Lights Are Expected To Shine

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand,

 and it gives light to all who are in the house.

  Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

 Matthew 5:14-16

Light, like salt, has many purposes. Jesus focuses on one here.  He tells us something we are to do with our light and something we are not to do.We are to shine our light and we are not to hide our light. As we concluded that the earth is saltless without the influence of believers, so too, the earth is dark without the influence of believers. 

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  As they sat on that hill on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus was preaching this sermon, they would have had such an awesome illustration of what He was talking about.  For the Galilee is surrounded by hills, and they built cities on those hills.  It’s a gorgeous sight at night as you can look across the sea and see dozen of cities all lit up by their shining lamps.  You can’t hide a city that is built on a hill.  Cities are built to be seen.  Consider Matthew 5:15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand.  Just as a city is built to be seen, a light is meant to be seen.  You don’t light a lamp and then put something over it to block out the light.  Because of the elements in the Israeli desert, the windows in the houses were often very small – so, even in the daytime, the light in the homes was minimal.   So, they would have a lamp lit all the time. Their lamps were not always very big.  The lamp would be set on a lampstand – a table, often in the middle of the room, that would give (as verse 15 tells us) light to all who are in the house.  It would be ridiculous to light the lamp and then put something over it.   So, just as light gives light to all who are in the house, verse 16 tells us that we are to let our light shine before men (not just in our own house) that they may see. 

Light influences darkness.  Darkness doesn’t influence or effect light – does it? And it shouldn’t influence light in the spiritual since.  In other words, if we are shining, darkness can’t put us out.  Light can eliminate darkness.  But, darkness can never and will never eliminate light.  Darkness really only makes us look brighter.  But, if we are hiding our light, darkness wins and we find ourselves even influenced by it, don’t we? Darkess can’t eliminate our light, but we can hide it.

This spiritual light reveals something very different than a physical light.  A physical light enables us to see the path before us, it helps us see if there are any dangers in the room.  A spiritual light does that, and it does this – it causes people to see our good works. 

1 Peter 2:9  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;    

What does 1 Peter teach us?  Jesus came to redeem us to be His own special people.  What did He redeem us to do?  The reason given in this verse is that we may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

We are able to shine when we live in His marvelous light.  All believers have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light. His calling upon us? – Shine, show forth His light.

Light is an important word to God.  Thus He uses it often in His Word.  Let’s use the comment section and post some of those verses.  Refrain from posting verses that refer to Jesus as the light.  We will discuss that tomorrow.

Shine on….