I’ve been referring to the new siding on the house as rusted metal, but the other day someone called it patina steel. I like that…it definitely sounds more chic. In Webster’s Dictionary one of the definitions for patina is, ‘a superficial covering or exterior’. We know that Jesus looks at the heart of men, but He also pays attention to man’s patina. As in the case of the teachers of the law and Pharisees, “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long…” (Matt 25:5 NIV)
1 comment:
Gail;
-----I think you are so right about Jesus’ recognition of our patina. Webster’s second and first definitions of “patina” are also worthy of reflection, “an appearance or aura that is derived from association, habit, or established character,” and “a surface appearance of something grown beautiful, especially with age or use.” Within the archeological context, a patina is invaluable to authenticating an object. Patina certainly forms with use, like what gets baked onto long used cookie sheets, or like what forms on my over-worn t-shirts. But more important can be the patina which forms on something’s surface through centuries of sitting in one environment. The interactions of bacteria and the chemistry of its environment will form a very specific, identifiable patina over long-term exposure.
-----The “James, brother of Jesus” ossuary box which surfaced into public view a few years ago provides a great example of this. On first estimation, it was accepted as real because its patina appeared the same across the general surface of the box as it did inside the grooving which formed the inscription. But upon microscopic examination, the patina inside “the brother of Jesus” part of the inscription was greatly different than that within the “James” part of the inscription. This part of the inscription was clearly added later, and its chemical make-up revealed this to be much, much, later - as in “forgery” later.
-----So patina wonderfully reflects environment, whether it be true environment or falsified environment. The patina of the Pharisees also truly reflected the environment in which they were generated. The problem was, the Pharisaical environment itself was flawed, and it produced a dastardly patina rather than a beautiful one which would have come from a heartfelt submission to the nature of The Law directing a thoughtful observance of The Law. Jesus could detect the peculiarities of their patina as easily as we can detect the foul patina of an over-worn pair of shorts.
-----But your analogy bears far greater thought than this. In as much as we are in most ways born as a blank sheet of paper, the writing and pictures upon that paper of living our lives are very much the patinas of the times and places through which we have ventured. Some are beautiful, some are not. Some are of real environments, some of falsified ones. But they all overlap and interrelate. For these patinas to be truly beautiful and real to the character of godliness, the environments to which we expose ourselves must also be beautiful and real to His character. Then the patinas will store up on our papers as treasure, such that, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good,” (Luke 6:45). But whatever the patinas, “...the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before Him, no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.” (Heb. 4:12-13) The path every heart has taken throughout time is discernable by the patinas of which it is made.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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