Over ten years ago, a friend introduced me to this painting he saw while touring the Luther lands in Germany. It’s a part of an altarpiece of St. Mary’s Church in Wittenberg—the church where Luther regularly preached.
Ever since, I have always thought that this would make an excellent piece to have hanging on the wall of my study. Today, I got my wish. I was able to order a giclée reprint from art-prints-on-demand.com and then had it framed at a local frame shop here in northeast El Paso.
Here is what strikes me about the painting:
- Luther’s preaching points to Christ. He is preaching from the Scriptures, but the Scriptures always point us to Jesus. Therefore preaching should do the same. Preaching is not primarily aimed at educating or entertaining people, nor is it primarily aimed at changing people’s behavior. But it is to point to Christ who hung on the tree in place of sinners.
- The congregation listens to Luther preaching, but their attention is also on Christ. They see Christ and hear Christ. Jesus should always “get in the way” between the preacher and the parishioner. This, then, is how the laity evaluates preaching—by what the preacher says about Jesus.
- The congregation is made up of young and old. The congregation includes the youngest of those who believe in Jesus. Babies sit with an unobstructed view of Christ—at the front of the church. They, too, need Jesus. They, too, hear and see Jesus in the divine service. They, too, receive the gifts of Christ.
A Shepherd's Story 
That is a good picture of Christ, and I appreciate your comments too. Thank you for this post.
Professor Gurgel loves this picture too. He points out that Cranach left Luther’s Bible blank. In other words, it doesn’t matter where in the Bible Luther is preaching from; it still preaches Christ. He also points out that some people aren’t paying attention. (There’s a lady near the front who looks like she’s ‘looking at the camera,’ and Katie Luther looks like it’s all she can do to keep Hans from running to Daddy.) This gives every preacher some comfort. If even a preacher like Luther can’t hold everyone’s attention, then I’m probably not going to either.
[…] information on the above painting by Lucas Cranach (the elder), check out this post entitled “Cranach in the Study” by Pastor Caauwe. GA_googleAddAttr("AdOpt", "1"); GA_googleAddAttr("Origin", "other"); […]
[…] Here is what strikes me about the painting: Luther’s preaching points to Christ. He is preaching from the Scriptures, but the Scriptures always point us to Jesus. Therefore preaching should do the same. Preaching is not primarily aimed at educating or entertaining people, nor is it primarily aimed at changing people’s behavior. But it is to point to Christ who hung on the tree in place of sinners. Cranach in the Study « A Shepherd's Story […]