Groups of Ordinary Followers of Jesus
Basic Info
The people being referred to here are the people who witness Jesus’ teachings or miracles or are attracted to his message. They don’t give up their day jobs to travel with Jesus like the 12 Apostles and some of the other close disciples, but they are more or less attentive to him.
In the stories of Jesus’ Baptism and the Wedding Feast at Cana, these people don’t start out as followers, but through their witnessing John the Baptist’s interaction with Jesus or Jesus’ miracle with the wine, they become attentive.
Artworks of Jesus teaching usually depict crowds with varying degrees of attention to his message. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem includes people who are jubilant about his arrival. The disciples on the road to Emmaus are sometimes treated as ordinary disciples, sometimes as close disciples.
Saint Paul was in the habit of traveling to a region that hadn’t heard of Jesus, preaching for some weeks or months, and helping local people to start worship communities following Jesus’ Way. He is sometimes depicted standing in a public space preaching. The crowds around him may include those who have already committed themselves to Christ and those who are hearing about Christ for the first time.
Historical Notes
These ordinary people are not often depicted prior to the turn to humanism in the Renaissance (late 1400s). Before that time, the Apostles and other saints are put forth as models of faithful living. Renaissance artists begin to depict how people who weren’t saintly would respond to Jesus as a way to connect their audiences with the stories on a more visceral level.
What to Look For
- The attention or emotional state of Jesus’ followers (expression, gestures, posture, etc.)
- Diversity among Jesus’ followers
- Unity or similarity among Jesus’ followers
- Whether anything is competing for the followers’ attention (children, responsibilities, other activities, etc.)
- Jesus’ attitude or emotional state (expression, gestures, posture, etc.)
- The relationship or connection between Jesus and the followers
Questions to Focus a General Interpretation
What is the flow of action in the artwork—the people toward Jesus, Jesus toward the people, or a back-and-forth?
Does the attentiveness depicted in the group of followers seem superhuman or normal?
Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation
Among the variety of people represented in the group depicted in this artwork, can you find someone who seems close to who you are or aspire to be? How would you like to grow toward fuller relationship with God?
Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation
How might the people of the artist’s time and place have recognized themselves in this artwork? What was going on in their world that parallels this scene?
