The Deposition of Jesus
There is the deep silence of grief depicted in this icon of Jesus being taken down from the cross.
The figure of Jesus is elongated emphasising his body ‘stretched out’ in death.
The sombre tone is accentuated by the contorted figures in various poses of denial, reverence and humility.
There is no cross in the icon… only the ladder which rises from the ground to beyond the hooded figure wrapping Jesus in his pure white burial shroud. This is a cosmic event the efficacy of which touches both heaven and earth.
This is also the timeless silence of a moment captured forever in stillness… like a snatched image forever encased in honeyed amber. Being prayerfully present before the icon in a physical way allows us to be open to an emotional response… we pass through the image and find ourselves present to the event itself releasing our shock, our grief and our sorrow.
Prayer Before the Icon
God of my heart,
It is hard to be witness at the death of your Beloved.
I wonder does he know I am present…
Knotted in grief
Red-eyed in silent tears
Numbed by his pain
My gut snarled in horror?
It is but a momentary emotional response
Unlike those attending to his burial
I know what lies ahead…
Whereas those at the foot of the cross
Faced a future without Jesus
I can see beyond the dark loss of that dreadful Friday
To the bright light of new life at Easter Morning.
In the bleak times and snarled tumble of my life
May I hold firm to the promise of Easter joy
Knowing that to enter fully into the pattern
Of the Lord’s suffering and death I will also
Rise with Him to a new dawn in the morning.
… through Him who is the icon of your love,
He who died so that we might live abundantly,
Jesus, your only Son, our Lord and brother.
Amen
Icon and prayer by Mike Hansen
