LITTLE LAMB

 

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”  Luke 2:7

Some years ago, the artist Jenedy Paige, felt that she needed to do a painting of baby Jesus. In her extensive research she discovered that the manger would have most likely been carved out of white limestone and that it was also unlikely that Jesus was “asleep on the hay” as grass was available on the hills surrounding Judea year round. They really would have had no need to store hay, and the mangers were most likely used for water.

She also learnt that “swaddling cloths” were not scraps of fabric indicating poverty but were actually a big part of the Israelite culture. They were in reality 5-6” wide strips of linen which were embroidered with symbols of the ancestry of the bride and groom symbolising the coming together of two families. These bands were wrapped around the hands of the couple at the wedding ceremony. The swaddling bands Jenedy Paige painted suggest that the bands the Savior was swaddled in may have included the Lion of Judah and the stem of Jesse.

Her feelings about the painting touched me the most:

“As I sketched and worked, my heart was so full as I uncovered this image. For when you take away the Hollywood drama, the traditions of centuries, the wood and the hay, all you’re really left with is a babe in white linen on white stone. And my mind immediately went to the purpose of the Savior’s life:

“He was born to die. He came as the sacrificial lamb for all mankind; so how fitting that He would begin his life on a stone altar of sorts, and be wrapped in white linen, like he would after His death. And of course he would be placed in a trough for water, for He would be Living Water, and would bring life to all. I also found myself weeping for the Father, and how it must have felt to see His Son begin life foreshadowing His death. My heart was so full of gratitude that He would send His Only Begotten to be the Savior for us all. That He would send His Son, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, to die so that we all might live. What good news, what comfort and joy, what a gift was given to us all. O come, let us adore Him!”  (JENEDY PAIGE)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Little Lamb by Jenedy Paige)

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