The Last Supper has long been one of the most popular topics
of artists for many generations, but Leonardo da Vinci’s version is probably
the most well-known of them all. It is a
wall painting in the dining room of the convent Santa Maria della Grazie near
Milan Italy. This painting was started
the year after Columbus sailed to the new world and wasn’t completed until 3
years later. Da Vinci was no doubt a
genius, but if you were to ask his employer Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan,
he would tell you that he hardly ever finishes anything he starts and only then
with a lot of nagging and pressure.
Sforza was a powerful figure in Renaissance Italy. He was fabulously wealthy, militarily
powerful, well-cultured and connected, and for a man of his position, quite
pious. Da Vinci lived at Sforza’s estate
and was constantly doing projects for him ranging from statuary to visual
spectacles designed to entertain the Duke’s dinner guests. Da Vinci’s stock in trade was not painting
but rather sculpture and machinery. I
find this interesting because this was also true of Michelangelo. Yet both men are most famous for their
paintings almost defining Renaissance art.
Duke Sforza spent much time at the convent of Santa
Maria. He would often go there for days
at a time on spiritual retreat and found great solace in the gardens and the
worship services held there. His great
plan was to be buried there and so he was also a major supporting patron of the
monastery. When Leonardo was sent there
to paint the last supper it was for the walls of the of the Sforza
mausoleum. But Leonardo hated painting
and really didn’t care for some of the brothers at the monastery either. This made the work for him wearisome and full
of drudgery which is why he avoided working on it as much as possible. It was really mostly the pressure and
cajoling of Ludovico Sforza on Da Vinci that brought this project to
completion.
Truth be told, Da Vinci had great artistic talent, but was a
bit lazy at the craft of wall painting.
He avoided using the fresco method which would have better preserved the
work, because he wanted to work on it slowly and revise it a lot. And so his methodology of wall preparation
and painting led to its early failure.
Within 5 years of completion, restorative work needed to be done. It has been restored so many times, that some
believe there is very little paint on that wall left that was actually laid
down by Da Vinci himself.
The picture of the Last Supper is a depiction of that moment
when Jesus reveals that one of his disciples will betray him. The Apostles are all in groupings of three
all in consternation about which one is the betrayer. With one hand Jesus is signaling it will be
the person who shares this bread. But
very subtly, Jesus’ other hand points us to Judas who is grasping his coin bag
in one hand and furtively grabbing a piece of bread before leaving the room to
betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin.
When I think of the actual event we call the Last Supper, I
think of what Jesus taught all of us about love. First of all, he washed the feet of all who
were present. This was an act of loving
service that was humble and even included his betrayer. Second of all the Passover meal, and then the
bread and cup, point to Jesus’ love extending to the utmost including self-sacrifice
and death for our redemption. True
Christian love is much more than an emotional thing, it is sacrificial, it is
seeking the best for others at the expense of self.
Secondly, the bond of Christ’s community, the church family,
is sustained by the fact that we believe together. Christ is rightly at the center of Da Vinci’s
table for he is Lord who draws us all together.
Judas was welcomed to the meal and the community, but left because of
his unbelief. He was not unloved by the
Lord, but chose to separate himself from his love and this was to his eternal
regret. All of us experience betrayal of
some sort in our lives, but the worst betrayal is always from those we
love. If you have or are experiencing
betrayal now, know that the Lord Jesus knows exactly how you feel as He
underwent that same pain too.
The events of the Last Supper are commemorated on what is known as Maundy Thursday. The message to the men around the table that night and to the rest of us is the Lord's great commandment. His
commandment is to love one another just as he has loved you. This high calling of love is the true mark of being one of the Lord's
disciples (John 13:34-35). This is the essential message we should remember from the Last Supper.
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