Walking in the Light

Isaiah 2:5   "Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord"

"Psalm 89:15  "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord

John 8:12  "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

1 John 1:7   "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin"

This painting was created as an illustration of walking in the light. We will explore the various visual metaphors within the composition.

Walking in the Light  by John E. Keller

Watercolor   1997       22” x 30”

In this painting, the structure on the right with the three Roman arches (semi-circle arches), is the Red Basilica in Pergamum (now Bergama,Turkey),  completed in the 2nd century. The basilica floor plan became the standard floor plan for Christian churches, with a central area, side aisles, and a raised platform at one end. The Red Basilica was used for Christian worship in the 5th century AD. It was originally a Roman temple built to honor Egyptian gods, but was converted to a Christian church dedicated to John, the disciple of Jesus.

In the upper right corner of the painting the light coming in from above, along with the dove, represent the Holy Spirit.

As you will note by the direction of the cast shadows of the columns and the people, the light of the physical sun is also present, but coming into the painting from a different angle, as if it is late in the day. This physical light in this painting is a metaphor for “walking in the light”.

We “walk in the light”, spiritually speaking (Psalm 56:13; 89:15; Isaiah 2:5, 9:2; John 8:12, 12:35-36), when we have been washed in the waters of baptism. Baptism originally meant immersion. Early Christian baptistries, as you can see in this rendition of a 6th century baptistry, was designed for immersion. Affusion (pouring) became the normal mode of baptism in Catholicism between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, though immersion was still practiced into the sixteenth. The baptistry in this painting is based on the Baptistry at the Basilica of St. John in Ephesus which was constructed by Justinian in the 6th century, on the traditional burial site of the Apostle John.

Note that the girl standing on this side of the baptistry is standing in the light, but the lighting on her appears as if she was standing in shadow. She has not been through the waters of baptism, which means she is walking in darkness, spiritually speaking.

The figure that has walked out of the baptistry, on the far side, is physically standing in the shadow of the column. However, he is illuminated as if by sunlight and is now “walking in the light”, even though standing in the shadow of the column.

Note the reflection of the column in the baptistry water, as it has become a cross that is stained with blood. The waters of baptism are the means of coming into contact, spiritually speaking, with the saving blood of Christ. We “put on Christ” in baptism (Galatians 3:27)

The road going off into the distance, with no visible horizon, is symbolic for the eternal nature of the choices we make.

Ephesians 5:8: "Now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light"

-John Keller