Matthew - Light of the World

In today's study from Matthew 5:14-16, we see that Jesus said that his people are the light of the world.

Light of the World

vv.14-16 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. Jesus now tells the Jews that they are the light of the world.

God said in Genesis 1:3-5 Let there be light: and there was light.  4  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.  5  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. From these verses we see that after God created the heavens and the earth, the next thing that he created was light. What I find interesting about this is that this light is not the sun, moon or stars as that it they were not created until the fourth day. See, it says in Genesis 1:14-19 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Clearly, there is a difference between the light created in v.3 and the lights that were created in vv.14-19. The Psalmist declares, The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun (Psalm 74:16). Isaiah speaks of this initial light in 45:7 when he said I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. This light that God created in v.3 appears to be a form of energy that is visible only to the human eye.

Upon further study, we are told that this light actually comes out of darkness. 2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Okay, it is time to put your thinking caps on. With this first light, we would not be able to see the light from sun, moon, and stars. No, I cannot explain that.

Application to Jesus

However, I do know that just as there would be no life apart from that initial light, Jesus compared himself to that same light when he said in light John 8:12 "I am the light of the world," He is that light that brings life!

Joh 3:19-21 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  20  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  21  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. 1 John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Greatest Testimony

So, in the end, we need light to live physically and to live spiritually. As a matter of fact, the existence of light is one of the greatest testimonies for the existence of God because no one can explain where the “light” came from to this day. Trust me the evolutionists don’t have a clue. As a matter of fact, part of God’s punishment for them that reject Him is to remove them from this light. Matthew 8:12  But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.