Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.2”(ESV)
The human eye can detect a single candle flame at night from up to two miles away. Under perfect darkness and the right atmospheric conditions, that number extends to thirty miles. A remarkable feature of our creation.
In the previous verse, Jesus talked about the quiet preservation work of salt and now shifts to the open, visible work of light. Salt has an indirect influence, like the gospel working on the heart. Light is far more direct — it exposes what is in the dark, illuminates paths to safety, and guides a life. It is no accident that the same word for light used here is the same one John uses in 1 John 1:5: “God is light.”
You are light is Jesus’ emphatic declaration to every believer. You cannot become more light, but you can shine from the ultimate source that lives within you.
I added off-road lights to a vehicle once that put out nearly 20,000 lumens. That might not mean much to you, but a normal halogen bulb produces around 1,000 lumens and a modern LED around 4,000. When we turned those lights on driving down a country road at night, the effect was astounding.
I use those lights whenever I can now to help guide the way. Our lights work the same way — they are worthless if they are not used. In a world full of false lights, where darkness is promoted in extravagant ways, we are called to be the light. And that light should point to the good works being accomplished through us for the Father.
“Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine.” One of my favorite illustrations from DL Moody.
Are your lights turned on?
Where can you shed the light of the gospel today?
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