Commentary is by Daniella Zsupan-Jerome, director of ministerial formation at Saint John’s University School of Theology and Seminary
In his painting The Birth of Christ, Geertgen tot Sint Jans tells the story of the Nativity through faces surrounded by the play of light and dark. The artist unites the narrative of Jesus’ birth and the deep theological reflection on the Incarnation from the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Geertgen tot Sint Jans layers John’s symbolic language onto the Nativity story through his use of light in the image. The infant Christ is a heavenly body, radiating his light onto those who surround the manger, a true light of the human race whose radiance scatters the darkness. His radiance brightens the face of Mary his mother and the angels paying him homage. Further in the background, his light is present through the Word, the message of glad tidings that the angel brings to the barely visible shepherds gathered in the field. This angel floats directly above the manger—replacing the star we see in other Nativity images and reflecting the light of Christ, just as a star reflects the light of the sun.
The angels that surround the manger resemble children. With serene faces, they are young girls in pious adoration. The young faces lit up by the radiance of Christ invite us to be one of them, to accept Christ and know that we are beloved children of God. First among us to do this was Mary, which is why her illuminated face and figure are most prominent in the scene—she is the first to say yes to Christ and to offer herself to him in total self-gift.
What is the power that is granted to the children of God? It is the power of God made perfect in weakness, humility, and service—not the power of domination, oppression, or brawn. Those who surround the manger are images of powerlessness in the eyes of the world—shepherds who live on the margins of society, beasts of burden in the service of humans, young and female faces, and the face of a man who finds his bride with child but remains loyal to her. It is to these that Christ comes in the most powerless image of all—a naked infant nestled in a trough. Behold the Word whose power brings us life.