is severely constrained by the framing of the painting at the top, which draws attention to the fact that this is a niche and directs contemplation of its meaning over its representational accuracy, like a Medieval mystery play. Everything is carefully staged painted in the hyper-realistic Netherlandish style of the fifteenth century. His grieving mother has fainted, falling into a position that reflects that of the crucified Christ. In this way, they become both graphically and symbolically connected. Mary has fainted, but will recover. Jesus has died, but will be resurrected. The moment of greatest grief and weakness, therefore, also holds the potential of the greatest power. Art historians have commented that this work is said to be the most influential Netherlandish painting of Christ's crucifixion and it continued to be copied and adapted on a large scale in the two centuries after its completion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Descent_from_the_Cross_(van_der_Weyden)
About the Artist:
Rogier van der Weyden (1399-1464) was an Early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commissioned single and diptych portraits. Known for his expressive pathos and naturalism, his forms are rendered with rich, warm colorization and a sympathetic expression. He was internationally famous in his lifetime and received commissions from, amongst others, Philip the Good, Netherlandish nobility, and foreign princes. However, his fame lasted only until the 17th century largely due to changing tastes and he was almost totally forgotten by the mid-18th century. His reputation was slowly rebuilt during the following 200 years and today he is known, with Robert Campin and van Eyck, as one of the three great Early Flemish artists. His vigorous, subtle, expressive painting, and popular religious renderings had considerable influence on European painting, not only in France and Germany, but also in Italy and in Spain. Rogier van der Weyden also introduced new religious iconography in his paintings by depicting patrons participating in sacred events and diptychs featuring the Madonna alongside patrons in prayer.
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/rogier-van-der-weyden
About the Music:
“Requiem, Op. 48: III. Offertoire” from the album Faure: Requiem, Op. 48 / Pavane, Op. 50
The Lyrics:
O Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex Gloriae
libera animas defunctorum
de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu
O Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex Gloriae
libera animas defunctorum de ore leonis
ne absorbeat eus Tartarus ne cadant in obscurum.
Lyrics Translation:
Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory,
deliver the souls of all the faithful departed
from the pains of hells and from the bottomless pit.
Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory,
Deliver them from the lion's mouth,
nor let them fall into darkness,
neither the black abyss swallow them up.
About the Lyricist:
Traditional Latin
About the Composer:
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was a French composer whose refined and gentle music influenced the course of modern French music. Fauré studied piano with composer Camille Saint-Saëns, who introduced him to the music of Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner. Fauré excelled not only as a songwriter of great refinement and sensitivity, but also as a composer in every branch of chamber music. He wrote more than 100 songs and enriched the literature of the piano with a number of highly original and exquisitely wrought works. His 13 nocturnes, 12 barcaroles, and 5 impromptus are perhaps the most representative and well-known of his repertoire. Although he had a deep respect for traditional forms of music, Fauré delighted in infusing those forms with a mélange of harmonic daring and a freshness of invention.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Faur%C3%A9
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gabriel-Faure
About the Performers:
Netherlands Chamber Choir and the Limburg Symphony Orchestra
Netherlands Chamber Choir (Nederlands Kamerkoor) is a full-time and independent professional Dutch choir. It was founded in 1937 as the Chorus Pro Musica to perform Bach cantatas for the Dutch radio. For over eighty years, the Nederlands Kamerkoor has enjoyed a place at the top of the international choral world. Since the very beginning, the choir has been known for being adventurous and innovative. It owes this reputation to commissions of works by both well-known composers and young talent and to a continuous search for new formats and exciting collaborations. Education and participation is a vital part of the choir’s mission. The Nederlands Kamerkoor provides coaching and workshops and ‘adopts’ choirs as supporting acts for their own concerts. Since September 2015 Peter Dijkstra has been its chief-conductor.
https://www.nederlandskamerkoor.nl/
Limburg Symphony Orchestra was a Dutch orchestra based in the Netherlands. The orchestra had received funding from the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Province of Limburg and the Municipality of Maastricht. Ed Spanjaard served twice as chief conductor, first from 1982 to 1988, and later as the orchestra's final chief conductor, from 2001 to 2012. Following elimination of government grants, the Limburg Symphony Orchestra merged April 2013 with Het Brabants Orkest to form the South Netherlands Philharmonic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limburgs_Symfonie_Orkest
About the Poet:
John Donne (1572-1631) was an Anglican cleric and one of England’s most gifted and influential metaphysical poets of his time. Raised a Roman Catholic, Donne later converted to Anglicanism. His work is distinguished by its emotional intensity and its capacity to deeply delve into the paradoxes of faith, human and divine love, and personal salvation. His works are noted for their strong, sensual style and include a variety of forms including: sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires, and sermons. His poetry is noted for its eloquent language, fusion of intellect and passion, and inventiveness of metaphor. In 1621, he was appointed the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London and also served as a member of Parliament in 1601 and in 1614. After a resurgence in his popularity in the early 20th century, Donne’s reputation as one of the greatest writers of English prose and poetry was established.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-donne
About the Devotion Writer:
Michael McNichols, DMin
Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies
Fuller Theological Seminary
Mike McNichols is a former pastor and served as Director of Fuller Seminary's regional campus in Irvine, California, for over thirteen years. He currently teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary as an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies. He and his wife, Emily, live in Orange County, California.