BACH, VAN GOGH, SHAKESPEARE, AND GOD.
But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish in the sea inform you.
Job 12.
Oh, the Bible! Yes, I mean this forgotten book. Most families have a copy or two, gathering dust somewhere. Which makes me wonder whether the Bible – and the church – is really necessary for salvation.
What is salvation anyway? Good question. I think salvation comes when we pursue knowledge about God. The Belgic Confession points in that direction.
Article 2: The Means by Which We Know God
We know him by two means:
First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe,
since that universe is before our eyes
like a beautiful book
in which all creatures, great and small,
are as letters
to make us ponder
the invisible things of God:
his eternal power
and his divinity,
as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20.
All these things are enough to convict men and to leave them without excuse.
Second, he makes himself known to us more openly by his holy and divine Word,
as much as we need in this life,
for his glory
and for the salvation of his own.
What does that indicate?
A number of things. It emphasizes that Creation is God’s Primary and Direct Word, while the Bible is God’s Secondary and Indirect Word.
It also tells us that Salvation is all about knowing God, especially his LOVE for creation and for his Son. Karen Armstrong, in her book, Sacred Nature, has shown how throughout our 10,000 years of history, people have seen Creation as a gift of God, and thus holy. Jesus calls his father ‘a Spirit’, by definition invisible. Paul in his letter to his protégé Timothy, wrote “God lives in inapproachable light, who nobody can see or has seen.” (1 Timothy 6: 16). So, how can we worship a God who is both unseen and beyond knowledge?
For this I go to three historical figures, all three genii in their own right.
Shakespeare first.
Very little is known for certain about William Shakespeare. What we do know about his life comes from registrar records, court records, wills, marriage certificates and his tombstone in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. William Shakespeare was baptised on 26 April 1564 at Holy Trinity in Stratford-Upon-Avon. This most famous playwright of all time – he wrote or co-authored some 50 plays – we only know him through his works.
I know a bit more about Johann Sebastian Bach.
I have 2 Bach biographies: one more than 500 pages, written by Christoff Wolff, born in Germany, taught at Harvard. He confesses that he knows little about Bach as a person. Two of his wives died, one survived him, leaving her with 4 small children, of which he had 20, many dying young. He lived from 1685-1750, all in East Germany. But Bach’s musical talent is unequaled, I quote, “Johann Sebastian Bach was a genius of the highest order; his spirit is so unique and personal, so immense that it will require centuries to properly typify him. His original genius is immediately obvious”. His output was legendary: working 15 hours 7 days a week.
Again, we know him mainly through his immense treasure of music.
Then there is Vincent van Gogh.
I have his biography, written by a duo: Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh, both graduates of Harvard Law School. They managed to unearth every letter he ever wrote: and there were a lot. The life story of Vincent – his father was a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church – is so depressing that I could not finish this almost 1,000 pages volume. Notable facts: he was financially supported by his brother, an art dealer; he cut off his ear and committed suicide. 1853-1890.
But his paintings! His legacy! Unequaled among painters, except for, perhaps, Rembrandt and Da Vinci.
So, why mention these great artists at all?
They are world-famous because of their works. Without their artistic achievements, history would have forgotten them.
The same is true bout God. John 3 comes to mind. In it, Jesus talks to a preacher of his church. Three notable items: (1), in verse 13 he reminds him (and us) that ‘nobody goes to heaven, except Jesus, God’s son, who came from there’; (2) verse 16: God’s love for his creation is so great that, in order to buy it back from Satan, God’s Son is used as a ransom; (3) verse 17: Jesus came, not to condemn the world but to save it.
Conclusion.
Three examples of famous men, still known today for their unequalled legacies.
The Old Testament believers saw God concretely in the holy temple. Today’s Christians can see God in his holy creation.