The stifling heat settled over us like a heavy, wet blanket. I wanted to run back to the A/C at the hotel, but I also wanted to explore some of Paris on this brief visit. We decided on a quick trip to our favorite museum, the Rodin. We sweated our way through the sculpture garden, searching for any hint of shade. As we rounded a corner, the heat seemed to intensify just as we approached Rodin’s massive The Gates of Hell sculptures. With the temperature soaring past 100 degrees, the irony wasn’t lost on me. I stood in awe as I gazed at this impressive work, and how appropriate with the awful heat.
I stood, with sweat dripping down my face, and studied the masterpiece. The tormented faces and falling bodies drew my attention. Bodies twisted in agony seemed to look back at me, sending a shiver down my spine despite the oppressive heat. Atop the piece sat a miniature copy of the Thinker sculpture. What did he think as he looked down over the torment happening below him? The heat of the day drove me away, but my eyes kept going back to the piece as it unsettled me.
Last week, I wrote about heaven and the peace I imagined while walking beside lions in Zambia. I stood before Rodin’s The Gates of Hell, and it reminded me of the other side of eternity. The contrast struck me. Walking with the lions had filled me with peace and hope. Standing before Rodin’s sculpture left me unsettled. Both experiences made me think about eternity, but from completely different perspectives.
A Need for Christ in Rodin’s Work
As I studied the suffering figures, I thought about the biblical picture of separation from God. Their twisted bodies and anguished faces brought 2 Thessalonians 1:9 (NIV) to mind. “They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” High above the figures sat The Thinker, contemplating the chaos below. As I looked at him, another contrast came to mind. Christ didn’t simply observe humanity’s brokenness from a distance. He entered it. He came into our world, suffered for us, and offered us a way back to God. Christ is the answer if only these tortured souls looked up to him. And he is the hope of the world that saves us from this torment of the Gate of Hell and brings us the peace of Heaven.
Christ Rescues from Rodin’s Sculptures
Life apart from God is the opposite of the restored fellowship with Him that Scripture promises. We see another verse that helps us see this in Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV): “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” God created us with eternity in our hearts and he leads the way to make sure we spent it with him in the Heaven he created for us. Through grace, Christ is our way to accept the promise of a rescue from the vision Rodin created in his sculpture.
More Sculptures in the Garden
We continued to walk around the garden and came across a sculpture called “The Burghers of Calais,” with more haunting figures. It commemorates six civic leaders who volunteered to give their lives to King Edward III of England in 1347 to save their starving city during the Hundred years War. I glanced back at “The Gates of Hell,” and thought of the sacrifice of Christ for us. These six men walked forward, believing they were going to die so that others might live. As I studied their faces, my thoughts turned again to Christ. Unlike the Burghers, Jesus knew the sacrifice before Him and willingly went to the cross so that we might have life.
Rodin originally intended for the Burghers sculpture to sit directly on the ground rather than on a high pedestal, bringing the vulnerable figures face-to-face with the everyday viewer. Again, I thought of how we will see Christ face-to-face when we accept his gift of salvation and avoid the fate of the figures of the gate’s work.
Rodin depicted the figures from both sculptures with gaunt frames, bowed heads, and heavy strides, emphasizing psychological pain rather than classical physical perfection. Contrast that image with the image of the Risen Christ. The difference emphasizes the difference in the hope in Heaven versus the despair in hell.
Leave the Chaos Behind
I walked away from the Gates of Hell and continued through Rodin’s beautiful gardens. Maybe there was a lesson in that, too.
Because of Christ, I don’t have to remain at the gates. Jesus offers another way.
Last week, walking beside lions gave me a glimpse of the peace I imagine in God’s restored creation. This week, Rodin’s sculpture reminded me why that promise matters so much.
When you think about eternity, where do your thoughts take you?
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father.
Thank you for the promise of eternity with you. When the brokenness of this world weighs heavily on me, remind me that this is not the end of the story. Thank you for sending Jesus, who did not remain distant from our suffering but entered our world and gave his life so that we might have life.
Help me live with eternity in my heart, not with fear, but with hope. May the promise of your presence give me peace today and encourage me to share that hope with others. Keep my eyes fixed on Christ and the beautiful future you have prepared for those who love you. Amen.
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Grace and Peace to you,
Yvonne M. Morgan is a Christian #author, #blogger, and #speaker. #BibleGatewayPartner
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
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I love how God sends us messages through various ways. Looking at art, experiencing the heat, and walking with lions, are a few ways God spoke to you. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. When I think of eternity, I feel a calm and peace. I’m thankful to know I will be with God. Have a blessed day! 🙂
Thank you Melissa. We find God in all the ordinary events of life when we just pause and look. I wish the world could find the same calm and peace for their eternity. Blessings 😊
This is so good! I have always loved dystopian books and movies, and I’m often struck by the absence of God in them… how that would make everything purposeful and better. Somehow, they always point me back to the Lord!
I feel the same way Jessica. Even when God doesn’t seem present He can still use them to point us heavenward. Blessings
“Last week, walking beside lions gave me a glimpse of the peace I imagine in God’s restored creation. This week, Rodin’s sculpture reminded me why that promise matters so much.” What a contrast! Thankful for salvation for both realities.
Thanks Debbie. God can teach us so much through the ordinary things in life. Blessings
Just looking at the pictures touched me and I can’t imagine the impact of seeing these sculptures in person. Thank for the reminder of how much our Savior loves us. I can’t comprehend the depth of that love or His suffering for us.
Thanks Katherine. It is hard to fathom His love for us but it helps me to see Him in the things around me. Blessings
Yvonne, thankful for your imagery the last two weeks depicting peace and separation from God for eternity. God’s creations (lions of Zambia) and the sculptures at Rodin point to eternity. Heaven IS real. And Hell is real, but we have a real Savior who holds the keys of eternity in His hands.
And that is such a comforting thought to know. Thanks Karen. Whether part of daily life or part of vacation, we can see God’s hand in everything. Blessings