Hear Joni talk about a meaningful memory behind her painting of the Sermon on the Mount.
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The Beatitudes - Find out what Jesus says about true happiness and blessedness in the Beatitudes. The beatitudes aren’t commands on how to live—they are illustrations of what living for God looks like. From meekness to purity, enjoy digging deeper into the meaning and practical application of each beatitude as you go line-by-line through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
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Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada to brag just a bit on my husband.
Early in 1998, Ken memorized the entire Sermon on the Mount; that’s three big chapters in the gospel of Matthew. Later that year we traveled to Israel, and one sunny afternoon, we drove up on a hill behind the ruins of Capernaum right there on the edge of the sea of Galilee. Ken and I got out and while I sat and watched, he wandered through a field to [what looked like] a natural amphitheater tucked into the side of the hill. It was late in the afternoon, the tour buses were gone, the hillside was quiet. Ken turned to face the Sea of Galilee and began to recite the Sermon on the Mount – all three chapters! It took almost 15 minutes, and as I listened, I could picture, somewhere on that same hillside above Capernaum, throngs of people walking up the path to sit and listen to those riveting words from Jesus. By the time Ken Tada had finished, the sun was starting to set, casting its golden glow over everything. A breeze was stirring, and Ken and I remained there on the hillside, just quietly taking it all in.
That day was the highlight of our visit to the Holy Land. And when I got home, I couldn’t wait to paint the scene as it may have looked over 2,000 years ago. The result? Well, I did a large oil painting showing the landscape surrounding the Sea of Galilee. And there in the sunlight on the hill, I painted Jesus preaching to the people. Now, I wanted the viewer’s eye to land immediately on Jesus and so I used a compositional cue – I painted a line of grazing sheep; it helps guide the eye toward the crowd until you, too, find yourself “sitting” at the feet of Jesus. I wanted to convey that moment described in Matthew 5: “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’” That’s right, the Beatitudes are at the beginning of Jesus’s sermon on the Mount. And this large oil painting was an exhausting work; it took over a year to complete [I’ve posted a photo of it on joniradio.org today and I’d love for you to come on our page and see it].
Decades have passed since that day Ken and I stood on the hill above Capernaum, but the memory of my husband reciting those timeless words of Jesus remains crystal clear and this oil painting helps keep that memory fresh. Again, I’ve posted it up on the wall for you to enjoy at joniradio.org. And while you are on my radio page, ask for the complimentary gift I’d like to send you. It’s a beautiful full-color pamphlet detailing the lessons in the Beatitudes. Because God has a blessing for you in this amazing little booklet as you learn why Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” And why he said, “blessed are you if you mourn.” It sounds like a contradiction. I mean, can Christians really be happy if they are in mourning? And what does it mean to be poor in spirit? Find out when you go to joniradio.org to order your gift simply called “The Beatitudes.” And while you’re there, enjoy my big oil painting of that long-ago day when Jesus taught his disciples there on the hillside. Oh, and I should add that even after all these years, Ken Tada is careful to keep practicing those three chapters in Matthew. Those words of Jesus are so rich, and deep, and full of truth, and encouragement. And speaking of encouragement, order your free gift today at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends