My Beloved Is White and Red
My Beloved Is White and Red
White:
Let us try to trace the word “white” in the Holy Bible and see what it signifies. The first thing we notice is its indication of the glory of the Lord, especially in the Transfiguration. The Scripture says in the story of the Transfiguration: “His clothes became white as the light,” and “His garments became shining, exceedingly white.”
Likewise, when the Virgin appeared in a manifestation, she also appeared white, like light.
“My Beloved is white”… white as light, or white because He is light.
It was said about Him that He is “light which no man can approach unto.” He said about Himself that He is the Light of the world. And we say about Him in the Creed that He is “Light from Light.” Those who follow Him walk in the light and are called “sons of light.”
This white color was also mentioned in speaking about the luminous angels.
It was said about the angel of the Resurrection: “His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.” My white Beloved—His servants are white, on earth and in heaven. Likewise the priests and deacons—while serving at the altar—wear white garments. And it was said about the righteous in the Resurrection: “They shall walk with Me in white garments” (Rev. 3:4).
The white color indicates purity, and for human beings it also indicates a life of repentance. Thus it says in the book of Isaiah: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” And the book of Revelation says: “They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” And the book of Ecclesiastes says: “Let your garments always be white.”
“My Beloved is white” in His Transfiguration, in His attributes and purity, in His appearance and the appearance of His angels, priests, and servants. White in His light and in His goodness.
In the book of Daniel (7:9) it says: “The Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool; His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire.” Notice here the presence of white and red together, because fire is red.
Among the attributes of God that we sing about are His holiness and His righteousness. We say to Him: “Holy, Holy, Holy.” God also loves this attribute in us.
If you love God, be white like Him—with a white heart, a white thought, white words, and white feelings. If you are white in all your being, you can approach to partake of the Holy Mysteries.
Saint Moses the Black, when he was ordained a priest and wore the white garments of service, they said to him, “Now you have become completely white.” He replied, “Would that this were also from the inside.”
Therefore the Scripture warned against limiting oneself to outward whiteness alone:
The hypocrites are “like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones” (Matt. 23). And Paul said to the Jewish high priest who ordered him to be struck: “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!” (Acts 23:3).
My Beloved is white—in His light, in His goodness, in His appearance, in His glory, and in the appearance of His servants… But what then about the word “red”?
Red:
Red, because He is fire: “Our God is a consuming fire.” Thus the Holy Spirit was likened to fire. Our God is light and fire—white and red.
So also the angels: white in their purity and in their garments. And it was also said about them: “Who makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.” Thus you also become white through purity, and red through the fiery spirit that is in you. God sees you and says: “My beloved is white and red”… white as snow in repentance, and burning like fire in zeal—like snow and fire at the same time!
Thus He said to the disciples: “You are the light of the world” (my beloved is white). And the Holy Spirit came upon them as fire of a red color. Like the three young men in the fiery furnace: they were white in their righteousness, while around them was the fire of red color.
Christ was white in His meekness, and red in His firmness and strength.
John saw Him in his vision (1:14–15): “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace.” Perhaps John was looking at the Lord and saying, “My Beloved is white and red.”
O Lord, I wonder how You unite Your meekness with Your eyes which are like a flame of fire—about which Pilate said that no one could look long into His eyes. Your attributes do not contradict one another.
In Your mercy You are white, and in Your justice You are red. Your mercy and Your justice are not separated. You are merciful in Your justice, and just in Your mercy.
In You the two colors—white and red—are mingled like wine. Therefore it was said about You in the Song: “Your love is better than wine.” “White and red”—in which the white tenderness is mingled with the red firmness, attraction with reverence, and compassion with discipline.
You are white on the cross—white in Your purity, not deserving death—and red in the blood shed for us, as the bearer of sins.
In the Tabernacle the blood was sprinkled on its walls as a sign of forgiveness. This red blood was a sign of the white life through repentance, redemption, and forgiveness. This is the same meaning of: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Ps. 51).
Hyssop was a kind of herb by which the red blood was sprinkled so that life becomes white. Thus the white is born from the red. And the one whom the Lord sprinkles with His hyssop, He says about him: “My beloved is white and red.”
This is what the psalmist meant in the Psalm of repentance. It is the same meaning that was said in Revelation: “They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” This red blood made their robes white. The sinner washes in the blood and becomes white—white and red.
You are white because you wear white garments in eternity, and red because your garments became white by the red blood in which they were dipped.
The life of every one of us is the story of white and red: that he did not become white except by the red blood of Christ that purified him.
Every repentant person who washed his robes in the blood of the Lamb, and whom God sprinkled with His hyssop so that he became whiter than snow, is white through the forgiveness he received and red through the blood shed for him in which he was washed. The Lord looks at him from the cross and says: “My beloved is white and red.”
Sin in the Old Testament was sometimes likened to the color red.
Thus in the book of Isaiah the prophet (1:18): “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Thus sin is red like scarlet and crimson, and it becomes white like snow and wool.
The red color of sin appears in the eye of the angry person filled with blood. And we find that Esau the sinner came out of his mother’s womb “red all over.”
The red color of sin Christ carried for us on behalf of humanity. Thus He who is white in His pure nature carried the red color of scarlet and crimson. We see Him on the cross bearing our shame, and we say: “My beloved is white and red.”
Thus they clothed Him with a purple robe and mocked Him. The Holy One without sin became sin for our sake, or the bearer of our sins. This white One carried the red that is in us and covered it with His red blood. He placed the red blood of absolute holiness instead of the red crimson color of complete impurity.
The red color sometimes symbolized the garments of kings.
And Christ in His red garments was a king, and by His red blood He possessed us, as He bought us with His blood. Thus He “reigned from the wood” with the red color. Therefore the thief asked Him to remember him in His kingdom, crying in his heart toward this King: “My beloved is white and red.”
Chief among ten thousand:
“Ten thousand” means a myriad. If Christ were placed among ten thousand, He would be distinguished among them—“chief among ten thousand.” Therefore David said: “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You?!” You have no equal, O Lord, among the gods. You are chief among ten thousand.
Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine – Year Seven (Issue Thirty-Two), August 6, 1976.
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