Bible Memory Verse – Matthew 5:16 Context (3/24/2019)
Matthew 5:16
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
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At one point in Jesus’ ministry large crowds were gathering around Him and His disciples. So, He took His disciples up on a mountain side, sat down, and began to teach them what we now call The Sermon on the Mount.
Imagine being there as one of Jesus’ disciples. You’re sitting there with 12 of your closest friends, one of whom is the Son of God! You look out and you see crowds of people down below just waiting for Jesus to teach them, or even heal them. But Jesus doesn’t address them. He speaks to you and your small group He calls His disciples.
He looks to you and says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In 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).
When Jesus talked about you being the light of the world, your mind went back to when you were a child memorizing the Hebrew Scriptures. You remember learning about those first days in Genesis when Yahweh God created the light that separated the darkness and said it was good. However, you don’t quite understand the fullness of what Jesus is saying.
Fast forward about 2000 years and we now know what it means to let our light shine before others. It goes back to the idea that we were made in the image of Yahweh God. In other words, we are His earthly representatives. It is His light in us that shines through us. Why? So that others would come to know God and let their light shine.
A friend of mine, Nolan Livengood, just preached on this topic last Sunday at Mellinger Mennonite Church. He’s their associate pastor. You might know him or have heard of him already because he is one of the guys on The LS Collective Podcast. He wrote a few paragraphs on how the theme of light is traced throughout the overall story of the Bible. He said:
“We were made to bear the Light of God to the world, to fill the earth with His glory and light. But we chose to try to be our own gods, our own light, and by so doing we invited darkness in. God sought to lead us out of the darkness, choosing one group to bless [and be a light to] all the other nations … In the fullness of time, in that people group, God placed His perfect representation, the exact radiant image of His being to show us what it really meant to be a human in relation with its creator.
Darkness was exposed and fled before this light. Darkness did it’s best to overcome the light, seeming to extinguish it, but The Light prevailed! The Light of the World invited those who had been in darkness to come into the light and be transformed, and to be bearers of the light in the world of darkness.
Darkness now wages a losing war as the light shines brighter and brighter. The original task for creation was renewed. It’s no longer ‘be fruitful and multiply’, but rather rise and shine as stars in the darkness. The light sent into the darkness has transformed those lost in darkness to be bearers of the light. The one who said “I am the Light of the World” says “You are the Light of the World”. God’s darkened image bearers are being illuminated as they come to the light. And [at the same time] they are becoming the light” (Nolan Livengood, Associate Pastor at Mellinger Mennonite Church, my additions).
This is the context of our verse today. It’s not that we’re to do good deeds merely out of obedience. We’re to do them because of the love we have for Jesus, and when we do things out of that love, others will see it and glorify Him. Also, this isn’t a suggestion from Jesus. Letting our light shine is a command. This only makes sense when we obey His command out of our love for Him. And ultimately, it’s about showing others the light of Jesus so that they would come to Him and have His light inside of themselves.
People are living in darkness. They need to know that the Light of life has come for them.