The piece is a direct translation of Matthew 25:36 — “I was in prison and you visited me.” It came to Schmalz on the road, driving to install Homeless Jesus, listening to a radio report about a brutal murder back in Canada. He found himself fantasizing about the killer being tortured — and then caught himself and asked: what would Jesus want?

He’s spoken about how much harder this piece was than its companions. Seeing Christ in someone sick or homeless is one thing; seeing him in someone who has done real harm is another. He’s called the sculpture spiritual medicine for himself as much as anyone — a direct challenge to the idea that Christianity is only ever comfortable.

Tim on the piece: “To imagine Jesus as a convicted felon… to see anything beautiful in that is indeed a challenge, but that’s what Christ demands of us.” He’s also described stripping the figure down to just a hand and a wound as medicine — a reminder that faith isn’t only meant to be comforting, but also to push us toward the places we’d rather not look.