Image of the Week: The Sea of Tiberias
© D. Yael Bernhard
In this illustration of a passage from the Book of John, Jesus draws fish from the Sea of Tiberias – known today as the Sea of Galilee or Kinneret (Hebrew for "harp," after the shape of this huge freshwater lake). I have dipped my feet in those waters, and eaten shwarma (roasted lamb) from a seaside stand in the ancient city of Tiberias. The Kinneret is a rather featureless body of water, with a low shoreline in muted shades of color. But the significance of this inland sea is immense, as these are the waters upon which Jesus is believed to have tread, and from which he drew physical sustenance for his disciples – and spiritual nourishment for millions of Christians ever since.
I chose to depict Jesus facing away from the viewer, for several reasons: to avoid showing his face; to focus the view on the miracle of abundance he brings forth from the water; and to signify that Jesus has the wind of fate at his back, which travels as a wavy line along his arms, through his hands, and out into the net. This energetic motion was the seed image that came to me when I first read the passage I was assigned to illustrate. I never question these little seeds, and try to anchor them in little thumbnail sketches – often the size of a postage stamp scribbled on a piece of scrap paper. I tend to lose these scraps, which turn up all over my house and sometimes become shopping lists. Fortunately once the idea is anchored, even if I lose the sketch I can usually bring it back again. And if I water the little seedling by developing the sketch further, it begins to grow.
This publisher hired me for my ability to illustrate the Bible in a universal way. I try to interpret the meaning of the words through a universally human lens. I do this by turning to my inner library of archetypes, introduced to me in my twenties by my Jungian mentor, an octogenarian named Winifred. A Christian herself, Winifred gave me access to a lifelong endowment of images and symbols that speak to every belief system on the planet. From that perspective, the net full of shining fish symbolizes food for the soul drawn from the waters of the collective human psyche – waters deep and pure, that reflect light; that reveal what is weightless, of divine spirit; waters that in this story, promise hope and offer abundance where the efforts of ordinary fishermen bear none.
I'm sure my Christian readers could expound much further on the depth and breadth of symbolism here, as fish have become emblematic of Jesus himself. I welcome your comments! As an illustrator, I only wanted to create an image that would touch my publisher's audience, and kindle their sense of connection to this timeless tale. I sought to knit Jesus to the land by making him appear one with it, emerging like sculpted rock from the earth. Soft lavenders and muted mauves fit the seascape, and seemed appropriately comforting for this story of love and devotion between Jesus and his disciples.
Today the Sea of Galilee provides drinking water for the modern state of Israel, and there's an 89-mile bike path around its perimeter. But the history and meaning of this iconic lake lives on, as Christians continue to make pilgrimages there along with bikers and hikers, archeologists, historians, and scientists. That's Israel – both ancient and modern, a land of living stories.
We are in the middle of the season of Advent on the Christian calendar. To all my Christian readers, I wish you many blessings and good times!
A good week to all –
D Yael Bernhard