AMOKArts Creative Arts Ministry presents Dichotomy II

This is a subject came to me one day on a prayer walk. I have painted it many times before but never like this. It’s an image that has never managed to stay with me very long before someone has acquired it. It just seems to speak to hearts and for that I praise God.

I call it Dichotomy, a most unusual portrait of Jesus. It portrays Him as the lion of the tribe of Judah and the lamb of God. To me this captures both parts of his mission, Lord and Savior, the King and the Sacrifice. He is both to me, My Lord and mighty protector and gentle savior. I love this image but in the past, whenever I painted it, both faces were painted gentle with mouths closed, pictures of gentle strength. I always felt like something was missing.

I was reminded of this when reading the Chronicles of Narnia. In describing Aslan the lion, the Christ figure in the story, one of the children said, He’s not a tame lion but He is good. Somehow We’ve made the lion of the Tribe of Judah a soft little kitty cat and that is hardly the case. Jesus is the very essence of power. My lion needed to roar.

And the lamb. We have so sanitized the price He paid on that cross, that I don’t think we really think about the agony our sins cost. Maybe it’s easier that way. My sins could hardly have caused more than a flesh wound. No your sins and mine caused brutal agony and death, no matter how good we may think we are. Jesus paid a high price for you and me and we need to be grateful.

Putting these images together should provoke deep emotion. We see the mighty powerful roaring King. He could easily destroy us and with good reason, but instead He puts His might to use as our protector. We see the gentle lamb, who could have run but instead He stood in our places and took our beating. It’s a picture of a love without limits, a picture of boundless grace. It shows how much our Lord values you and me and begs the question, how much do you value Him.

Who Do You Say That I Am? #6 Lion of Judah

Who Do You Say That I Am? #6 Lion of Judah

Today’s image is found in the book of Revelation where Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. This image is practically the antithesis of the Lamb of God suffering servant image and yet they work together. Here Christ is portrayed in His true power and might. In another passage the enemy is portrayed as a roaring lion roaming the earth seeking whom He might devour. He’s not the only lion in this show though. There is one far more powerful and He runs to the defense of all who will call upon His name. I am eternally grateful that He sacrificed Himself for me, but I am also grateful for all the times when the enemy was bearing down on me when Christ rushed in to rescue and protect me.

A lot of people struggle with the Lion of Judah image, first because they are okay with a gentle lamb who dies to save them but they don’t really want a king to rune over them. But I think it’s more than that. Lions are wild and unpredictable. They’re not easy to cage, not easy to put in a box. I’m glad about that. I echo C.S. Lewis from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Speaking of Aslan (the Christ figure Lion character) he writes, “He’s not a tame lion, but He is good.” Don’t try to tame Jesus, let Him be the lion He is. Trust me, that is a big part of who we all need Him to be.

AMOKArts How to create a Lion of Judah T-Shirt with Zazzle.com

A few of my friends have been asking me to make tutorials and I finally figured out how to do it. I hope this is helpful to you. It’s A tutorial demonstrating how to make a graphic using photoshop and then uploading it to be made into t-shirts at Zazzle.com. Let me know if this is helpful. I could do a lot more of these.

To get a shirt like this for yourself, click here.

Bible Reading Guide
An important part of following God is knowing what He wants and a great way to know what He wants is to read His Word. Follow this plan and you will finish reading the Bible in a year.
Genesis 35-36, Job 1
You can also download your own chart here.