עבדי (My Servant) 8x6" - Completed 11.20.2019: Drawing - Ink Pen

This piece was created for Awaken's Advent Art Series in 2019 to go along with our series "Hidden," on elements that are not normally focused on in the advent story.


For my piece I focused on Luke 2:19 (cf Luke 2:51) where Luke notes that Mary "treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart" when hearing what the shepherds heard about Jesus from the angels. Commentator Joel B. Green notes in his commentary on Luke about responses to the display of the supernatural that [while many on the scene respond with amazement which may not be equivalent to faith and gives no guarantee a correct understanding will be reached] and goes on to say:

"This is the response of the undifferentiated crowds in 2:18, but not of Mary. For her, more reflection is needed in order to appreciate fully the meaning of this concurrence of events, and her pondering is with a view to hitting on the right meaning of these things. Even in the presence of those exalted and direct affirmations of the identity of the newborn child, then, contemplation of what God is doing in and through these events continues."

In summary, Mary actually thought about what she was seeing and hearing and didn't just rush into an amazement that may have quickly faded after the fact. There have been countless brilliant and contemplative women since the dawn of time, but rarely was this acknowledged in the time that the New Testament was written so these statements are important and should be recognized.

My drawing shows a literal treasure chest with Mary's name (in Greek) on it, in a room which has Luke 2:10-11 on the left wall, Colossians 2:9-10 on the right wall, and on the back wall Isaiah 53:11-12, with the word עברי (my servant) large in the middle. עברי in the Isaiah passage is referring to the Suffering Service interpreted in Christianity to be Jesus, but I'm also using the word outside of Isaiah 53:11 to refer to Mary who was also serving God and chosen of God for giving birth to Jesus.

Luke 2:10-11
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Colossians 2:9-10
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form. And you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Isaiah 53:11-12
After the anguish of His soul,
He will see the light of life and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many,
and He will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great,
and He will divide the spoils with the strong,
because He has poured out His life unto death,
and He was numbered with the transgressors.
Yet He bore the sin of many
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Tree of Life/Sacred Tree: Completed 7.12.2012

Ex Libris: Completed 3.26.2012

Greek Wedding Stephana Ink Drawing: Completed 1.22.2012 - 12" x 15" Framed

Stephana are crowns worn by the bride and groom during part of the service in Greek wedding ceremonies: you can read some basic information about Greek wedding ceremonies including the 'crowning' here.

The four corners of the drawing contain the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible (יהוה), and the vows and words from the ring ceremony are written on the tops and bottoms of the stephana.  The Hebrew in the middle of the drawing (unvocalized in the drawing) is Job 10:12, which reads: 

חַיִּים וָחֶסֶד עָשִֹיתָ עִמָּדִי וּפְקֻדָּתְךָ שָׁמְרָה רוּחִי:

Translation: "You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit" (ESV).  

The Greek passage on the right is I Peter 4:10 and reads:

ἓκαστος καθὼς ἒλαβεν χάρισμα εἰς ἑαυτοὺς αὐτὸ διακονοῦντες ὡς καλοὶ οἰκονόμοι ποικίλης χάριτος θεοῦ.

Translation: "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:" (ESV)

The text surrounding the stephana is the German text to Robert Reinick's Liebesgarten - Op. 34 No. 1

Process photos of the drawing can be found here.

שבור: Framed 8" x 13" - Completed 12.16.2011

This drawing is called שבור, which means 'broken,' and is based off of the story of Edgardo Mortara: a Jewish boy who was secretly baptized and the taken from his family by the Catholic Church in 1858.  Other than the word שבור itself, there are four other elements to the drawing.  First is the drawing of the Vatican in the lower left, with the Roman numerals on the facade replaced by the words "Edgardo M. has been taken."  On the right side of the drawing is a mezuzah, here representing Judaism and also the fact that Edgardo reportedly requested one while he was on the carriage being taken away from his parents (he was reportedly instead given a medallian of the Virgin Mary).  In the bottom center is a figure who is supposed to represent Edgardo - he was six years old when taken away from his family.  The fourth main element of the drawing is the blue writing, which symbolizes the water of baptism, and the water of tears shed by Edgardo's family, friends, and even the police who took him away.  The composition of the blue is meant to be a two-direction sweeping motion: both from the Vatican over to Edgardo representing the baptism from the chuch, and then from Edgardo to the church symbolizing the forced pull into the church.  The writing in blue is all slight variants of the basic baptismal formula: "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."  The other element in the drawing is very minor: the black writing next to and above Egardo, which is simply the word 'broken' repeated as filler around the focusing of the blue.  For a brief overview of the story of Edgardo click here - or you can read the excellent book by David Kertzer.  For photos of the drawing process click here.