“I will put enmity between you and the woman, your offspring and hers.” (Genesis 3:15)
This mural depicts the proto-evangelium or the “first Gospel or Good News.” In the Garden of Eden, the serpent tempted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which God has forbidden. After disobeying God they were stricken with shame and guilt, so they hid and covered themselves. The dark background, except for God and the Woman, alludes to the appearance of sin and death in the world. God turns to the serpent and utters the proto-evangelium - “I will put enmity between you and the woman, your offspring and hers. He will strike at your head while you strike at his heel” (Gen 3:15).
This conflict between the Woman and the serpent, and their offspring echoes in the Book of Revelation (12:1-3,17) – “a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child… another portent appeared in heaven; a great red dragon… the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus.” Thus, the woman depicted in the mural is the Woman of the Book of Revelation, Mary who was with child named Jesus, the Messiah.
“Blessed is the Lord who has not failed to provide you a redeemer.” (Ruth 4:14)
This mural depicts the birth of Obed, the son of Boaz and Ruth (the Moabite). When Ruth became a widow, out of love and fidelity to Naomi, her mother-in-law, she left her homeland of Moab to embrace Naomi’s land, people and God. She says to Naomi “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! for wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ru 1:16). Obed would become the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David, the king. From David’s line came the Messiah.
The mural shows Naomi and Ruth enthralled with the infant Obed. To Naomi who was a widow i.e. belonging to the helpless group of Jewish society, Obed became for her a restorer of life and nourisher in her old age (Ru 4:15). The harvest field is reminiscent of Ruth gleaning ears of grain when she and Naomi first arrived in Bethlehem, as well as the place of her first encounter with Boaz (Ru 2:1f). The stump in the background points to the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse… the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, of counsel and of strength… he shall judge the poor with justice.” (Is 11:1f).
“I will raise up your heir, and establish his kingdom and royal throne forever.” (2Samuel 7:12)
This mural depicts the prophet Samuel announcing to King David God’s promise of the Messiah coming from his family line and whose kingdom will last forever. Samuel holds a staff as he tells the prophecy to the king. Seated on his throne, King David holds a harp reminding us of the beautiful Psalms he composed in praise of God. In particular Psalm 51 confesses his contrite repentance and faith in God’s mercy in spite his sins of adultery and murder (2Sm 11).
At the center is the prophecy - the image of Jesus, the promised Heir, enthroned as the Alpha and the Omega i.e. The Beginning and the End. His white garment and the clouds around Him point to the eternal glory of His Resurrection. He reveals the wounds by which He conquered sin and death, wounds that testify to His love to the point of death, death on a cross (Jn 15:13). His right hand is raised in blessing. The 3 open fingers symbolize the Trinity and the other 2 signify His twofold natures – fully human and fully divine.
The scene also illustrates the distinction between the kingship of David and that of the Messiah. David has the commanding and robust image of a warrior king robed in royal elegance. Jesus, on the other hand, has the humble and slightly naked appearance of a servant king wounded for our offenses to bring healing to the broken.
“The virgin shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
This mural depicts Isaiah’s prophecy in the Old Testament (Is 7:14) of the virgin who will bear a son named Immanuel meaning God-with-us. In Hebrew Immanu means ‘with-us’ and El means God. The New Testament uses the Greek spelling Emmanuel which means the same. The mural has the word ‘Immanuel’ since the prophecy of Isaiah is from the Old Testament which uses the Hebrew spelling.
The mural shows Isaiah seated and writing on a scroll the prophecy. A virgin is pictured holding an infant. The interaction between mother and child radiates an aura of joy, tenderness and love. The presence of the Dove points to the virginal conception of the Messiah. In the New Testament an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called "Emmanuel" which means God-with-us (Mt 1:20f).
“A voice cries out: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord.” (Isaiah 40:3)
This mural depicts Isaiah’s prophecy in the Old Testament (Is 40:3) of the herald who paves the way for the Messiah. Isaiah is seated writing on a scroll the prophecy. In the New Testament John the Baptist appears in the desert preaching a baptism of repentance and crying out “make straight the way of the Lord” (Jn 1:23). He is clothed in camel’s hair.
The landscape is based on a real aerial image of the Judean desert with the river Jordan running through it. John stands on a hill pointing to a New Dawn, the Light of Christ rising. In John’s Gospel, John the Baptist points his disciples to Jesus saying “Behold the Lamb of God”, the One who will baptized with the Holy Spirit (Jn 1:33-36). As the ministry of Jesus unfolds starting with His Baptism in the Jordan River, HE who is the Light of the World gets brighter as John’s light starts to dim (Jn 3:30).
“And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:14)
This mural depicts the Nativity of Jesus, the Messiah. As tradition puts it, because there was no room in the inn (Lk 2:7), Jesus was born in a humble manger, normally a cave in those times. Underneath the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, this cave is visited everyday by pilgrims who venerate the birthplace of the Savior and offer prayers to God. The cave is reminiscent of the rock hewn tomb where Jesus was laid after His crucifixion (Mt 27:60). The cave reminds us of His coming, the empty tomb reminds us of why He came.
The characters surrounding the infant Jesus remind us of the Gospel, the Good News. There is Mary, the virgin, who by her ‘yes’ to God conceived the Savior in her womb by the power of the Spirit. Joseph, the righteous one, heeded God’s word through his dreams. The shepherds kneeling in adoration put their faith in the words of the angel “a Savior has been born in the city of David” (Lk 2:11). Their presence alludes to Jesus as the True Shepherd who will gather the lost and wandering ‘sheep’ back to God. The donkey is reminiscent of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah (9:9) “your king, a just savior, meek shall come riding on a colt.” The lambs foreshadow the Passover Sacrifice of the New Covenant where Jesus becomes the Unblemished Lamb. The infant Jesus shines the brightest reminding us of the prophecy “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Is 9:1).