My favorite piece of artwork I encountered on our recent trip to Italy was a statue by Michelangelo. I found it intriguing as I gazed at it for the first time, one of many fabulous works in this museum. However, as our guide told us the backstory of the sculpture, I leaned in and held my breath.
Michelangelo craved this piece at the end of his life. It’s a Pieta, a depiction of Jesus being taken from the cross, and this was not the only one he created. The most famous resides in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City (we saw that one also). But this one struck me personally.
Michelangelo, an earnest disciple of Christ, chose to portray Nicodemus taking Jesus down from the cross, along with Mary, Jesus’ mother, and Mary Magdalene. In this work, Michelangelo carved his own face as the face of Nicodemus, a self-portrait, if you will. Adoration for Christ did not always motive Michelangelo. But at the end of his life, he carved for posterity this image of true devotion.
Nicodemus served as a model for Michelangelo. Nicodemus first approached Jesus by night, but he refused to commit to Jesus. Scared and intimidated by the scoffers and doubters, Nicodemus took years to fully embrace Christ, finally doing so in that moment of taking the body of Jesus from the cross. In his own slow, halting journey of faith, Michelangelo found a kindred spirit in Nicodemus.
The thought struck me powerfully. I wrote about Nicodemus in my book, Seers, Sayers, Schemers & Saints. I’ve been fascinated for years with the searching and wrestling we see in the life of Nicodemus. He may be my favorite character in the New Testament, and he is certainly the one I relate to the most. To hear that Michelangelo felt the same stirred my heart. The artist’s religious fervor expanded as he aged. Michelangelo’s love of Christ informed his art and drove him during his last phase of life.
Great art can move one to tears. Such an occurrence rarely happens to me. But as I stood in front the this masterpiece, slowly understanding that the master artist carved his face into the marble to show his devotion to The Master, the tears welled. I cannot wait to meet Michelangelo in heaven, along with Nicodemus, and relive the lives of wrestling and eventual capitulation to full faith in Jesus that we and many others have shared.
