Christian Votes Matter - The 'Controversial' Jesus Painting Now Hanging in DOT Office Proves It
You hear it said often, and correctly, in many forms.
I will here use National Review’s Jeff Blehar’s version, because 1) Blehar is hilarious (anyone who dedicates one of those generally treacly, obnoxiously boilerplate “youthful Christmas memories” pieces that appears in the week before Jesus’ nativity to the “Mystery Science Theater 3000” treatment of “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” is missing a Pulitzer if he has not received one, and Blehar has not) and 2) it says it as succinctly and bluntly as it needs to be said:
“Don’t make politics your religion; your gods will always be overthrown.”
He, and those who express that sentiment otherwise, are correct. But as Christians, we often go the other way: We assume Christian votes don’t matter. God uses bad people, bad laws, and bad decisions for His uses. This is true — but not an excuse. Those political gods will always be overthrown, but what one person does for God and His kingdom over another will be different than another, and we can’t abdicate our responsibility as citizens in all things big and small.
In the small things, nowhere is that more evident than in the 1944 painting “Christ on the Water” — which once hung in a place of prominence at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the Christian Post noted, but was now stored in the basement.
Thanks to the efforts of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, that’s been rectified — and the reception alone should tell you what it means to many.
According to the website of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, “Christ on the Water” — also known as “Jesus and Lifeboat” — was painted in 1944, during the midst of World War II, by Lt. Hunter Wood of the United States Maritime Services.
The work “portrays merchant seamen adrift in a lifeboat, presumably after being torpedoed,” with the Savior approaching them.
“Somewhat unusually, the painting is on what appears to be sail canvas, likely used marine paints, and the varnish seems to have been spar varnish,” the website noted.
“Wartime shortages of artist supplies partly explain these materials, but Wood seems to have liked using marine materials for his artwork. To date, no statement by the artist has emerged about this painting to explain its composition, but maritime historian Frank Braynard described it as Wood’s most ambitious work.”
And yet, as Duffy explained on social media on Good Friday, the work — inspiring on so many levels — had been hidden from view because of what we now like to call “Karening.”
“A complaint from ONE ‘concerned citizen’ got the Academy’s beautiful & historic ‘Christ on the Water’ painting relegated out of the hall where it was displayed, to the basement, where it’s rarely seen,” Duffy wrote on X.
“We shouldn’t have to hide our faith, regardless of our religion. I think there’s no better time than Easter to bring Jesus out of the basement and back to a place where our brave and strong merchant marines can draw inspiration from it.”
According to the Christian Post: “The USMMA administration, under Vice Adm. Joanna M. Nunan, first covered the painting with a curtain during official events before placing it in the basement of the school’s chapel.”
On Good Friday, we commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus. During my visit to the US Merchant Marine Academy, I spoke with an amazing group of young midshipmen about Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins.
A complaint from ONE “concerned citizen” got the Academy’s beautiful & historic… pic.twitter.com/n66pgSLKOM
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) April 18, 2025
He closed by asking, “What do you think about Jesus in the basement?” We knew what Duffy thought, because he let midshipmen at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy know during a visit earlier in April.
“And so with that, as you all go into your careers, God bless you, may God keep you safe — but can I ask a question: Can we bring Jesus up from the basement?” he said in a widely circulated clip from the speech, to raucous applause.
“Let’s bring Him up!” Duffy said, hands raised.
WARNING: The following contains language that may offend some readers.
And now, not only is he back in a place of prominence, but a replica of the painting is behind Secretary Duffy’s desk.
“What I found fascinating when I was at the academy was that this was a personal affront to the midshipmen at the academy,” Duffy said in a video announcing the move, shared with both the Christian Post and social media.
“That [the painting] was taken from a place of prominence and put in the basement of the chapel actually had them outraged.”
The @USMMAO Christ on the Water painting is a beautiful reminder of the power of faith when we need it most.
While we work on getting the piece out of the academy’s basement and back in a place of prominence, I figured there was no better place to hang a copy than right here at… pic.twitter.com/zrhtS6JRmw
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) May 7, 2025
“And so, when I talked about taking Jesus out of the basement and putting this historic picture back in the place of prominence, the young midshipmen lost their minds; they were delighted that Jesus would be put back,” Duffy said.
“Jesus out of the basement at DOT office here! It looks beautiful,” he added.
Indeed He does. Look, I have no idea of what the inner workings of Duffy’s spiritual life are like. I don’t know where the man is headed in this life or the next, and this could all be an act. I’m more inclined to call him a man of faith than “devout Catholic” Joe Biden, but that’s based on one thing: the fruit of their works.
Works do not bring salvation, the Lord does. Duffy does not save; Vance does not save; Trump does not save; the GOP does not save. There will be woke Democrats in heaven and family values Republicans in hell, I’m willing to bet. The Bible says nothing about political persuasion when it comes to walking the narrow path. It merely says it is there, and we are to walk it.
However, we mustn’t ignore the fruit, and the fruit is what we vote for. A painting of Jesus visiting sailors adrift in one of the darkest hours of human history, consigned to the basement because of the general feeling Christianity itself is offensive. It takes a position: a position that Jesus saves.
And if you think we Christians didn’t play a role, consider this: A survey found that Trump earned 56 percent of Christian votes to 43 percent for Kamala Harris — a 13-point margin that becomes even more important when you consider that self-identified Christians are still 72 percent of the electorate.
The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, which conducted the survey, concluded that given the close margins in swing states, “their support for the re-elected Republican made the difference in the race.”
In the smallest of ways, “Christ on the Water” — once scuttled in the basement of a chapel, now in the main sanctuary and in reproduced form behind the secretary of Transportation’s desk — is a reminder of just what that means.
Don’t make politics your religion, but also don’t assume politics isn’t very interested in your religion — both in good ways and bad. We’ve seen enough of the bad to know why disinterest in worldly affairs isn’t a sane alternative to making politics your idol.
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