Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

I’ve heard it said that one doesn’t own a garden, one sets it into motion. Jesus did not seek to own the human heart, but to set what is within us all into motion, like a gardener.

To me, one of the most beautiful moments in the Bible is when Mary Magdalene is outside of Jesus’ tomb. She is devastated by the execution of her teacher. Seeking out the body of the man she knew, she finds him gone and two angels seated where she expected to find the body of her beloved friend and teacher. Everything must have been very difficult for her to understand. At that moment, Jesus appears next to her. The scene is described in John 20:15-16 (NIV):

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

In that moment, when the most powerful being in the universe presents joy to a common human heart, the miraculous mystery of the universe opens up to her far more than she ever imagined.

That is beauty.

These eight illustrations start with thick layers of water-based garment ink painted on standard poster board. The brush strokes are hundreds of unique circles, inspired by expanding, rising bubbles. These circles represent moments in time. They are infinite opportunities for the eternally expanding love and wisdom of God, the universe, mystery, and faith.

Upon these paintings I have placed eight illustrations, inspired by verses from the Book of Matthew. Each of these illustrations is generated by the artificial intelligence Google Gemini Nano Banana 2 model. The prompts that I used to create the illustrations with the artificial intelligence model are the eight verses from Matthew combined with a request to create illustrations in the engraving style of the 19th century French artist Gustave Doré.

The New Testament has taught me a lot, the most important of which is this lesson: Mystery requires love. Faith requires mystery. Love requires faith. It is a circle.