A long-time friend — a man I’ve known since I was 14 years old — commissioned me to create a painting for his office. It was the most difficult kind of commission in that he gave me no direction whatsoever. I had complete carte blanche.
Knowing my friend to be a man of deep religious convictions, I chose as my subject matter the passage in the Bible in which Jesus said: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
I titled the painting Heaven’s Gate.
In this passage, I don’t believe Jesus was condemning wealth. Rather, I think He was asking a far more personal question: What are you holding onto that is preventing you from becoming the person you were meant to be?
My friend asked me for a painting. I like to think I gave him back a lovely work of art and, perhaps more importantly, an essential question.
It is a question we can all ponder.
This print, Heaven’s Gate, is an abstraction from the original painting.
Shown: Blue art print with spiritual theme for home or office. Please click on the image for more information.
