Third Sunday of Easter

The Gospel reading for today (John 21:1-19) - the Third Sunday of Easter, and our group's message for this week, focuses now on another of the risen Christ's appearances to the disciples, this time upon the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

We have three paintings today, almost as varied as the scenes they portray.

Christ's charge to Peter (Raphael)

The first image is an undeniable celebrity -  one of the earliest of Raphael's cartoons of the set created for the tapestries hung in the Sistine chapel. In fact this is the blurring of two Gospel accounts concerning St Peter: with his left hand Christ points towards the keys of the kingdom of heaven (recalling Matthew 16:19); with his right he gestures towards his flock, 'feed my lambs' (John 21:15).

Between them these accounts represent a substantial part of the basis of Petrine primacy - and consequently making it a reasonable choice of subject for a vast and dramatic tapestry hung in the Vatican. There is even an 'English connection' to these cartoons - acquired in 1623 by the future King Charles I for the modest (though, ironically, also princely) sum of £300; the cartoons now hang in the V&A museum.

Peter's Deinal (Carl Hienrich Bloch)

Though not a part of the day's Gospel account Peter's denial of Jesus following his arrest in Gethsemane looms large in the background. One reason for choosing this image, over Rembrandt's or Caravaggio's is the prominence given to the charcoal fire - a detail specific to John's gospel and a detail which returns in the reading today where it becomes the setting of Peter's restoration.

Crucifixion of St Peter (Ventura Salimbeni)

The week's collection of paintings end on a rather morbid tone - but then, so does the week's Gospel: 

 "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.” (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, 'Follow me.' " (John 21:18)

There are no shortage of depictions of this scene, the most recognizable by Michelangelo, Reni or Giordano. Obviously all are good choices, but I was carried by the intensity and slightly feverish quality of Salimbeni's depiction of the mingling of heaven and earth in the Saint's final moments.