When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. Mark 16:1-4
“Don’t be afraid…Far more can be mended than you know” Unapologetic, Francis Spufford
In preparation for painting this work, Bavin read through the Gospel accounts of Holy Week several times as a prayerful meditation and found himself dwelling on the stillness and emptiness within the tomb moments after Jesus’ departure. ‘The absence was paramount: could I paint this space in a way that conveyed something of the magnitude of what had just taken place?’ Methodist modern art collection commentary
Stillness and emptiness
It’s been said that every new beginning results from an ending it didn’t think it would survive. I find that helpful when trying to orientate myself well in the midst of profound change, and one that may be of some magnitude. And Jesus’s resurrection, for his followers, and history, is an event of personal and global magnitude. Bavin’s picture invites me to ‘stay awhile’, to breathe in and out, as the old passes and the new makes its presence, shape, impact felt. Stillness and emptiness appear to be like midwives, fully expectant and engaged, waiting and welcoming. They facilitate and witness but also mark some passing and some new and fresh arrival.
Andrew Hook