Portal: The Writing on the Wall

The secret messages that help the player through Portal serve as a comparison for how we are able to move through our own lives.

Chell’s journey through Aperture Science would have been a total disaster had it not been for the messages left behind by the Rat Man. Scattered throughout the game are “Rat Man dens” where there is clear evidence of another human presence who managed at one point to survive outside the main test chambers and away from GLaDOS’s watchful eye.

The Rat Man serves as a pioneer who has gone ahead to provide a way for us through the dangerous testing environment. It is from his incoherent rantings scribbled on the walls that the player receives warnings of imminent doom (“the cake is a lie”) and directions for successfully escaping the test chambers. Jesus, likewise, has gone ahead of us and shown us by his life and example how to live. By taking on human flesh as Jesus, God has experienced our struggle. 1 John 4:9 states that God showed his love for us by coming to live among us. Like the Rat Man, Jesus provides both warnings and directions.

Warnings About Cake

The Rat Man’s wall writings are reminiscent of a story in the Old Testament which comes from Daniel 5. There was an evil king who had taken God’s people captive. He was partying it up and generally enjoying his wealth and depravity, when suddenly a hand appeared out of nowhere and wrote a cryptic message on the wall. After consulting the prophet Daniel, he was told that the message’s interpretation was that he was going to be killed for his wickedness.

When God provides a warning of doom and destruction, it is not uncommon for skeptics to point the finger and use that as evidence that God is just a big bully. But let me submit to you that if God was really just a big bully, he wouldn’t give a warning at all. God communicates these harsh messages so that the hearer may have an opportunity to repent and make a correction. This king didn’t, and so he got the ax.

The Rat Man’s many reminders of the cake being a lie are likewise an opportunity for Chell to “repent” and avoid the incinerator. The messages provided truth in an environment where there was nothing but lies and antagonism. This world will lie to you and it will either bring you down or tell you exactly what you want to hear, just like GLaDOS. Watch for the messages that provide the real truth which will save you from destruction.

Arrows Through the Maze

The Rat Man has so kindly provided arrows and other directions to help Chell find the secret paths outside of GLaDOS’ reach. In the same way, Jesus provides guidance and direction in an otherwise unnavigable maze of dangers. God does not just sit on high and declare what not to do, but through Jesus we have a picture of what to strive towards.

Unfortunately, our world is broken and there are many things that distract us from God’s truth. If you can remember back to the first few minutes of Portal, it is quite unlikely that you would have imagined that by the end you would be outside the sterile testing environment and running for your life. But gradually, piece by piece, you were given hints through messages in hidden rooms that showed you the truth and helped you escape. Ultimately, you can look back on your experience and see how small messages saved you from a very serious threat.

In the same way, we can’t see the big picture well enough to know the right way and so we must rely on God’s direction. God provides us with guidance, but often it’s only just enough to keep us on the right path. Psalm 119:105 says that God’s word is “a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” The specific wording there is significant. It’s not a floodlight on the road or a spotlight in the sky, it’s a small lamp with just enough light for the next few steps. We are given just enough so that we will learn to rely on God rather than ourselves for our rescue.

Pay attention to life’s little easter eggs, it may mean the difference between escape and fiery doom.

Questions

1. What GLaDOS-like messages are you bombarded by? How does it distort truth for you?

2. Was there a time when you received a good warning that saved you from trouble?

3. When was a time in your life that things didn’t make sense at the time, but you saw a clearer picture after the fact?

Come back next time for one more quick thought from Portal about what lies outside the testing facility.