Piss Christ and the Incarnation

Andres Serrano's photograph of the cross of Christ suspended in a beaker of the artist's own urine has, not surprisingly, evoked head-scratching perplexity and vigorous opposition and condemnation. An artist's commentary on his or her work is obviously a place start in assessing that work.

Serrano comments:
""At the time I made Piss Christ, I wasn't trying to get anything across . . . In hindsight, I'd say Piss Christ is a reflection of my work, not only as an artist, but as a Christian."

Say what, Andres? Christian? Really?

"The thing about the crucifix itself" he continues,"is that we treat it almost like a fashion accessory. When you see it, you're not horrified by it at all, but what it represents is the crucifixion of a man. And for Christ to have been crucified and laid on the cross for three days where he not only bled to death, he shat himself and he peed himself to death.

"So if Piss Christ upsets you, maybe it's a good thing to think about what happened on the cross."

In the season of Lent as Jesus makes his way inexorably toward death on the cross, Serrano's challenge makes good sense to me. It may not be the only thing we need to say about it, but in the light of the incarnate One embracing this horrid and gory death as God's own death to reclaim and restore his creation and creatures, we do have to ask ourselves what it means that God chose way of salvation.

How seriously does God take our humanity in becoming one of us and pursuing us to hell to rescue us?

How seriously do we take God's own humanity in Jesus if we cannot embrace an offensive display of the depth of that humanity?

Is Serrano's painting more offensive than the reality it points to or is he correct to diagnose a deficiency in our understanding of the gospel?

Good questions, I say again, for each of us to ask ourselves this Lent.