"The starting point for this picture is a passage from the Bible,
'Behold I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice,
and open the door, I will come in to him...'
The door Christ is knocking at is that of the human soul, whose
entrance is choked with weeds.

Hunt painted much of it during the night, outside in the moonlight,
to make it a convincing scene but he wanted the figure of Christ
to look supernatural.
He plays with the different sources of light, the Halo, the lantern
and the symbolic light of dawn to suggest Christ brings light into
a darkened world." Manchester Art Gallery