Leo Tolstoy's "Where Love Is, There is God"

Leo Tolstoy understood one of greatest concepts of human existence—love, and that where love is, there God is also because God is love. One who understands this, and learns how to see and love others through God’s eyes has acquired one of the greatest realizations of wisdom in human nature. This concept is evident in Tolstoy’s “Where Love Is, There Is God” whereby its plot, character motivation, supporting characters, and symbolism, all combine to support the theme of Tolstoy’s story.

The plot of this story is quite simple. Martin finds the Lord and seeks to serve Him. He hears a voice which he identifies as the Lord saying that He will come to visit the following day, and Martin thus watches for the Lord and is prepared to serve Him. As he watches, people in need pass through and, out the goodness of a heart following Christ, Martin serves them in the same manner he would serve Christ. The story reaches a climax, thus fully revealing Tolstoy’s theme, when at the end of the day the Lord has not come, but the people to whom Martin had shown hospitality to appear in his home saying, “It is I,” and then vanish like a cloud. To be sure readers grasp what these images mean, Tolstoy concludes his story with Matthew 25:40: “...Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

A key aspect contributing to Tolstoy’s theme is the character motivation of the protagonist, Martin. Martin wants to live for God and upon being instructed how to do so—to follow Christ’s example as portrayed in the Gospels—Martin’s heart begins to change through reading God’s Word. He is thus motivated by the story of the Pharisee who did take care of Jesus to show those in need the same hospitality he would want to show Jesus: “[The Pharisee] took care of himself, but for his guest he cared nothing at all. Yet who was the guest? The Lord himself! If he came to me, should I behave like that?" (Tolstoy). Martin’s motivation to treat others with kindness as he waits on the Lord directly links to Tolstoy’s theme of the fruit of a changed heart.

Tolstoy successfully uses the supporting characters as symbols—each character Martin encounters is a symbol representing Christ, though Martin does not realize this until the end. Martin is expecting the Lord to visit him, and as he waits the fruit of his changed heart is evident in his compassion toward these strangers he sees in need. These symbols in the form of supporting characters contribute greatly to the revelation of Tolstoy’s theme in the end when Martin reads, “[Jesus said] I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in” (Matt. 25:40).

Finally, the concept most evident in Tolstoy’s theme of passion, truth, and the blessings of love is that when one truly loves others and shows them hospitality, God is there. Tolstoy depicts the theme of the beauty of love and of God through Martin’s change from bitterness over a death to the joy of a “lighter heart” in Christ, his moral and spiritual motivation that come from pondering the Word of God, and the fruit of a changed heart. This theme reveals that one’s heart can be changed by seeking to live for God and following Christ’s example through revelation of studying God’s Word; and that through a changed heart, when one learns to love and serve others, God is indeed there in the midst.

The entire premise of Tolstoy’s story is undoubtedly relevant to the lives of all Christians. This story reminds us the importance of stepping outside of our self-absorbed mindsets to love others the way Christ loves, and show them we care through our actions. As a student at a Christian university and a girl from a Christ-centered family who is constantly surrounded by Christians, it is easy to forget that though I may not always see it, the Christian people around me still have needs and should be shown love and hospitality. This story also helps open my eyes to realize that there is a world outside of my Christian bubble full of lost and suffering people who desperately need to be shown the love of Christ, and that if I adopt the mindset of Martin and seek to love and serve others, God is more than willing to use me as a vessel—to be His hands and feet, to bless others. This story reminds me that Christ has told us to “keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:1-2). When we do this—love each other as brothers—God is there in our midst, and when we truly understand how to love others, we understand God; for God is love.