What About All Those Balloons?

Jinho Kee, Balloons, 2020, © Jinho Kee / Saatchi Art

Early each morning I receive a post from Father Patrick van der Vorst with his selection of a painting for the day. His choice each day is accompanied by a Scripture reading chosen from the lectionary. His blog site is called Christian Art. I aspire to know a small measure of what he knows about both Scripture and painting.

Today’s selection was startling though. First of all, the painting was unusual for Father van der Vorst, a modern paining, as we say. The painting is called Balloons by Jinho Kee, an artist who is drawn a lot toward balloons. He paints them with exuberant color. They feel like an expression of joy, floating confidently and freely. They feel like something God would enjoy too.   

But I was also startled because the Scripture reading for the day was Luke 5:1-11, one of the most important passages of scripture in my life. I wasn’t sure how the painting and the passage came together.

One day as he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, with people crowding in on him to listen to the word of God, he noticed two boats lying at the water’s edge; the fishermen had come ashore and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore; then he went on teaching the crowds as he sat in the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we were hard at work all night and caught nothing; but if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ They did so and made such a huge catch of fish that their nets began to split. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came, and loaded both boats to the point of sinking. When Simon saw what had happened he fell at Jesus’s knees and said, ‘Go, Lord, leave me, sinner that I am!’ For he and all his companions were amazed at the catch they had made; so too were his partners James and John, Zebedee’s sons. ‘Do not be afraid,’ said Jesus to Simon; ‘from now on you will be catching people.’ As soon as they had brought the boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Notice that Jesus is teaching about his Father’s kingdom, that reality just beneath the surface of what we think is real. Notice too that Jesus takes the initiative, out of the blue, to invite these soon-to-be followers to “put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Notice then that this preaching to the crowds suddenly becomes the real thing, real fish flopping around in the boats and on the shore, a sheer exuberance of life.

I remember reading this little story on a plane late one night flying back from D. C. to Seattle. I was a little worn and weary, and suddenly Jesus stooped down into my cozy little corner of the plane, through this very story. This was for me one of those moments of illumination I’ve been talking about, lately, where God is appearing with dazzling invitations into his kingdom reality.

I have devoted my life, for as long as God allows me, to discover more and more how to follow Jesus by putting out into the deep.  

So how does this story relate to balloons? I’m not sure. But I must confess it worked for me as I looked at this beautiful painting. From out on the banks of Lake Gennesaret our little story invites us to look at all those abundant fish and follow Jesus. Maybe it’s a little like watching those amazingly colorful balloons rise into the sky.

As those balloons float off into the mystery of the unknown, surrendering completely to the wind, shining brightly in the sunshine, varied in color though swept off together as a group, maybe this is the sheer beauty that Jesus brings to each one of us. Maybe it’s so overwhelming, so uplifting, so full of joy, actually, just maybe it’s like all those fish flopping about in their profound abundance.

Those balloons helped me a little bit this morning to know what this feels like the moment I decide to follow Jesus. When Jesus opens up the kingdom to us we are swept away into beauty and joy of it all.