What’s the most disturbing painting that you’ve ever seen? I think Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581 painting by Russian realist artist Ilya Repin does it for me. It’s just everything disturbing about this painting, the blood that flows from the temple’s of his son. The father’s eyes of despair and his hands trying to stop the blood, but realizing it’s too late. The throne tipped over in the background, probably because of the argument. The tear on the son’s young face, and his gentle hand still holding his father after what he did to him. II think the artist tried to show us through this painting that we should never get to this point. But I also think he tried to remind us that we all have Ivan the Terrible in us, that can do such horrible things. The Bible calls it the “old man”, that Jesus crucified on the cross (Romans 6:6). There’s another lesson here, but not for this post… Aren’t you disturbed by this painting? We should be, by realizing what we can become without God.

P.S. Don’t sacrifice your children over the kingdom that you are trying to build. There’s no point of return after that sacrifice…