The Light of the World
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
Yesterday’s blog celebrated the fact that those who follow Christ sincerely are known as the “salt of the earth”, men and women of upstanding qualities who do their best to live righteously for the Lord. They are also the “light of the world”. Wow. That is quite a compliment, but quite a responsibility. We know that from the account of creation found in Genesis 1, the first thing that God made was physical light. Up until that time there was nothing but darkness throughout time and space. We’ve all heard the term “black hole” used by scientists to describe “a celestial object of such extremely intense gravity that it attracts everything near it and in some instances prevents everything, including light, from escaping” (Columbia Encyclopedia on line). This doesn’t make sense to me because light always overcomes darkness. If the black hole contained light, it wouldn’t be black any longer. Regardless of what science says, this is a good illustration of the darkness of a person’s soul. As long as God’s light does not illuminate and penetrate a sinner’s heart, he is like a “black hole” where all types of evil can find lodging.
The good news is that when Jesus, the Light of the world (John 1:9) comes into a person’s heart, the darkness is obliterated, and Light fills that once darkened soul. Jesus said in John 9:5, “As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world”. He no longer walks this earth in a physical body, but He gave His followers the blessed privilege of exhibiting His light among a lost and dying world. Thus we are representing His light which makes us lights of the world. We are reflecting His Light. We are to be bold in proclaiming Him to the world. Our lifestyles should exhibit the love and joy that comes from worshipping the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Believers are also described as “a city that is set on a hill” that “cannot be hid”. In certain areas of the city in which I live, one can see the skyline of the state capital which is about 15 miles away. The tall buildings reach toward the sky and cannot be hidden except by low level clouds from time to time. A city that is build on a hill should not be difficult to spot, and neither should a Christian, by his or her lifestyle and conversation, be difficult to spot. He or she should be like a beacon or a lighthouse shining the way towards the Savior. People who are lost in sin should be able to go to the “city on a hill” to get directions to the One who can truly help them. If we hide our light under a bushel basket, that is, keep our light very dim or completely out of sight, then what good does that do? Putting our light under a bushel basket allows it to only shine under the basket. Jesus doesn’t want us to confine our light to the four walls of our home. He wants us to carry our light out into the world so that all with whom we come in contact may see it and may be influenced by our good works done in the name of Christ. It is all about glorifying the God of creation.
I don’t know of any other way to display our love for God other than by our words and by our good works. Have you ever heard a person say, “My religion is a personal, private matter” or words to that effect? The fact is that it is not about religion, but about our relationship with the Lord. Jesus never encouraged anyone who followed Him to keep it a secret. Oswald Chambers said, “…Jesus will have nothing in the nature of covert discipleship.” We are not to be secret agents for Christ, but rather to be bold ambassadors for the Master. How will people know the truth if we don’t make it known? How will folks see the Light, if we don’t let it shine?