In 1978 I stood before Vincent Van Gogh's famous masterpiece, The Starry Night, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Painted by Van Gogh in 1889, it has been displayed at the Metropolitan since 1941. Reproductions of the work cannot compare with seeing it in person and I remember standing there as a young artist and revelling in the beauty and wondering at the tragedy which was the life of Vincent Van Gogh. Even though this renowned work was painted in an asylum during one of Vincent's lowest times, if you compare it with his final painting, you will see the height and depth of the mind of a man who wanted to serve God, but was desperately tormented and experienced what the Apostle Paul called "a shipwrecked faith".
Van Gogh, who was the son of a Dutch Reformed minister, had wanted the same "Spirit that rested upon his father and grandfather" on his own life. He had moved as a missionary to a poverty-stricken mining area in order to serve the poor and teach Bible studies. While the people responded to his care for their plight, his preaching was confusing and he felt that he failed miserably.
I have always been fascinated and saddened by the life of this man. As I have read his story more than once, it seems that he had, for a season, a great love for God and a desire for eternal realities. He wanted to find his purpose in this world, and after failing as a minister, confided in his brother Theo, "How can I be of any use in this world?"
And so he gave up on ministry and sought fulfillment and purpose in his art. However, the more he progressed in his art, the more he suffered mentally, failing in human relationships and succumbing to addictions in order to numb his inner torment and pain. Don McClean's famous song, 'Starry, Starry Night" captures the torment of his mind and the greatness of his art. (listen and watch video below)
Vincent's final painting, before taking his own life, shows a wheat field with black crows, symbols of death. A road leads into the cornfield but ends abruptly.
"The Starry Night" displays Vincent's fascination with the glory of the heavens. I'm sure that as he painted he recalled the words of scripture, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork". It represents the height of His vision of God and his desire to somehow reveal the glory of God's handiwork in his painting, having failed at the communication of the gospel in words. "The Wheat Field" represents his final despair, having lost faith and given up on all human relationships. It represents the shipwreck of faith, the loss of personal relationship with God, and the crushing blow that comes from loss of all hope.
Sometimes I wonder what I would have said if I could have known Vincent. If I could have been there when his faith began to crumble. I sense from his life that He loved the Lord, but knew little of the victory that comes from understanding the life of faith as opposed to the bondage of works. I believe that he was seeking to reach God by striving to do enough works. He was given to self-denial, refusing comforts and insisting on living in a shack like the people he served. His desire was noble, but His understanding of the life of faith was obviously deficient. Like many raised in ritualistic religious traditions, he was void of any understanding of the life of overcoming victory that is the work of the Holy Spirit. As a young man of 37, he shot himself in the chest with a revolver, ending his tragic life.
While perhaps an extreme example, Van Gogh's life represents the life of many who call upon the name of Christ and enter into a life of seeking to be of service to God. They have great ideas of God and eternity in the beginning, in the "Starry Night" period of their life. But when faced with personal failure and dead-end roads in their life, they despair and their faith is shipwrecked and replaced by total despair. It is a life of emotion and works, never undergirded with a living, dynamic faith.
Beloved, when your great endeavors fail, and when you face dead-ends in this life, the heavens still declare the glory of God, and His power is still there to carry us forward. These are the times when we cast our dependence upon Him and trust Him to carry us through times of darkness and even despair. I cannot go back in time and be there for Vincent, though I truly believe that his story could have ended differently. But I can point you to the truth. "We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus". The stars at night reveal His glory, but the fullness of God is revealed in his Son, and that is where victory is found.
