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Luke 2:39 (NLT)
When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee.

DRAWING NOTES:

TIME OF DAY:
Unspecified in Bible narrative. I have set this scene in the late morning.

LIGHTING NOTES:
The sun (above left) illuminates this scene, casting shadows to the right of objects and people.

CHARACTERS PRESENT:
Mary, the mother of Jesus, carrying him. Joseph, Mary’s husband, leading their donkey.

RESEARCH/ADDITIONAL NOTES:
This scene shows Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus returning from Jerusalem to Nazareth, in Galilee. The viewer is looking from the hills of Galilee southwards, and down into the Jezreel valley.

The thistles in the foreground are “Holy Thistle, Our Lady’s Thistle, Milk Thistle” (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) which produce crimson or white flowers.

The butterfly on the thistle flower in the foreground is Danaus chrysippus (aka the plain tiger or African monarch), a medium-sized butterfly widespread in Asia and Africa. Danainae inhabits a wide variety of habitats, although it is less likely to be found in jungle-like conditions and is most often found in drier, wide-open areas. Danainae likes eating plants of the genus Asclepias, more commonly called milkweed which contains cardenolides, which are toxic compounds. These can build up in the butterfly’s body. Because of their emetic properties, the plain tiger is unpalatable to most predators. As a result, the species’ coloration is widely mimicked by other species of butterflies for self-preservation.

Here’s the landscape without the figures:

Background of Luke 02 – Prophecies about Jesus – Scene 05 – Return to Nazareth

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Background of Luke 02 – Prophecies about Jesus – Scene 05 – Return to Nazareth