The victorious Lion of Judah

(Audio: Spanish)

SUMMARY: The sculpture of The Victorious Lion of Judah represents Jesus as the sovereign King over all creation and the universe. The artist, Michael Dudash, intentionally depicted Jesus in control and ruling among lions with all the authority given to Him by the Father. The sculpture also shows a cross on the back, symbolizing that the throne of Jesus is supported by His cross. The speaker reflects on the idea of being before that throne and giving an account of his life before Jesus, which used to inspire him with terror. However, he realizes that the purpose of this divine evaluation is not to condemn but to mentor and guide us. The apostle Paul wrote that the Lord keeps a crown of justice for those who love His coming, and it is not just for him but for all who love His coming. The crown represents the compliment and approval from Jesus, and the speaker imagines that it is irresistible and worth more than any gold crown.

The speaker encourages the audience to be faithful to God and use the gifts and resources He has given them to serve others. They emphasize the importance of receiving compliments from Jesus and surrendering everything to Him. The audience is invited to pray and commit to being faithful to God in all aspects of their lives. The speaker also highlights the idea that there will be work to do in heaven and encourages the audience to be faithful with what they have now. The service ends with a prayer of surrender and gratitude to God.

This sculpture is called The Victorious Lion of Judah ( Michael Dudash: The Victorious Lion of Judah ). Many years ago I came across this sculpture in an art store in Orland Florida. By then I had not yet rejoined the congregation as I did in 1999, the pastor was still my ex-officio pastor as he is for so many people who do not live in Boston, and my mentor. And by that time, the congregation had barely changed its name from the Central Baptist Church to the León de Judá congregation, and for me that sculpture, even after seeing it for the first time, for me that represented so much of the message of Pastor Roberto and the call of this church, that even then we had an idea perhaps of something different that God was going to do. And I prayed somehow that God would make me a part of that vision.


But take a good look at this sculpture. Perhaps you have seen other images of Christ. Perhaps a crucified Christ, inert on a cross, or perhaps we have seen the famous image of the humble shepherd, shepherding a flock. This sculpture, by Michael Dudash itself, is very different, and by the way, the artist, the sculptor of this sculpture, says that he very purposely wanted to represent Jesus in control. Represent Jesus as sovereign King over all creation and over the universe. With heaven as the prophet Isaiah declares in Isaiah 66, heaven as his throne, and as the artist depicts in this detail, earth as his footstool.