Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church

John 21:15-22, Romans 12:3-8

Leonardo daVinci has again emerged from history as a man of mystery and intrigue. The popular book The DaVinci Code, now turned into a movie, takes conspiracy theories to a new level. Some people have gotten so involved in it that they forget it is a work of fiction. Dan Brown made the story up. As one of the non-fiction scholarly works reminds us, the secret societies that make up the DaVinci conspiracy are thoroughly French. For generations the French, more than any other European nationality, have believed various conspiracy theories.

So who was Leonardo in history? Scholars refer to Leonardo daVinci as the "Renaissance man." We remember him as an amazing man of multiple talents and abilities. With so many remarkable skills, he is remembered and celebrated primarily as a leading inventor, artist, and scientist of his day. He moved in the high political circles of the day including being friends with popes and kings. Surely such a gifted man must have had a very high opinion of himself! It all depends on how he built his self-esteem. Even someone as multi-talented as Leonardo DaVinci had to learn not to build his self-esteem on comparisons with others.

Comparison never works to build positive self-esteem. As soon as we feel that we are better than someone else we discover yet another person with whom we can't compete. Even as amazing an artist as Leonardo, the painter of the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, did not do so well when it came to competing with younger fellow artists of his own day. Are you familiar with his competition with Michelangelo in Florence?

Their most famous competition occurred in Florence when the city council invited Michelangelo to compete with Leonardo daVinci in painting the Florentine army in battle. While Leonardo had originally been given the entire council chambers to paint, someone came up with the idea to pit the two painters against each other for the final contract. The two artists were given opposite walls on the new council chambers building. Leonardo chose to paint a battle scene titled Battle of Anghiari. Michelangelo chose the Battle of Pisa. Meanwhile a young emerging artist named Raphael, still a teenager, showed up to watch the two masters at work.

The city council pitted the two artists against each other for the final contract to complete the painting of the rest of the council chambers. Each was to first present an initial design of a famous Florentine military victory. Both artists began their designs by sketching on paper. As the work progressed crowds wandered back and forth between the two artist's studios. Soon people were choosing which artist they liked better. The two men were a study in contrasts.

Leonardo daVinci, at age 56, was twice the age of Michelangelo. He approached his drawings very scientifically and analytically. When he wanted to paint a horse, he first dissected an actual horse in order to meticulously study its muscle structures. He wanted to depict the muscles of animals and people with scientific accuracy. Michelangelo, on the other hand was much more intuitive in his approach. One could discern the differences in personality and style simply by noting how differently the two men dressed. Michelangelo's clothing was sloppy while Leonardo came to work each day impeccably attired. Michelangelo approached art with freedom of expression compared to Leonardo's classic method of study.

You have probably never heard of Michelangelo's painting Battle of Pisa. The reason you have never heard of it is that Michelangelo never finished it. Partway through the competition, the younger artist was given a commission to come paint at the Vatican. The Pope hired Michelangelo to paint the Sistine chapel. He quit his work in the middle of the Battle of Pisa. He was a typical youthful artist searching for the lights and glory of Rome and unconcerned about finishing the council chambers wall at Florence.

Meanwhile, Leonardo, the mature artist, continued his work on the wall he had been given. His loyal followers rejoiced that he was the winner of the competition and their council chambers would be celebrated as a masterpiece of art. Over the next several months Leonardo continued his painstaking, meticulous work on the Battle of Anghiari.

Leonardo's battle scene would be an amazing example of the latest style of fresco painting. Leonardo was aware that his famous Last Supper, completed a few years before, was already showing signs of deterioration. He was concerned that his battle scene in Florence be more lasting in its vivid colors. So he invented a new substance he could use as a base plaster on the wall. He was convinced this new substance would take the paint better. Thus, the master painter began his fresco. He would plaster and then paint a section. He was extremely careful in everything. His horses looked life-like. His soldiers wore vivid colorful clothing and carried vivid banners. The cloth seemed so real! The crowds were impressed.

But there was a small problem. The newly invented base plaster was not drying properly. Leonardo continued painting, and asked his assistants to build a fire in the middle of the room to heat and dry the plaster he had already painted. The assistants lit the fire and wafted some of the heat over toward the completed portions of the painted wall. Then something went terribly wrong. The base plaster began to drip down the wall. By the time they put the fire out and tried to stop the heat, the entire painting had melted and the paint was a puddle on the floor. Leonardo daVinci left Florence in disgrace.

