Held By Jesus
I love this picture of Jesus holding this man and cannot stop looking at it. It’s called Forgiven and it’s by Thomas Blackshear. For me, it so perfectly captures so much about who we are and Who He is. Our weakness and His strength. Our wretchedness and His glory. Our hopelessness and His faithfulness. Our sin and His love.
The man is so worn and beaten, scuffed, sullied and weak. His legs have given way beneath him. He can no longer go on. Maybe it is despair, maybe it is the weight of sin. But what an incredible, beautiful picture of hope. Jesus is with him. I will never leave you nor forsake you, says the Lord. In our darkest moments, Jesus is present and steadfast and able.
Not only this, but Jesus holds him and sustains him. On his own, this man would be lost, his life in ruins. But when he can stand no more, Jesus stands for him. When he is close to falling, Jesus holds him up. He is so strong and I am so weak.
And look at what is in the man’s hands. This was really poignant for me. In one hand is a mallet, in the other the nail. The nail driven into the very hands that hold him. It is our sin that sent Jesus to the cross to die that unimaginable and horrific death, and yet as undeserving as we are, He loves us and bears with us and is merciful.
*Picture Reference: Forgiven by Thomas Blackshear
wow. that picture is great! and you do a good job of unpacking its meaning and significance. grace and peace.
Great to hear from you and thanks for your encouragement, may God bless you.
I can tell you from my own down time. That jesus does indeed carry the load and never relaxes his embrace untill you are ready to stand tall on his word again. And then he is never far away. you can feel hid presence. This picture says it all.
You are an amazing inspiration. May the good Lord continue to shower His blessing upon you.
Hi Elena, thank you so much for visiting, welcome, and also for your lovely comment, it’s such a blessing. May God bless you too
You have said all that can be said about this print. My Grandmother gave me this while in the hospital after a horrible bike wreck. Once back in this world so to speak, it was the first thing i focused on. Shortly after recovering i became a father of two beautiful daughters and trully beleive he held me the same way to live for fatherhood. Our LORD is so beautiful, as is the print above. I look at it every single day. Your site pays the respect to this art which it deserves. have a great day.
Hi Jason, thank you so much for stopping by and for leaving this comment. Your experience here is a blessing to read, that you were able to focus on this painting of Jesus holding this man, as you recovered. How amazing God is, that now you see that He was holding you in the same way, and has since blessed you with a family. He is so good! With every blessing to you and your family.
Dear Birgit,
I saw this picture of Jesus holding the young man in a music vidoe of Mark Schultz’ “Broken and Beautiful”. The young man bears an uncanny resemblance to my youngest son who took his own life this past July. When I saw the picture I thought “That’s Brian as Jesus took him home”. I’ve read a few of your entries and have been blessed by them. Thank you and praise to our Lord Jesus for His Grace and Mercy!
Sincerely,
Lee Carlson
Hi Lee, thank you so much for your reply. I am so sorry to hear of your loss. It was a blessing to read how God has ministered to you through this picture, with a sense of Jesus taking your son home. It’s lovely to hear from you, and every blessing to you and your family.