Homily - 4th Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) - Sunday 10th March 2024

Homily

4th Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)

Sunday 10th March 2024

Hanging in St Paul’s Cathedral is a painting by William Holman-Hunt called “The Light of the World”. It is in the pre-Raphaelite style and is one of three paintings depicting the same image. One is displayed in Keble College in Oxford, another in Manchester City Art Gallery and the third in St Paul’s Cathedral, London (Anon., 2023).

The first painting was begun in 1849 and finished in 1854. It was then exhibited in the Royal Academy. The second was made as a gift to the widow of one of Holman-Hunt’s patrons, Thomas Combe who died in 1872. The third, painted between 1900 to 1904, came about because Holman-Hunt was displeased Keble College was charging people to see his work, so he painted a life-size version that now hangs in St Paul’s Cathedral, London (Anon., 2023).

The third painting has been the most viewed piece of art in the last century (St Paul's Cathedral, 2024). It is said to be a “sermon in a frame” (St Paul's Cathedral, 2024). As soon as it was finished it toured “Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia” (St Paul's Cathedral, 2024) and millions have gazed at what the image depicts.

The painting was inspired by a verse from St John’s Gospel: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ (John 8:12).

The painting is orientated vertically, as we view our mobiles. Jesus is the only figure, positioned centrally. It is nighttime, and in his left-hand hangs a lamp. A second light source comes from a halo around Jesus’s head. The first light from the lantern is said to represent the human conscience, while the second is the light of salvation (St Paul's Cathedral, 2024). In the background, there is an orchard of apple trees. Some fallen fruit is near Jesus’s feet.

His right hand is poised to knock on a door, or could it be that he has knocked and is waiting for a response? There is no handle on the outside, so the door must be open from within. The occupier must answer the door for Jesus to come in. It looks as though the door hasn’t been opened in a long time as there are old vines of ivy and other weeds growing over it. But Jesus is patient.

In Chronicles, we hear the Temple of God had been defiled by the Israelites, who were following practices from other nations. They had turned their back on God, resulting in their kingdom being destroyed and the destruction of the first temple by King Nebuchadnezzar. As the people were led away to Babylon, their captors asked them to sing songs from Zion, but they had no heart for it.

The Israelites had forgotten to keep the Sabbath, but, in their exile, they turned back to God and followed his teachings. Their punishment lasted seventy years, when Cyrus of Persia destroyed the Babylonian kingdom, restored the Israelites to Jerusalem and was commissioned by God to rebuild the temple.

God had heard the cries of the people in exile, they repented for their sins and through His grace were saved. Not because of what they had done themselves but for the love God had for them.

Seventy years after Jesus came into this world, the second temple was destroyed when the Jews revolted against the Romans, trying to use their own power to change the world. The third temple, Jesus, had already been put to death. God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son so that we might all be saved. In his death he took on all our sins, making it possible for us to have a relationship with God.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus that if we believe in him, we will not be condemned, we will not be lost but will have life eternal. If we do not open the door to Jesus and refuse to believe that he is there, waiting for us, we will be condemning ourselves. The light of the world waits patiently outside, wishing to give us the light of salvation, but we need to open the door to let the light come in. It is our choice. God loves us so much.

Jesus says, “Men prefer darkness to light because what they do is evil,” and are scared the light from Him will reveal what they have done. Yet as Paul says to the Ephesians: “We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life.” This was how it was meant to be from the beginning. Therefore, let us not avoid the light, but allow it into our lives. Through the muddle of this world, the distractors and influencers try to darken our world. Let us listen for the sound of Jesus knocking on our door and be eager to open it to let the light in.

God sent his only begotten Son, so that through him the world might be saved. Amen.

References

Anon., 2023. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.. [Online]

Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Light_of_the_World_%28painting%29

[Accessed 9 3 2024].

St Paul's Cathedral, 2024. The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt. [Online]

Available at: https://www.stpauls.co.uk/light-of-world-by-william-holman-hunt

[Accessed 9 3 2024].

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