You Are Light

Matthew 5:14-16

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

If you read last week's blog, The Hatred of the World, then you will remember that we as Christ followers should expect to be hated by culture today. The world hated Jesus, and we can expect to be hated as well. Jesus was talking to His disciples in John 15:18 when He said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.”

But that doesn’t mean we return the hatred toward us with hatred for the culture. Instead we have a greater responsibility. We are to be light to a world lost in darkness. In Matthew 5:14 the Bible says, “You are the light of the world.” We can conclude from this statement, that the world is a place of darkness. Darkness in scripture is a symbol of lostness. In John 3:19, the Bible says, “And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil.” This world, this culture, we live in hates Jesus, hates Jesus-followers and loves darkness.

And it is to this culture that we are to be light! We are to shed the light of hope, the light of the gospel, the light of truth and the light of Jesus with a world lost in darkness and evil. What do we do when the Christ-life and culture collide? What do we do when the world around us threatens us, opposes us, mocks us and attacks us? How do we respond? Matthew 5:14 - 16 tells us to remember something important - we are light! 

Our light is a reflection of the light of Jesus! When you read the Bible we find two interesting thoughts about light. One is found in John 8:12 where Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world”. The other is found in Matthew 5:14 where Jesus said to His followers, “You are the light of the world.” These statements lead us to an important question. Which one is right? Who is the light? Is Jesus the Light of the world? Or are Christ-followers the light of the world? The answer is “Yes.”  Yes, Jesus is the Light. He is the natural light, the original light, the true light. We, as Christ followers, are the reflected light. He shines in and through us.

Now before I go any further, let’s review the facts. 

This world is full of darkness and lostness. The culture around us is dark, lost and is getting ever more dark day by day. The world loves sin, rebellion, darkness and evil. 

Jesus is the light in the middle of darkness. Jesus is the light that exposes this world to its own sin and rebellion. Jesus is the light that gives hope, joy and truth. 

Christ-followers are to reflect the light of Jesus to this world and to this culture of darkness. 

And yet many Christ followers today, instead of reflecting the light of Jesus, hide Jesus. We run in fear when the world threatens us. We cower away in intimidation and anxiety. We lack the confidence and faith to stand up to a world that hates Jesus and hates us. In John 17 we find some of Jesus’ final words before the cross. And these words are in a prayer we know as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. In John 15:17 Jesus is praying for His disciples but He is also praying for us. “I do not ask You (Father) to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.”

Sometimes I find myself a bit overwhelmed with the collision that is happening with Christ-followers and culture today. And it makes me long for Jesus to return, and take us home to heaven. But then I remember what Jesus prayed. He didn’t ask the Father to take us out of the world; but instead, to be protected from the evil one. 

I believe that brings us to the mission and purpose Jesus gave us before He returned to the Father -  be light in a world of darkness, be hope in a world of lostness and be truth in a world of lies. We are not to compromise and fall into the trap of this culture; instead, we are to be light in the darkness. 

I realize that it can be demoralizing, confusing and difficult to face culture today. I realize that the enemies around us seem overwhelming. But I encourage you to be courageous today and shine the light of Jesus. 

This week take some time to read John 17 and notice the number of times Jesus references the world. Make some notes about what Jesus is teaching. 

Next week I hope you will come back to see what happens when we love this world.