Triptych painted in acrylics. 3 canvas drops. 1m x 1.2m.

It's OK. "To believe is human, to doubt, divine" (Dietrich Bonhoeffer). We are separated from God in our egoic mind. It's a fact. And it appears Christ was fully separated from God at death. Christ expresses doubt as he died. "My God my God why have you forsaken me". Yet his life, as recorded by those close to him, indicates that he was a man in possession of his divine nature, manifesting divine power. But he died as a separated man. Does this mean "God" really did forsake him? Did his divine nature really fall over on the cross? Apparently.

Dying as a man, fully separated, he nailed it? That which oppresses our capacity to know God was nailed to the cross by the willing death of this God-man? But because of his latent God-nature he resurrected? He said in Matthew's gospel we who believe will also resurrect. He indicates that via believers, he returns to earth, calling them "his body on earth". He says he is with us "until the consummation of the age", according to Matthew's record.

After his "resurrection" He said "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth." Then there is talk of his return. He said to his accusers before crucifixion, "From now on you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven". He instigated his crucifixion by making such a "blasphemous" claim before the religious ruling authority of the day. He could have avoided it. He must have known. There had to be a plan.

So what is it we are meant to believe? That as the prophesied Christ he has nailed to the cross all our ungodly shortcomings (sin) that cut us off from divine life? Put another way, did he die of sin in our place so that sin cannot kill us, those who believe in his sacrifice on our behalf? We slide through to divine eternal life on his blood so to speak. It sounds awful, but we can"t deny there is profound love involved if this is true. It is so hard to believe such stuff in our modern culture where blood is only shed on television.

But are we to also believe that he resurrected on our behalf, to clinch reunion with our divine nature: with God, achieving "Atonement" (at-one-ment) for us?

Natalie Tate 2012/ 2013