It was supposed to be the romantic, gentle portrait of Jesus Christ. The original artist, Elias Garcia Martinez, was talented and his delicate brush strokes on the fresh plaster about 100 years ago had left a locally famous fresco painting in Borja, Spain. But images, especially ones created on plaster in humid climates, have a way of cracking, chipping, peeling and decaying.
His granddaughter, Teresa Garcia, noticed and got to work. She raised enough money to get the restoration rolling. Expert art restorers would be called in, the work would be lovingly restored, and Elias Garcia Martinez’s genius would be freshly admired.
But 85-year-old Cecilia Giménez didn’t know anything about the plans for restoration and she had her own paints and a paintbrush. Why, she’d even done some lovely little paintings of her own on canvas. It was even pretty clear to her that the old fresco needed some fixing. So with all good intentions, she set to work. On came the thick globs of paint. First the fading tunic disappeared under the heavy layers. Next came the touch-up of the delicate brush work of the face. Tourists are now arriving by the thousands in the sleepy town of Borja to chuckle, groan and marvel. The result has to be seen to be believed. A quick Internet search would show you what she came up with.
You and I were created by God. As it says in Genesis 1:27,27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27) “God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” This isn’t talking about having the properly-shaped mouth and a certain arch to the eyebrow. God created us to be like Him in love and holiness. God never lashes out in irritation, shades the truth to look a bit better or helps Himself to someone else’s things. But we do. Constantly. We aren’t like a tattered portrait of the one true God; there’s not a whole lot of the original left, if we’re completely honest.
Many people realize what’s happened and want to “fix up the situation.” Some “go to church.” Others “get spiritual.” Just about everybody figures they should swear a bit less and maybe “pay it forward” with random acts of kindness. When they’re done with their restoration, they say, like Cecilia Giménez did, “We fixed it.” But any objective third party would beg to differ. In fact, the true expert, God Himself, has already said about any efforts we might have made, “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:66But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6)).
However, like Teresa Garcia, He’s already paid the full amount necessary to change us into being perfectly morally beautiful. “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). I suppose Cecilia Giménez was completely clueless about her lack of fine art talent. In fact, when the reaction to her work poured in, she began to have “panic attacks.” I’m sure not everyone complimented her skills. But God isn’t like that. He is lovingly letting you know what He’s done to put away the mess of sin in your life and make you like Himself. However, anything short of letting Him do all the work of restoration won’t be accepted. He doesn’t ask us to add to, touch up, or assist Him in any way. He doesn’t want our supposed good works. Instead He says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:2828Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)). Will you do that today?
God’s work of restoration wasn’t a pleasant paint job. It required the supreme sacrifice to pay for the sins we have committed. You’ll get a sense of that in Rock Slide.