Matthew 5:14-16
Jesus clearly sees Himself as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa. 9:2): “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). For followers of Jesus, this is not surprising. What is surprising (if not breathtaking) is that Jesus turns and applies Isaiah’s oracle to us. “You are the light of the world.” Really? The “you” Jesus uses is inclusive and plural. He means each of us, and, perhaps more significantly, all of us together. Jesus is not so much interested in finding a few exemplary individuals as in creating an entire exemplary community. That suggests our relationships as a community are how we become “the light of the world.” Jesus’ metaphors of salt and light are brilliantly chosen to help us to reflect on our purpose as human beings. Salt’s purpose is to bring out the unique flavors of what it seasons. So, light’s purpose is to illume its subject, and, as Jesus states, to point to its source. As with Jesus’ metaphor of salt, light only fulfills its purpose in relation to others. He points out, with no small irony and humor, that no one lights a light to cover it up. In His teaching, light provides people with the ability to see the world as it is intended to be. First, Jesus’ focus on our “good deeds” suggests that we are to model what being human is meant to look like, rather than to focus on other people’s deficiencies or faults. Being light as believers means owning our responsibility as exemplars, rather than merely becoming critics of other individuals or organizational and societal culture. Further, our light must be sufficiently bright to enable people to see their world in full color. In low light conditions, we cannot see full bright colors; the human visual system reverts to seeing shades of grey. In the same way, when we lack an appreciation for and the capacity to deal with complexity and nuance, in other words, when everything seems black and white, something has gone wrong. Of course, some things are black and white. But if everything looks black and white, we should suspect that we are suffering from a lack of adequate light. Finally, as Jesus reminds us, the light of our “good deeds” should point people back to a Source beyond ourselves. Our sun is the source of all daylight, and our good deeds should point to the source of all goodness, to God. As Canadian musician Steve Bell has wisely noted, “We become by grace what God is by nature.” Being light is not something we do alone. As Jesus taught, light is best seen in the work of a community of people. So, it is about us, as a community, offering our combined light to the world. We are to be “a town built on a hill.” In our own unique way, we each have the opportunity to help our church to be the “town” Jesus envisioned: a beacon of light to the world, demonstrating radical generosity, hospitality, and self-sacrifice to those around us. Then again, in our generation, Isaiah’s oracle will be fulfilled: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Comments are closed.
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