The Light of the World
In Oxford University’s Keble College hangs a painting which the English artist W. Holman Hunt regarded as his masterpiece. In it he sought to incorporate all the meaning and inspiration which had come to him from his study of the word portraits of Christ in the New Testament. In particular, two scriptural themes are evident: “I am come a light unto the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46); and “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20)
Let us examine this painting. We are drawn to the face and particularly the eyes with their depth of human sympathy, wisdom of the universe, and love of mankind. Those eyes which have a message for all seem to pierce through our personalities and penetrate our individualities.
Christ is wearing the white robe of the teacher or the priest. White is the one perfect color because it contains in exact proportion all colors. It properly symbolizes the teacher and the priest because such an individual must incorporate within his understanding a perfect blending of all laws and all knowledge, as white perfectly blends and synthesizes all colors. Also, his motives must be pure, as white is the symbol of purity-—showing the absence of all the murky colors that clothe the lower emotions in the desire world.
Over this white robe of the priest and teacher is the red robe of the king or ruler. Red represents creative energy, power, action. A true king or ruler must be a leader and possess this magnetic and dynamic power which is founded on the understanding of Divine laws. Thus this red robe is placed over, or upon the foundation of the white robe of understanding and wisdom. But creative energy, power and action may be used for good or evil, depending upon the motives and desires of the individual. Therefore, this robe of the Christ is embroidered with gold. Gold or yellow is the color of the Christ power of the Trinity, which is the Love Principle. A true king or ruler uses his knowledge, creative ability and power in the spirit of love. Also, since the outer garment is the symbol of the inner man, before a man can truly be king he must eliminate untruths from his own consciousness and replace them with the truths of Divine laws. He must transmute his lower desires into high impulses. He must use his Scorpio capacity for regeneration. In other words he must embroider his red robe, signifying creative ability, energy and power, with the gold of the Christ Love.
This robe is fastened at the neck with a jeweled breastplate consisting of a square and a circle each containing twelve stones and joined together by a cross. These twelve gems represent the twelve tribes of Israel (square) and the twelve apostles of the New Testament (circle) linked together by the cross of Christ. The old dispensation under the dominion of Jehovah and the principle of law becomes linked with the Love Principle through the ministry of Jesus Christ. The breastplate also represents the twelve signs of the Zodiac and the twelve houses over which man must gain control through the Christ within before he is indeed a king and a ruler.
On his head Christ wears a jeweled crown of gold, again the symbol of kingship and leadership. But this crown of gold is not worn alone. With it is a crown of thorns signifying the suffering which the Christ has endured and continues to endure in His efforts to help humanity. Interwoven with the thorns are the leaves of the vine. Leaves symbolize herbs which have healing powers. Not only does the Christ suffer for humanity but He provides the healing power available to humanity if it will open the door to Him. He who would follow in the footsteps of the Christ must gain his crown by helping to heal the wounds of the world rather than by inflicting sorrow on others.
The artist has positioned the moon directly behind the head of the Christ. Some materialistically-minded persons have remarked that the artist was more realistic than others who have given the Christ and saints what, in their limited vision, are meaningless halos. But, whatever the reason for so doing, Mr. Hunt has portrayed an occult truth by this configuration. The moon represents the personality as opposed to the individuality or Christ within. As the individuality gains control of the personality the aura of the person begins to shine, and as the Christ within finds expression in the emotions, thoughts and actions of the individual, the yellow Christ rays radiate through the etheric, desire and mental bodies and actually form a halo around his head. This can be seen by those who have extended their sight to the etheric world. Others whose etheric sight has not been developed but who are sensitive catch only the impression of light and may be heard to remark, “His face shines,” or, “He seems to radiate an inner joy and power.”
Thus the artists who depict saints with halos are not following mere custom or drawing upon their imaginations. The true artist is sensitive and perceives the radiance of the Christ rays found in the aura of the saint. By placing the moon in back of Christ’s head, Hunt suggsests that we too must subordinate our personalities to the Christ Within. In so doing, we will literally be a light that can help light the world. If we fail to do so our personalities will hide the Christ Within as the moon would hide the face of Christ if it were placed in front of rather than behind Him.
In His hand is a lighted lantern. Not only did Christ Jesus give to the world the light which was His but He carried also the light which was of the Father. He had incorporated within His own being the Light of Love but at the same time He recognized His relatonship to the Higher Being whom He called Father. We too must carry not only our own light, the light of our own auras cleansed by Christlike emotions, desires, and actions, but we must always recognize and utilize the Light which comes from above.
Within the Godhead is infinite supply. Jesus taught, “Why be anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on....Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” When we open the door to the Christ we have eyes to see the infinite supply which is God’s and the power to employ that supply for the needs of the world. Hunt has portrayed this Divine supply by the apples on the ground upon which the lantern sheds its light. As above, so below. Jesus said, “By your fruits ye shall be known.” One cannot have knowledge, high emotions and actions without visible results. The apples are emblemmatic of the fruits of the Spirit.
Christ stands knocking at the door representing the door of the innermost chamber of each individual. There is no latch-string or outer knob to this door. It must be opened from within. When God created man in His own image, He gave to man free will and a right to choose his own way of life. Therefore, the Christ cannot or will not open that door. He may and will knock, but the individual must choose to let Him in before He will enter. But how dark that life must be for him who will not open the door, since only darkness is within until the door is opened and the Christ enters. Then no outer light is needed for there is light within.
In front of the door plants are growing. At first we call them weeds, but are not weeds simply plants growing in the wrong place? May these not be the results of our misguided talents because we have locked the door against the Christ Spirit? Are they not now blocking the way to the Christ? We look closer and discover that part of the plants are mustard. Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed which is so small and apparently so insignificant and yet when fully grown is among the largest herbs. The weeds and tares in our lives can become productive plants in the Kingdom of God when we open the door and let the Christ come in.
Above, in the shadows of the eves and vines, a bat hovers. The bat may be said to portray the anti-Christ spirit in the world. That spirit loves the darkness but cowers before the Christ Light. Therefore, the bat is found in the darkest corner, shrinking from the light. The bat may also be said to represent the Dweller on the Threshold of each individual life. As the ego progresses toward Godhood, by developing its spiritual faculties. If these become active before that individual has opened the door to the Christ, meeting the Dweller on the Threshold could be a disastrous experience, for that being is the embodiment of all the past errors and negative forces which the individual has not transmuted and redeemed. If, on the other hand, the Christ has been a welcomed guest, the his spiritual powers and moral fortitude will be entirely adequate to meet and endure the Dweller’s visage and vibrations. The individual will not only have invited the Christ to enter and abide in his soul, he will also be able to step out of his dense physical body, which is his temporary dwelling place, and enter into the invisible worlds with the courage born of living faith in the Christ, the embodiment of the Love Principle of the Godhead, the Light of the World.
—J. T.