14You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)
The prophet Isaiah wrote, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned” (Isa. 9:2). Jesus clearly sees Himself as the fulfillment of that prophecy: “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). That is not surprising, since we know Him to be God incarnate. What is surprising (and breathtaking) is that Jesus applies Isaiah’s oracle to us. “You are the light of the world.” Really? He doesn’t qualify His statement to just a few worthy individuals. In fact, the “you” Jesus uses is inclusive and plural. He means each of us, and perhaps more significantly, all of us together. Jesus seems not so much interested in finding a few model individuals as in creating an entire exemplary community. That suggests our relationships as a community is how we become “the light of the world.” Light’s purpose is to illume its subject, and, as Jesus suggests, to point to its subject. As with Jesus’ other metaphor of salt, light only fulfills its purpose in relationship to others. Jesus points out, with no small irony and humor, that no one lights a light to cover it up. What’s the point of that? No, light is there to illuminate its subject matter. In Jesus’ teaching, light provides people the ability to see the world as it is intended to be. To begin with, Jesus’ focus on our “good deeds” suggests that we ourselves are to model what being human is meant to look like, rather than focus on other people’s deficiencies or faults. Being light as Jesus’ disciples means owning our responsibility as ideal models, not becoming critics of other individuals or of our organizational and societal culture. Further, our light must be sufficiently bright to enable people to see their world in full color rather than just in black and white. In low light conditions, the human visual system reverts to seeing shades of grey. Without enough light, we cannot see the different colors in the world around us. In the same way, when everything seems black, white, or at best shades of grey; something has gone wrong. Of course, some things are intended to be black and white. But if most everything looks black and white, we should suspect that we are suffering from a lack of adequate light. And if we see only in black and white, we shouldn’t be surprised if the people we influence do as well. Finally, as Jesus reminds us, the light of our “good deeds” should point back to an external source, not to ourselves. In the same way that we know that the sun is source for all daylight, so our good deeds are traceable back to the source of all our goodness, to God. Our light and our goodness are always derivative, even though we are active participants in them. As Steve Bell, a Canadian musician, wisely noted, “We become by grace what God is by nature.” Being light is not something we do alone. As Jesus intimated, light is best seen in the work of a community of people. So, at its best, it is about bringing out the combined light that a community has to offer to the world. We are to be “a town built on a hill.” As a church, we are to be the “town” Jesus envisioned: a beacon of light to the world, demonstrating radical generosity, hospitality and self-sacrifice for those around us. Then, 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.” Lord Jesus, help us become by grace what You by nature: light to the world! Comments are closed.
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