On this day in 1961 Henri Matisse’s painting, Le Bateau, went on display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

When you read the fact for today, you probably thought, “What’s the big deal about that?” Good question. But get this: It was discovered 46 days later that the painting had been hanging upside down! That means hundreds, maybe thousands, of people had passed by, viewing the painting and making comments such as, “Beautiful,” “Interesting,” “I see what Matisse was doing . . . “ when they didn’t have a clue. They weren’t looking from the artist’s point of view, so they didn’t really know how to view it.

How would you like to be an artist and have your paintings hung upside down and interpreted that way?

This may sound strange, but listen carefully: Followers of Jesus can be easily misunderstood. People look at their lives and think they have Christians figured out, but they’re looking “upside down.” They just don’t get it.

This has been going on for 2,000 years. Today’s passage explains that, according to the people of Thessalonica, Paul and Silas had turned the world “upside down.” The people were afraid of the two because their message was so different and hard to understand. You see, Jesus’ values are the opposite of the world’s. His followers live differently. The lives of those who follow Jesus are changed dramatically.

If the Thessalonians had looked at Paul and Silas from the artist’s (God’s) point of view, they would have seen the truth—the gospel message was actually turning the world right side up.

So don’t be surprised if people misunderstand you, your lifestyle, and your message. They don’t know the artist. Ask God for ways to introduce them, to open their eyes to the truth.

Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have turned the rest of the world upside down, and now they are here disturbing our city,” they shouted (Acts 17:6).

To Do

Go on-line and try to find Le Bateau. Look at it upside down and, then, right side up. See if you can figure out what it is supposed to mean.

Also on this day

This is National Chocolate Cupcake Day.

1931—Inventor Thomas Edison died.

1958—The first computer-arranged marriage took place on Art Linkletter’s television

show.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.