Picturing Mary: Day 20

 

The Presentation in the Temple, Rembrandt 1606-1669

When Jesus was 40 days old, Mary and Joseph brought him to the Temple, as religious custom demanded. There he was recognised by Simeon and Anna, who acclaimed him as the Messiah, the one who would be a “light to enlighten the Gentiles”. In this portrayal by Rembrandt, the light is important, shining on the child, but also, in some sense, from the child.