Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

When you walk into a dark room, you automatically reach for the switch on the wall to turn on the lights. You expect the light to turn on and I suspect do not give it much thought. Young children often have a nightlight in their room to offer a sense of safety as well as to ward off the monsters hiding under the bed. Light is literally the absence of darkness.

When God created the world, it was dark and empty. He spoke “Let there be light” and light appeared. He then divided the dark from the light and created night and day. In Exodus we see how He used a pillar of fire and light to lead the Israelites out of the darkness of slavery in Egypt into the promised land. Comparing Jesus to light brings to mind the image of that pillar of fire… He leads us out of the darkness of sin into the light of life.

If you think about it, light has basically 5 functions: it dispels darkness and reveals what is hidden, it illuminates what is beautiful, it gives warmth, it causes growth and it literally sustains life. What an image of Jesus these 5 things portray!  He shines light on the sin in our lives- not to shame us but rather to reveal what entangles us, He displays the beauty of creation, He exudes warmth and love when we feel unloved, He causes us to grow, and He gives and sustains our life.

In Matthew 5:14 Jesus tells us “You are the world’s light—a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see.” Do you see these words of Jesus as an obligation, as a duty, as an honor, as a challenge,as something to weigh you down, or as an invitation? What does it mean to you to be a light unto the world?