But this is not the end of the story. Leonardo was hired by the same Pope who had brought Michelangelo. While they were not pitted against each directly, it became clear that each wanted to outdo the other in their commissions. Michelangelo was hired to paint the Sistine Chapel at a cost of 3,000 ducats. Leonardo was put to work doing various pieces of art at a salary of 33 ducats per month. The Pope obviously considered Michelangelo to be the better artist. Surely, then in the competition as to who was the better artist Michelangelo won and would have a better self-esteem. Not so. While Michelangelo was being paid 3,000 ducts for the Sistine Chapel, the Pope hired a new artist to paint various rooms. The Pope offered the new young artist four times what Michelangelo was being paid. That young artist was none other than Raphael who eventually would be known as the finest painter of that generation.

If we build our sense of self worth on comparisons with others, we will always find someone who is not as good at something we do and someone who does it better. Every time Peter tried to base his self worth on comparison, Jesus reminded him to simply be faithful. Peter's self worth was not dependent on whether he was more spiritual than John, but on being the person Jesus wanted him to be. No wonder Paul encouraged the followers of Jesus in Rome to find their sense of self worth by discovering what God thinks of them and not by comparing themselves to each other.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

- Romans 12:3-8

I dreamed that I was heading through the gates of heaven when St. Peter pointed out that heaven's entrance included a place selling supplemental brains. The idea was that anyone could supplement their IQ so that they could be in heaven what they were never able to be on earth. I was looking around thinking that maybe I could supplement my natural intelligence with some more brain power. I discovered that different types of expertise cost different amounts. Doctor brains were marked at $500 per pound. Therapist brains were $200 per pound. Teacher brains were $100. Then I came to pastor brains. Pastor brains were selling for $1,000,000 per pound!

I rushed back to comment to St. Peter how pleased I was that pastors got such respect. "So," I struck up a friendly note with St. Pete, "I see that pastor brains are worth $1,000,000 per pound. I bet it is because we pastors were so spiritual. Right?" St. Peter smiled and responded, "Well, not exactly. Do you have any idea how many pastors it takes to get a pound of brains?"

The Apostle Paul warns us not to base our self worth on comparing ourselves with others. Instead he invites us to appreciate how unique each one of us is. We are not born equal, nor are we given equal opportunities in life. Some of us are naturally better musicians. Some of us are better athletes. Some of us are born in America with amazing opportunities for education while others are born in rural villages of Africa. When the Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts, we each receive different blends of gifts. We are each unique. Paul invites us to discern the gifts God has given each of us so that we can serve and bless others.

How do we discern our strengths and gifts? The answer is that we offer ourselves to the Lord and see how the Lord uses us to bless others. Usually the Holy Spirit uses us to bless others when we are not even aware of it. "Bruce, you looked right at me several months ago as you said this incredible sentence and I knew God was speaking right to me." I listen and nod. Truth is I have no memory of looking in his direction. I don't recall ever saying the sentence, but he was obviously blessed by it. This is how gifts work. Gifts are discerned by the recipient, not owned by the one using them. Have you ever met someone who is convinced he has a gift when he doesn't? Usually he has seen someone else with the gift and is trying to be just like that person. He shows up in the junior high room and announces, "God gave me the gift of youth ministry." But the youth can't relate to him. She shows up at the choir rehearsal and announces, "God has gifted me to sing solos." But when she sings the accompanist can't find her key anywhere on the piano.

What is happening? Most likely such people have bought our society's messages that we can be anything and do anything we want. It's simply not true. God created each of us with a unique combination of skills, talents, gifts, and strengths. We develop positive self-esteem when we offer ourselves to God and let the Lord use us a blessing, not when we decide what we want to do.

Back to Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael. They did not need to build their sense of self worth in competition with each other. Leonardo blessed the world with his creative mind combining with scientific analysis thus giving us some amazing inventions. Michelangelo blessed the world as a sculptor of such wonderful statues as Moses and David. Raphael blessed the world as the outstanding painter of that generation.

This week what if we begin each day by asking the Lord, "Jesus, how can I bless someone today?"

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Who is the most talented person you know?

Is there someone whom you consider to be a rival? Why?

What would you identify as your best strengths?

4. What do you think of the idea that we find the basis for self esteem when we discover that we have been a blessing to others?