[Jesus said,] 14 “You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden,15 and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house.16 Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.†Matthew 5:14-16 (CEV)
12 Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, “I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life.†John 8:12 (CEV)
Light is something that those of us who were born after the 1930’s pretty much take for granted. We haven’t had to do our homework by candlelight or stay off the roads at night because headlights were weak. We are used to flipping a light switch and a room is flooded with light. When storms cause temporary electrical outrages, we search drawers for flashlights and candle stubs.
While there were no such fancy “lights†in Jesus’ time, we all understand the importance of light. It is light that reveals what was once unclear and hidden in darkness. Jesus is light that brings me into a clear and true relationship with the Father. It is Jesus who has shown me how much the Father loves me and how He has always been a part of my life. When I walk with Jesus I am walking with Light that shows me the best path in this treacherous world.
And when the Light of Jesus is in me my life can be a beacon of light for others to come and receive their own true Light. My life, my witness can show others the power of Jesus’ Light in a life. The Light inside of me can certainly shine through my words that I share about Jesus in my life but it also shines through the way that I use my hands and feet in His service. One of the brightest “Jesus Lights†I have had in my life was a man named Chet. I never heard him speak great theological precepts but his life was a bright Light that blessed many young people and adults that came to know him around a campfire, in a boat, or while praising the LORD with music. It was all about praising his Father in heaven, not praising him.
Jesus’ words regarding light are as profound now in the 21st century as they were in the 1st century. It is also well understood as we need the wisdom of a life well-lived. The question that remains to trip us up is whether we will respond and actually live our lives after Jesus’ example and be a light that leads others to Life.
This Little Light of Mine written by Harry Dixon Loes (1920) and sung by The Lower Lights
