Shining Bright: How to Be a Beacon of Hope in a Dark World

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

Jesus was speaking to a group of people that included both lowly peasants and Pharisees. Charles Spurgeon notes, “The title ‘Light of the world’ had been given by Jews to certain of their eminent Rabbis. With great pomposity, they spoke of Rabbi Judah or Rabbi Jochman as the lamps of the universe, the lights of the world. It must have sounded strangely in the ears of the Scribes and Pharisees to hear that same title, in all soberness, applied to a few bronzed-faced and calloused-handed peasants and fishermen who had become disciples of Jesus.”

A light cannot be hidden in darkness. It either shines or it is snuffed out. A candle that is covered up will go out because it needs oxygen to continue burning. If all believers are lights to a dark world, then in some way, we are showing the world how to live. The question is, “Are we showing them an example of Christ or something else?”

The purpose of being a light to the world is to offer hope to a world walking around in spiritual darkness. It is to point them to Christ, who is their only hope. We allow our light to shine before others by allowing them to see our “good works.” That really means that we are to be seen living out the Kingdom values Christ teaches in this passage. If we step back and look at the passage called The Sermon on the Mount, we will see precisely the kind of life Jesus calls His disciples to live.

How to Be the Light of the World

1. Be meek and merciful. Don’t retaliate evil with evil; forgive when someone does you wrong. Seek reconciliation. Jesus is the ultimate example of this. As He is dying on the cross, he cries out to His Father to forgive the very ones who put Him there.
2. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Elsewhere, Jesus tells us to love our brothers (fellow believers), and this is an important part of pointing the world to Christ. But in this particular teaching, Jesus points out that even worldly people love those who treat them well. Loving your enemies makes you like God, who loves even those who hate Him.
3. Do not desire (lust after) the things of the world; instead, pursue the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. This includes material things but also things like power and status. Jesus emphasizes that the Pharisees, who do their good works to be seen and praised by men, will have a reward that fades quickly. Just like material possessions will rot, the affirmation of men is fleeting. When you put everything into knowing God and making Him known, you will have what little you need and look forward to a reward that will never fade but will last for eternity.
4. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Human nature is to treat others as they treat us. But Jesus tells us to think ahead. Take the initiative to do for someone else what you would like someone to do for you. Even if someone else mistreats us, we are called to treat them with kindness and compassion. Proverbs 15:1 tells us that “a soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Sometimes, I see humanity in this endless cycle of senseless war and long to see it end. Of course, sometimes it has more to do with wanting power, but sometimes it has to do with retaliation. They hurt me, so I need to break them. This kind of retaliation is a never-ending cycle unless someone chooses to break the cycle by not retaliating.

This is obviously not an exhaustive list, but a good place to start when considering whether we are showing the world the way of Jesus. Living the way of the world, whether pursuing material possessions or seeking revenge on someone who wronged you, always leaves you feeling empty. Sure, there may be moments of pleasure and excitement in worldly success, but it is always fleeting and will keep you seeking more.