A Silent Cry for Help
What can a single painting tell us about faith, struggle, and hope?
In the Van Gogh Museum hangs a quiet yet haunting painting titled Still Life with Open Bible, which Van Gogh completed in a single day in 1885. At the center sits his father’s large, open Bible. To the right, a candle—either unlit or burnt out—leans into the shadows. And in the foreground, a small closed novel rests: La Joie de Vivre (The Joy of Living) by Émile Zola.
One common interpretation is that the painting reflects Van Gogh’s shift in life and belief. He had a strained relationship with his religious upbringing and his father’s Christian faith. In this painting, it seems he’s marking a turning point—moving away from religion toward a more modern, secular worldview. Like the extinguished candle, the influence of the Bible begins to fade, while Zola’s humanist ideas take center stage as a kind of “new scripture” for how to live.
But maybe this painting says more than that. Notice how Van Gogh painted the Bible large and open, while the novel is small and shut. That detail seems deliberate. Van Gogh later revealed that the Bible in the painting is open to Isaiah 53, a chapter that prophesies the suffering of Christ: “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Van Gogh knew sorrow. He battled depression, loneliness, and deep emotional pain. Perhaps through this painting, he was quietly crying out: “I’m in pain, just like Jesus was! Can anyone see it? Will someone please understand?”
He was so close to the very comfort he longed for. If he had reached into his own painting and opened that Bible a little further, he might have found more than sorrow—he might have found hope. Jesus once said, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).
So what’s the message here? If you’re struggling, searching, or simply tired—there is nothing more powerful than the Bible. Because the Bible leads us to Jesus. And Jesus offers love, truth, and the strength to face whatever life throws your way.
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh |
| Title | Still Life with Open Bible |
| Production | 1885 |
| Material | Oil on Canvas |
| Dimensions | 78.5 cm (Width), 65.7 cm (Height) |
| Exhibit Location | Van Gogh Museum |
| Accession Number | s0008V1962 |
| Credit Line | |
| Image Credit | Wikimedia Commons |
Written by Dr. Neale Schofield
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A Silent Cry for Help