KJV Matthew 5: 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.
Luther used the sun and the moon to compare the Gospel with
the Law, since the energy of the sun is needed for the moon to illuminate the
night sky. In the same way, the light of Christ is in those who believe in Him
and absent in those who do not. Even the smallest light can be seen in complete
darkness. In fact, utter darkness makes light especially important for
believers and unbelievers alike.
President Ronald Reagan’s farewell speech included this
Biblical reference, a great contrast when compared to the deliberate darkness
of dystopia today:
In
my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept,
God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace;
a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there
had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone
with the will and the heart to get here.[1]
No one can hide a city built up high on a hill or
mountain. The light of that city penetrates the darkness and draws people to
it. In contrast, darkness makes people afraid, and they stumble from the
smallest obstacle. When my brother lost his shoe in a sheep pen at night, we
were playing with the farmer’s children. No one knew how to find it in the muck
– until the farmer brought out his flashlight, laughing. The farmer did not
hide the light but shone it until the shoe was found and extracted with the
expected jokes.
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven.”
The secondary light
from the Light of the World shines in us as we practice the forgiveness which
bears fruit in love. Most importantly, that begins with our own households,
where faith, forgiveness, and grace dissolve the darkness of our natural selves
and selfishness. The early Christian martyrs witnessed to their faith by dying
instead of silencing themselves and hiding the truth. They were honored to
model the Savior in their deaths - and in doing so - to spread the Gospel. John
Hus’ death as a martyr paved the way for Luther, who stated, “We are all
Hussites,” and the Reformation which changed Europe and the world.
[1] https://ourlostfounding.com/ronald-reagan-and-the-shining-city-upon-a-hill/#:~:text=He%20said%2C%20%E2%80%9CFor%20we%20must,%2Dword%20through%20the%20world.%E2%80%9D.
See also John Winthrop Dreams of a City on a Hill, 1630.
