Light of the World

Here, every believer has a responsibility — a responsibility that arises from existence. That is, every believer must have a presence that can be a light. And that is a responsibility. Sometimes this begins as an effort to force ourselves to shine. But at some point — or ideally — being a light becomes an inherent existence. Light placed anywhere will dispel darkness. Wherever we are, we must function as light, just as we are salt. Salt influences; it is not influenced. Placed anywhere, as long as it retains its saltiness, it will still have an effect.

So, it is with our lives. The lives of God’s children should be light. If we do not function as light, then we must honestly admit that we are not yet worthy to be called God’s children. We need to lament and mourn with a crisis-awareness that we are not yet worthy to be called God’s children. Wherever God’s children are, they will be light.

Like the countless planets in the heavens, they do not have light of their own; the luminous bodies are the stars or the sun, whose age may reach billions of years. Many planets have no light of their own; they only reflect light. We see a planet because it reflects light that reaches our eyes. Likewise, someone who truly meets God and receives light from Him will reflect that light to others.

When the Lord speaks about light, the biblical writers do not spell out every detail. Scripture only provides the broad picture. Therefore, we must all pay close attention to grasp the message behind that statement. Light is identical with purpose, truth, and happiness. For the Jews, light (or phos) also conveys a sense of blessedness.

Note verse 14: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” The first thing Jesus says about light points to a city. This refers to Jerusalem, which is situated on a hill. In former times, when there were not as many cities as there are today, travelers heading for Jerusalem would not find the city unless they saw the lights shining there. The lights burning in the houses of its inhabitants showed where Jerusalem was. This is an analogy just as people could find the city of Jerusalem by the lights in its houses, so those of us who have light within our lives will point to the goal of life, which is the New Jerusalem.

Many people do not realize — perhaps we ourselves have not taken it seriously — that the terminus of life is death. Ironically, many do not seriously consider this final point. They do not view it with gravity. Indeed, they know that humans will surely die, and can die at any time, because death recognizes neither age, time, nor circumstance. Yet many are not alert to the fact that death is the terminus of life’s journey. So where will we go? The Lord cares deeply about this. Each of us will die, but to what destination?