On November 15, 1889, the military leaders of Brazil decided to put an end to the empire and take over. The coup was rather peaceful but that didn’t stop some soldiers from taking a stab at a painting of Emperor Pedro II. The image above shows the injury done to the oil painting that hung in the imperial palace.Though repaired in the mid-20th century, museum curators decided to leave the marks of historic damage. The marred portrait of Pedro II shows the brash attitude of a revolution looking to break every tie to the past.
Like the Brazilian emperor’s portrait, human beings were created by God (in His image) for specific purposes but have lost that dignity through revolution. In Psalm 8, David writes:
You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
Psalm 8:5-8, ESV
Just as God rules over all of creation, so we were made to rule for His sake and to His glory. Like the sun and moon that govern the heavens, man and woman were made to be governors of this amazing planet (Genesis 1:26-30). Just as the portrait of Pedro II represented the majesty of the emperor, so Adam and Eve were created to represent God in their care of this earth.
The sin of Adam and Eve and of every one of their descendants takes a sword to the canvas. Though we were created to represent Him, our actions do not honor Him. We follow our own desires rather than the will of God. Where we once might have allowed the glory of God to radiate through us, all that can be seen now are the slashes of rebellion that turn honor into mockery. Paul explores this state of affairs through the first chapter of Romans and highlights how God has given us up to the treasonous path we have chosen.
Of course, this is not the end of the story. Christians believe that one man truly was the image of God (Colossians1:15; II Corinthians 4:4) –a portrait unmarked by rebellion, faithful in every way to the Creator. Jesus came as the one who would not only represent God on earth, but represent human beings to God in heaven (Hebrews 2:17-18; 9:24). Through faith in him, we have the opportunity to be conformed to his image (Romans 8:29) rather than keep the portrait marred by sin.
Like an expert in art restoration, God wants to mend every tear. He’ll remove the layers of grime and restore beauty back to the image in which you were created. Let’s let go of the image of the man of dust and bear instead the image of the man of heaven (I Corinthians 15:49).