The Merry Family,
Painted by Jan Steen (1626-1679),
Painted in 1668
Oil on canvas
© Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The Merry Family,
Painted by Jan Steen (1626-1679),
Painted in 1668
Oil on canvas
© Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God
Luke 8:19-21
The mother and the brothers of Jesus came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’
Reflection on the painting
This short readings packs a punch! It seems Jesus is being harsh towards his mother and brothers. But is he? They say that blood is thicker than water. We have a special relationship with all members of our families. Even if we are not equally close to all of them, we know that if one of them is ill we will always rally around them. In general we are more willing to go the extra mile for family members. Jesus also must have had a special relationship with his family, in particular with his mother and father. Yet in today’s gospel reading he identifies with a different kind of family. In fact, he started a new family for us: the Christian family. And both our natural family and the Christian family are invited to flow into one another and feed one another.
In painting family is important too, and a whole tradition of painting families developed over the ages. Whilst in Roman times families were sometimes portrayed, on the whole it was rare. It is really during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance that family portraits gained prominence. Wealthy patrons commissioned artists to paint portraits of their families, showcasing their status and social standing, often even painted surrounding Our Lady or Saints to give the family extra prominence. In the 17th century, during the Dutch Golden Age, there was a significant shift in family painting. Artists like Johannes Vermeer or Rembrandt portrayed intimate and everyday family scenes. These paintings provided a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people, capturing moments of domesticity and familial love. Jan Steen offered the his own amusing slant on portrait painting, with a moralising touch.
In our painting from 1668 by Jan Steen, titled The Merry Family, we see a joyful household in a rather messy living room. The father is singing at the top of his lungs while raising a glass; the mother and grandmother chime in; and the children are either blowing into a wind instrument (virtue) or smoking a long pipe (sin). The note hanging from the mantelpiece gives away the moral of the story: ‘As the old sing, so shall the young twitter.’ What will become of the children if their parents set the wrong example?
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The Virgin Mary and his brothers Madeleine? Do not see anything contradictory about this statement?
As I have said before it is only a primitive human idea to consider being a virgin being virtuous.The uman race would be in a story state of there were a lot of them.
I find the evangelistic uncritical aspects of these posts disturbing.
Ah yes, dear Thimas, a wonderful contradiction indeed; a Virgin who is Mother of all huanity, a primitive idea to bring about your Salvation and the Salvation of all souls. A glorious state of free will chosen by Mary to bear the Son of God. A state will that is chosen by a lot of men and women to this day to edify, build up and indeed add to the fertility of the human race through self denial and storing up these treasures in heaven.
Sometimes faith is just that, dear Thimas; uncritical, where one lets the Truth penetrate the deepest desires of our existence and fulfill all earthy needs and desires! Keeping you in my prayers 🙏.
Have a wonderful day full of joy and grace!
I was just sharing how this passage meant to me in my life; i do not know how the ‘evangelistic uncritical’ applies, it was no attempt at that. Mary of Nazareth was the virgin/maiden who gave birth to Jesus the Son of God. Later in the Holy Bible it speaks of the children of Mary and Joseph, they enjoyed Holy Matrimony and what is wrong with that? I do agree that there are people who through rape, violence, lack of correct parenting and instruction do not enter adult state as they would wish and that people trumpeting their own virginity around them is heinous. St Peter was married himself and St Paul agrees that both states, married and unmarried (celibate) are good. I hope that i have explained this well Thimas.
This time that i read this of Our Lord Jesus i see it very differently from my previous early and middle years – i am most senior of years now. This time i read and saw in my imagination Our beautiful Lord Jesus standing with his arms wide and outstretched which encircled all of us around His mother, Mary of Nazareth the Virgin Mary and His brothers, making us children of his Holy mother and brothers and sisters of all gathered. As you know He again stated this on the Cross. Previously, when i was young, this passage gave me great comfort because the Commandment could not be validated by me, and many, many others, because of appalling cruelty, abandonment and so forth. It was as if Lord Jesus was saying to me: ‘its okay, i understand, but you have these as family’. I read it as if Lord Jesus was taking my side and not to worry about the Lord God’s commandment. ‘Blood is thicker than water’: I have both – the sacred Blood of the Christ and the Water of Baptism. I thankyou Beloved Lord Jesus for helping me so much and forgiving me and for being up ahead of me. Yes, i am a sinner, but you are my Saviour. Amen
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Leo Tolstoy
Many of us have love-hate relationships with our families. “The Merry Family” shows an interesting family…they look like they are “happy”, whatever happy means…and of course, they have their wonderful dog with them (I never knew the Dutch liked dogs and considered them family members as this painting suggests to me….I thought that wonderful idea of dogs as family members came from the English)……anyway, this family seems emotional…and passionate…..eating, drinking, smoking, playing music, laughing…they act Italian LOL but look Germanic somehow…anyway, this painting shows a festive family…nothing more festive than a family gathering for the holidays…..is this a painting of a family having their Sunday dinner … or some holiday?….in many families, thats when the fireworks can begin LOL….passion has its place, but can be troublesome…the metaphorical roller-coaster of some families is unsettling……OK then, I may be interpreting this painting wrong LOL…I sound crazy in my analysis of it.