68000 Colmar

France

……..but you better be prepared for seeing the whole depiction of the passion, including the gory details of the crucifixion. Grunewald paints this with the same aplomb he uses for the Resurrection, and perhaps it is even more poignant in depicting the depth of human suffering Jesus was willing to endure. One whole side of the Altarpiece is dedicated to this:

But of course, unlike most of the Church authorized depictions of the passion, Grunewald does not leave us there to languish in the suffering. As we have seen, the Resurrection is one of the few paintings, perhaps the only one, that really picks people up out of the doldrums and gives us a way to get out of the HELL we made. Go for it, DUDE. Grunewald had the guts to over ride the Church’s emphasis on suffering to be holy, and gives us  a doorway into Liberation and Immortal Life. Come into this, in other words, and Enter the Kingdom of the overcoming of death itself:

Suffering has no meaning in the end, because our true destiny is to overcome it and be in a forgiven world of only peace and joy. Look at the bliss on the face of Jesus in this painting of the Resurrection. No guile or grievances toward His “oppressors” can touch HIM. It is the true Halleluiah!