Monument to Love



The Taj Mahal in the former Mughal Empire capital of Agra, India

John 15:9-17

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love..." 

 

I would like to tell you the love story between a king and his bride. Not just any king, but the one who was called "The King of the World." Not just any bride but the one that the King of the World referred to as his "Chosen One." Not just any love story about the King of the World and his Chosen but the love story of him building a palace for her. Not just any palace but one that would serve as a tomb for her when she died giving birth to their fourteenth child. 

"Shah Jahan on a globe"
from the Smithsonian Institution

This King was Shahabuddin Muhammad Shah Jahan, popularly known as Shah Jahan (a title that literally means "King of the World"). He was the seventeenth century Mughal Emperor of India who built the Taj Mahal at Agra, India as a tomb for his Empress Mumtaz Mahal (a title that literally means "the chosen one of the palace"). The 

Artistic depiction of
Mumtaz Mahal

Taj Mahal, one of the most glorious buildings ever constructed, was designed as more to be more than just another palace. It was created as a dwelling place where the body of the Chosen would abide forever. Even so this abode of the dead was constructed as a monument to a living love. The greatest beauty that arises from this architectural marvel does not lie in its glowing white marble façade and mathematically perfect dome (though they are unparalleled in aesthetic grandeur) but rather in the universal truth that lies inside. It is the truth that lies within the tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. It is the grace that lies within their story. That grace is love. It is a love that was not only recognized by the 
Indian Muslim Monarch but also by a Palestinian Jewish Messiah. You see Jesus too was known as the King of the World. The Psalmist tells us that "The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein." Jesus' followers not only understood him as the "King of the Jews" but also as the "King of Kings." The also understood themselves as the metaphorical "bride of Christ", and the Elect of God (a word that literally means "The Chosen"). So when Jesus spoke to his followers in John 15:9-17, he was doing so as the King of the World to his Chosen. This King was telling his Chosen about the monument that he was building for them. The King was explaining that it was more than a monument, rather it was a dwelling place where the body of his Chosen would abide forever. Jesus said that this abiding place was his love.


The Taj Mahal's exterior architectural features

"...If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you..." 

The Taj Mahal is one of the most recognizable structures in the world yet all to often admirers don't fully appreciate what they are looking at. The key to architectural appreciation (and all of art) is understanding how its components work together to accomplish a function and weave together to tell a story. The Taj Mahal is a terrific example of the marriage of 

Main marble dome, smaller domes, and
decorative spires that extend from the
edges of the base walls. 

function and narrative applied to a structure. In doing so they tell of the marriage of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. In return their marriage testifies of the marriage of two great world cultures. The building itself incorporates these two cultural, aesthetic traditions (Indian and Persian) in its composition. Shah Jahan was a member of the Mughal Dynasty, the descendants of the Mongolian conqueror Genghis Khan, who ruled as his heirs in India for five generations at that point. Mumtaz Muhal was born in Agra, India as the daughter of the Persian nobleman Abdul Hasan Asaf Khan (Persia was part of the far-western border of Genghis Khan and his generals' conquests). So Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal's marriage was the picture of the fusion of much of the Islamic portions of the network of multi-cultural, pluralistic network of kingdoms and empires forged by 
their mutual ancestor. The marriage of function and narrative could be heard in one word that Jesus chose to use in John 15:9-17: commandments. It would conjure up images of Moses in the minds of his Jewish listeners. Moses' Ten Commandments are a terrific example of the marriage of function and narrative applied to a structure. They are functional in that they refer not only the "top ten" but all of the Law (over 613 Mitzvot or commandments) of the Old Testament that Jesus' listeners (as observant Jews) would have applied to their lives. The Commandments speak of a narrative because they not only recall a one-time event when God gave Israel his Law but rather a love story between God and his people. The nation whose name Israel literally means "One who wrestles with God", weave a centuries long narrative through Scripture of a people who struggle, toil and wrestle with what it means to be followers of God. When they carried the actual tablets of Ten 

Taj Majal base, dome and minaret. 

Commandments with them they did so as a monument to the function and story that God was acting out in their lives. When they bound the commandments to their arms, forehands and doorposts they did so as reminders of the marital struggle that they shared with God. Like many other marital struggles it was one that centered around roles, duties and the terms of their agreement to each other. The Old Testament book of Hosea made explicit that which had been implied earlier: the Commandments of God were a marriage covenant (contract) between God and Israel. Jesus piggybacks on this revelation of the essence of the religion to further reveal the essence of all of the Commandments themselves. The Commandments, the Law, whether it be 10 or 613 can essentially be boiled down to one Commandment: Love. The unifying term of the marriage contract between God and Israel and between Christ and mankind is that we love. If we love one another as our expression of love towards God then we fulfill any and all Scriptural Commandments. Like the Taj Mahal love is the expression of the marriage of function and story. Love tells expresses the function of God's commands and the story of how He lives within our lives, applying His love. Love illustrates the coming together of diverse peoples that were once alien to each other but now come together in the marriage of the King of the World. Love is the monument that God has been building stone by stone, person by person throughout all of history. Love is the abode that his Chosen will abide in forever.   




