You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matthew 5:14 NIV
Beloved, my earnest prayer as we come to this verse is that you will not make a grave mistake of living in the ignorance of your true identity; that you will not lose sight and the reality of who God says you are. Above all else, I hope that you will realize that “You are not the same as those who don’t believe.” (2 Corinthians 6:14a ERV). Earlier, we saw that God says you are the salt of the earth. And now we find the believer’s new identity – the light of the world.
Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16 MSG
So, as you maintain your saltiness, you bring out God-flavours to the world around you. Additionally, you are called to illuminate the world with the vibrant colour of God’s presence. Remember, you are the light of the world! You are here to shine in the darkness of this world, to bring people out of darkness into the light of God. Likewise, you are the light that should produce every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth (Ephesians 5:9).
Meanwhile, the Amplified version emphasizes an important keyword that I would like us to consider. “You are the light of [Christ to] the world…”(v14a AMP). It is important to note the kind of ‘light’ that God says you are. You are the light of Christ. And if you were to remove Christ as the source of your ‘light’, then you are no light at all.
Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). Therefore, his disciple, you are – like a mirror – mean to reflect Him to the world. And when people come into your light, you are to show them the true source of light, which is Christ Jesus.
