It is, of course, a painting of its time, which, in the midst of the European Reformation, was hardly apolitical. Yet it is not cruel. It is simply a timely reminder of how easily the faith can be submerged by the attractions of a worldly life and wisdom. St Augustine reminds us of the need to be wholeheartedly focused on God, for he is our message, he is what we bring before the world. But if we must be transparent in our lives, the way we tell the story is important too.
Ambassadors are in the business of crafting words, of persuading others of their case.
A cynical view, perhaps, and I am sure an anachronistic one too. I cannot accept them, but since you are sincere in your desire to instruct us in what you believe to be true and excellent we will not harm you. The capacity we have to wound one another by the words we use is obvious, and we see so many examples around us - between husbands and wives, between parents and children, teachers and pupils, politicians of one colour and another, between Christians of different traditions. It is nothing new, yet it is a perversion of our God-given diversity that so often we try to win our case by a cutting word or a cruel jibe. That we are different, that we disagree, that we seek to make our case in our own way is of the nature of things.