First floor marble tomb area of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan in the main hall

"...Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you..."

As beautiful as the Taj Mahal and its story may be, one must recognize that at the core of this monument lies death and sorrow. Without the untimely death of

The actual tombs of Mumtaz Mahal
 and Shah Jahan in the lower level

Mumtaz Mahal there would be no need for this beautiful monument to love. This fact reveals the sobering fact that it is not only a monument but also a memorial. As tourists and pilgrims walk through the first floor of the Taj Mahal they are greeted by two sarcophagi; one for Mumtaz Mahal and the other for Shah Jahan. The sweetness of their love story derives from the bittersweetness of its brevity. Yet in truth the love was not brief since Shah Jahan's affection for his wife continued long beyond the physical life of his bride. To be honest that is the type of love stories that we love reading about. The Shakespearean type of tragic love story; the Leonardo DiCaprio freezing in the icy waters at the end of Titanic type of love story; Bambi's mom getting shot by some hunters type of love story. Truth be told that is the type of love story that Jesus enjoyed as well. He believed that there was no greater love story than when one gives his life for those that he loves. That is the type of love that he expressed on Calvary's cross for his friends... his followers... his Chosen... his Church... 

The false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal
and Shah Jahan in the main chamber

his bride. There is no memorial without a death to commemorate, yet even death cannot extinguish love. Yet the Taj Mahal teaches us that looks can be deceiving. The sarcophagi on the first floor are not the actual tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Those coffins are only their for display. The actual royal tombs lay much deeper within the building and is restricted from visitor access. The follower of Christ should be familiar with a familiar paradox presented by death. What appears to be death is not actually real death. As believers in Christ's resurrection we believe that new life is concealed in death and love is enveloped in new life. Jesus taught us that what appears to be death is only the door to eternal life if we abide in his love. Out of love Christ died once for his beloved friends that they might have life that is fueled by an unending love. Like the visitor to the Taj Mahal the spiritual pilgrim in Christ is forced to ask the perplexing question, "If what appears to be the tomb/death is only a facade, then where is the real tomb/death?" Like the Taj Mahal to find the answer we must go much deeper. Jesus believed that true death resided in what many confused for life. Any life that resides outside of the presence and peace of God is not life at all. It is spiritual death. The problem is that if we are to believe the truth in the Adam and Eve story, then all of Mankind finds itself outside a relationship with the Creator. Hence Jesus taught that we must be born again. This rebirth is not a physical birth but a spiritual one where God is our Divine Parent. We are born again by being born into God's love presented in Jesus' death. Then when we do one day embrace the decay of our physical bodies we can rest assure that it is not the end of our existence. For our lives do not abide in mortality; they abide forever in the love of Christ. 

Taj Mahal grounds in context

"...No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you..." 

 

When visiting the Taj Mahal one will notice that it is not a free standing structure. This monument and memorial to love exists within a context. It is surrounded by 

View from outside of entrance
gate of Taj Mahal, Agra

several other buildings, entrance gate and a surrounding wall that were all erected as part of one building project. A guide to these grounds mentions the following details:

 

"Outside the walls are several additional mausoleums, including those of Shah Jahan's other wives, and a larger tomb for Mumtaz's favourite servant"

So you may have noticed that I have used an imperfect analogy in comparing Shah Jahan to Jesus. He was a polygamist with several wives because he was a man of his time and religio-cultural tradition. But so was King David who is widely understood as a typological parallel, a shadow of Christ. Both kings were also guilty of abuses as leaders that hurt their people. My point is, don't let his problems outshine his parallels. The same statement that begins with Shah Jahan's penchant for multiple wives also ends with his provision for Mumtaz Mahal's one favorite servant. The Taj Mahal complex features a monument and tomb to also recognize in death a servant whose life was an expression of humility.

The Main Gate of the Taj Mahal

This monument and memorial of love honors and elevates servants. The significance of this servant's tomb is a picture of the ministry if Christ. Before leaving them to reclaim the glory that once was his before the foundation of the world, Jesus turns to his Disciples (his students who knew him as "Master") and said "No longer do I call you servants... but I have called you friends." Then he went to tell them how he and God the Father were going to serve them. Maybe you don't see that detail in the text. It is right where he says "that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you..." Now don't be alarmed, I am not espousing a Prosperity Theology where God acts as your personal Genie. I am also not arguing with the fact that we are created to serve and glorify God. What I am stating is that the monument and memorial of love that Jesus constructed honors and elevates servants. It honors and elevates servanthood. Jesus, God the Son, does this first and foremost by modeling such behavior. God called us to a self-sacrificial, nurturing and serving love by dying as the Suffering Servant. This is the love that he asks us to abide in forever.



