14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill
cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on
a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven. (Matt
5:14-16)
The
Collect
Ember
Days
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O
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ALMIGHTY God,
who hast committed to the hands of men the ministry of reconciliation; We
humbly beseech thee, by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, to put it into the
hearts of many to offer themselves for this ministry; that thereby mankind may
be drawn to thy blessed kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost
(Whitsunday)
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O
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GOD, who as at this time didst
teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by sending to them the light of thy
Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all
things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of
Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of
the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
If some
are not anxious to learn the scientific properties of the objects of Christ's
Parables, I apologize for the license I have taken in pointing them out. The
reason I do so is for the purpose of revealing with what precision the Lord
uses the physical to represent the spiritual, and He does so with a scientific
precision for He is also the Author of true Science. Not all parables lend
themselves to such a scientific analysis, but those two parables dealing with
Salt and Light certainly do lend themselves to that end.
Bishop
Phillips Brooks of Massachusetts, in Candle of the Lord, points
out this illustration: "A man was sent up a dangerous mountain by night
to light a beacon. His friends, anxiously watching, could not see him as he
went, but they could see the light of the lantern that he carried – Men should
see not us, but the Light of Christ in our good deeds."
In
reality, we cannot actually see light with our physical eyes – we can only see
those effects of light in revealing objects to our eyes. Neither can we see
God, but we know of His reality from the works of His Hands and the Words of
Holy Writ.
When we
read the first part of verse 14 (Ye are the
light of the world.), we may surmise that a contradiction exists
between this statement and another that Jesus makes at John 8:12 - I am the light of the world. There is, however, a greater continuity of
truth than we might have imagined! If Christ lives in the heart of the
Christian, and if Christ is the Light of the World, then we have our lights of
Christ in our hearts to brighten the path of our steps and of others. It is a
singularly important principle that Christ is the ONLY Light of the World. If
so, how is it that we, too, are the lights of the World? Our light, like that
of the Moon, is a reflected light; not a self-generating Light as is that of
Christ, or of the Sun (Son). If a material object, or lust for filthy lucre,
comes between us and the Light-Source (as in a lunar eclipse), our hearts and
souls are darkened by the deprivation of that Life-giving Light of Christ.
Light
travels via electromagnetic radiation (or so science opines). It travels at a
constant speed always of 186, 282 miles per hour. The speed of light is the
only absolute known to science. Christ, too, is absolute and unchanging. Light
exposes evil as does Christ. Light points to the right way, as does Christ.
Though science can fairly describe the behavior of light, it cannot define
light or its complete nature.
Light
is not capricious in its behavior, but is constant in speed and direction. Each
of its radiating beams travels in a straight line. Should we not also mimic
that honest behavior of light in the manner in which we live and deal with
others?
Though
we are lesser lights and reflect only that Light of Christ, we are nonetheless
lights in the same way the Moon is a light at night by reflecting the light of
the Sun. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the
day, and the lesser light to rule the night (Gen 1:16)
The
colors of the rainbow are representative of the Creator who made that rainbow.
There are seven colors in the rainbow. The Creation Week consisted of seven
days, as well. There are likewise seven colors in a beam of the sun's light.
When all seven colors are combined together, what color do we have? The answer
is White! Black is not color at all and has no force – it is simply the abject
absence of light.
We must
take on the characteristics of light if we are to be like our Light-Source
(Jesus Christ). The diffusion of light in the atmosphere is a result of the
reflection of the rays of the sun from the particles in the air, from the
clouds, from the earth and all that is on it. Otherwise we could only see the
sun, and in all other directions would be darkness. But by the dispersion of
light (by those who reflect it) every particle becomes a miniature Sun, and the
world is full of light, even to those who do not live in the direct rays of the
Sun.
On our
visit to Port au Prince (Port of the Prince) there was a great lighthouse in
the central harbor; but the harbor is quite long and meandering. Ships at sea,
encountering the tempests and billows of the storm, look with longing eyes for
the bright beam of the Light House scanning the waves. Once this is spotted,
they have hope of safe harbor, but all is not assured yet. They must approach
the harbor and find secure anchor. How to navigate between the shoals and rocks
of the harbor once they have been drawn near by the great Light of the
Lighthouse? Along the harbor edge at Port au Prince are small lights to guide
the great ships to safe anchorage. God calls His out to the lost, and He allows
us the privilege to become the Lower Lights guiding the ship the final way into
the harbor. We must keep "our Lower Lights Burning!"
The
powers of darkness have no power whatsoever to resist the Light of God. A small
candle will disperse an entire room full of darkness. Darkness flees helplessly
before the light and wherever the Light is carried. Darkness is simply the
absence of Light. It truly has no force. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Once,
while driving across the barren deserts of Iran from Esfahan to Teheran, I
spotted a city on a rise at night with its lights gleaming. The air is quite
pristine in the high desert air. I judge the city to be some 10-15 miles ahead.
Two hours later, driving at 70 mph, the city still appeared less than 20 miles
away. It could not be hidden by great distance because it was a city on a hill –
and its lights were burning. How near to you must a person be to know that your
lights are burning for Christ?
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on
a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Lights are not made to be hidden and, frankly, we cannot
hide our light if we have it. Lights are to be elevated for maximum effect and
benefit. Jesus is the true Light of the World who was lifted up on the Cross as
upon a Candlestick to bring Light to all who would receive Him. It is never OUR
light that we elevate, but the Light of Christ for all to see. It might
disappoint us to know, despite the brilliance and Christian love it includes,
that the Pilgrim in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress was never a
light to anyone else and only confined his effort to his own salvation. This
fact does not detract from the witness of Bunyan, but typifies the walk of too
many go-to-church-only Christians. Rather than constantly planning our own
escape from the distractions of the false lights of the Forbidden City, perhaps
we should be more like Christ in designing escapes and means of salvation for
others. That, essentially, was Bunyan's greater point that is often missed. The
purpose of saving a single soul (Christian) was to make more and more lights to
be burning for the saving of others. Only a saved soul can lead others to safe
harbor by their light.
Another point to consider here is that the light we are given does not only
benefit us, but all within range of the glowing beam:
"Are
you not afraid to live here (at the Light House)? It is a dreadful place to be
constantly abiding," said a visitor to a light-house keeper in his lonely
tower.
"No," replied the keeper; "I am not afraid. We never think of
ourselves here."
"Never think of yourselves! How is that?"
"We know that we are perfectly safe on this rock, and only think of having
our lamps burning brightly, and keeping the reflectors clear, so that those in
danger may be saved." – H.L. Hasting
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. The whole purpose of our Christian walk
is to glorify God and serve Him only; however, in serving Him, we must serve
those of His Palace. We love Him, and we are therefore compelled to love all of
His. Knowing that we are sons and daughters (Princes & Princesses) of the
greater King of Kings should weigh heavy upon our hearts in the manner in which
we live, serve and light the path of others. In what way have you been a light
to others today, or the light of the world reflected?
