Today I read Isaiah 60, which starts like this:
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” (Isaiah 60|1-3)
I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus said:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5|14)
When Jesus said this, crowds were gathered on a hillside. Rumors had spread that He was the Messiah. So this was a captive audience.
And what He was doing here was taking everything they thought about what the Messiah was going to do… and He was including them in it. That’s what Jesus was doing with this sermon.
Everyone thought the Messiah would come and change the world. Jesus was inviting everyone to be a part of changing it with Him.
Jesus goes on, “Neither 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.”
Ok: common sense. What’s the point of having a light on if you cover it up? No one does this. None of these points are groundbreaking. So what is Jesus really getting at?
Here it is, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Jesus is saying to the crowd: You are the light of the world. Together, you are like a city of lights. So be a city of lights on a hill… so that everyone can see.
In Isaiah 60, Isaiah adds a few lines that I think must have influenced Jesus’ teachings, but also shed new light on the importance of this teaching:
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”
Isaiah makes it clear that we are to shine the light, but that the light comes from the glory of the Lord, and not our own works. Our responsibility as Christians is to reflect the light of the LORD.
- See, darkness covers the earth
There is an urgency to the need for “light.” Christians must bring the light of Christ to the darkness that “covers” the earth. While humanitarian work can ensure people are well-fed, and have access to clean water, health care, and education, it is only those who are filled with the light of Jesus that can bring hope to those who are in the darkness of sin.
- Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
When we shine the light of Christ in the darkness of someone’s life, others see what God can do, and are drawn to his light as well. When people see the way Christians love one another the way Jesus called us to… when they see kindness and patience and peace and unity of the body of believers… “nations” and “kings” will be drawn to Jesus.
Jesus didn’t say “you could be the light.” He said, “you are the light of the world.” We have no idea what lies on the other side of our willingness to be filled with and reflect the glory of the Lord. It’s beyond our wildest imagination to think of “kings” and “nations” being drawn to the Lord.
So let’s shine the light of Christ, and let’s shine together! Let’s become like a “city on a hill.” That’s what the Church was always meant to be.
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