 The Parable of the Good Samaritan Fresco
by Ben Long
Luke 10:25-37
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denari, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.”
Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’
 In April 2000, the Session of First Presbyterian Church commissioned international fresco artist Ben Long to paint a fresco in the entrance hall of the fellowship building. The fresco was painted in October 2001 and dedicated in December 2001.
Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan was chosen as the subject of the fresco because it deals with a fundamental question of a center city church: "Who is our neighbor?” It symbolizes the mission of First Presbyterian Church to be a witness “For Christ in the Heart of Charlotte" to the thousands of people who live and work in downtown Charlotte.
Immediately upon entering the front doors of the Fellowship Hall, a dramatic image of the Samaritan bending over a beaten and bloodied stranger serves as an important reminder of the intimate relationship between the teachings of Christ and the work we are called to do. It measures 8 feet high and 28 feet long and is painted in the true fresco style of the 15th century masters.
Fresco painting is an exacting art. The technique involves making a plaster by mixing sand and lime together, placing the mix on a wall and painting it while it is wet. The surface must be just right, neither too wet nor too dry. Pigments and lime crystals are ground finely enough that they are drawn into the porous plaster as it dries. The pigment bonds quickly to the plaster so that great skill and meticulous planning are required of the artist. The resulting expression becomes a part of the wall on which it is painted.
The fresco at First Presbyterian is one of several other frescoes in Uptown Charlotte. Other frescoes by Ben Long in the area are located at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Bank of America Corporate Center, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Law Enforcement Center and Transamercia Square.
A native of Statesville, NC, Ben Long graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and studied figurative drawing in New York under Robert Beverly Hale at the Art Student’s League. After a tour in Vietnam, he traveled to Florence, Italy to apprentice with Maestro Pietro Annigoni in the ancient art of fresco painting. He has recently completed a fresco of the Return of the Prodigal Son on the Montreat campus.
From a sermon by William W. Leathers, III
First Baptist Church, Hickory, NC
“Every church has a story that expresses that church’s self-understanding. Let me tell you about one. On Tuesday afternoon, May 16, my family and I went to Charlotte to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at Discovery Place. After supper, we walked to the First Presbyterian Church in the heart of uptown Charlotte for a lecture by a Biblical scholar related to the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Someone sitting near us mentioned that, when the church constructed a new education wing and fellowship hall in 2001, they also commissioned a fresco by artist Ben Long, the same artist who created the frescoes in Ashe County. As soon as the lecture was over, we asked a church member to show us the fresco. We walked from the sanctuary, through a lobby, into the new fellowship hall and out into a front lobby. Our guide turned on the lights, and there it was, eight feet high and twenty-eight feet long. The fresco depicts the parable of the Good Samaritan. When you come into the building from the outside, the first thing you see is this powerful image of the Samaritan bending over to help the beaten stranger.
As we were heading toward the parking garage two blocks north, we commented to each other that the Good Samaritan fresco embodies First Presbyterian’s story. It pictures that congregation’s best understanding of their call from God, their heritage and their present mission. They are to be Good Samaritans in the uptown heart of Charlotte. It guides them as they make the daily decisions of how they are to spend their time, focus their energy and serve the Lord. It also, I am sure, judges them when they lose focus and drift away from their church’s unique and basic story.”
Visitors are welcome to view the fresco each Wednesday,
from 11:00 am until 12:00 noon.
For additional information or to arrange a tour, please contact
Kathleen Conroy at (704) 927-0270 or
email kconroy@firstpres-charlotte.org
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