Taj Mahal front arch, closeup image of calligraphy work on exterior

"...These things I command you, that you love one another."

After learning about the ornate details and considerations made in crafting the Taj Mahal’s interior and exterior one sees it with fresh eyes with every subsequent viewing. You start to appreciate nuanced, delicate features that at first glance seem simple enough but upon further reflection took the greatest skill from the world’s greatest artisans. This is most evident in the elaborate details worked into the marble. Shah Jahan assembled the greatest marble craftsmen working in the caliphates of the Islamic world and the kingdoms of Christendom to bring their expertise to bringing unrivaled artistry to this hard white stone. The Muslim stoneworkers were trained in the highly sought art of calligraphy, as the writers at Sulekha.com explain:  



Calligraphy on the walls

"The calligraphy found in Taj Mahal are of florid thuluth script, created by Persian calligrapher, Ammant Khan, who signed several of the panels. The calligraphy is made by jade like silica material called jasper inlaid in white marble panels and the work found on the marble cenotaphs in the tomb is extremely detailed and delicate. Higher panels are written slightly larger for appropriate & even from viewing below. Throughout the complex, passages from the Quran have been used as decorative elements. Recent scholarship suggests that Amanat Khan chose the passages as with reference themes of judgment and other relevant quotes"

The stoneworkers of Christendom were mainly Venetians and brought the ancient Roman tradition of Pietra dura to construct the elaborate inlays and reliefs of floral and vegetative patterns. Wikipedia describes the process as thus:

“Pietra dura or pietre dure (see below), called parchin kari in South Asia, is a term for the inlay technique of using cut and fitted, highly polished colored stones to create images. It is considered a decorative art. The stonework, after the work is assembled loosely, is glued stone-by-stone to a substrate after having previously been ‘sliced and cut in different shape sections; and then assembled together so precisely that the contact between each section was practically invisible.’".

What both of these respective groups of craftsmen did in their approach to marble is similar to their respective religions’ approach to the great monotheistic tradition of the Abrahamic religions. Just like marble is to Taj Mahal the Commandments are the Judaistic tradition from which both Islam and Christianity evolve and depart. The Commandments and legalistic approaches to Judaism were “set in stone” as it were, just like marble. Like the precious building stone, the Law was beautiful but cold and unbending. By the time that Christianity was developing as a Jewish sect, Judaism had been developing its notions of an afterlife, a resurrection and a Messiah for some time. Jesus taught his disciples that he indeed was the Messiah, the Resurrection and the door to the afterlife. When Islam developed several centuries later they inherited these ideas. The Koran sees no conflict with seeing 



Detail of pietra dura
jali inlay

Jesus as the Messiah and the one who will judge the resurrected at the end times while simultaneously not seeing him as the Divine Son of God. So both Islam and Christianity built upon the marble base of legalistic Judaism and early messianic speculation. Just like the marble craftsmen of the Taj Mahal, what they did with this foundation is what distinguishes the two groups. The differences in their approaches can be understood in their beliefs about Jesus. To Islam Jesus was the  prophet and holy man Isa Ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary). Though he is important in the Koran, he is pictured as prophesying of Mohammad; whereas In Christianity it is believed that all prior prophesy points to Christ. Also, in Islam it is believed that Jesus did not actually suffer and die on the cross because it would be unjust of God to let a holy and just man as he to suffer in such a way. Therein lies the critical difference between the two faiths. In Christianity Jesus is not only a holy man suffering unjustly but rather the holy God incarnated in flesh choosing to take upon the injustice of the world and the judgment of all of humanity’s sin. So like the Muslim marble craftsmen of the Taj Mahal, our Muslim neighbors approach the marble of the Commandments and Law and engraves into them more commands and laws from the Koran. And just like the marble craftsmen of Christendom, Christianity takes the marble of the Commandments and Law and draws into them pictures of life. Whether they be images of flowers, fruit, leaves or any other types of vegetation they are all images of life and flourishing. The difference between the two is whether you see Christ as the messenger of an era of more rules to replace the old rules or an age of life that springs from a love that was always the final intention of the rules. The later result only comes when you believe in a Christ who died to fulfill the law in love. The later approach only holds power when that Christ is also the mighty and merciful God who can raise that love back to life. I mean no ill will to our Muslim friends and brothers. I would never use this blog to speak begrudgingly of another religion or spread misinformation about it. I only wish to share the agreed upon differences of both groups. Muslims have created great civilizations that have given us great gifts like Algebra, Aziz Ansari and yes, the Taj Mahal. But the true mystery that lies in the Taj Mahal appears to be a love story that its creator Shah Jahan never intended to communicate but The Creator always desires to communicate. It is the love story that inspires us all to create our own love stories. It is the grace filled love story of the King of the World and the dwelling that he built his Chosen to live in forever.    

Taj Mahal marble flower relief