Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.(Matthew 5:1-2)
Jesus teaches at Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
At night, it helps to have a torch, a lamp, or a flashlight to see where one is going else one will end up lost and in life-threatening situations that lurk in dark places. True?
The world has no direction. It has no light-bearing standard that all can follow which leads them to a place of safety and prolonged life. The world is a dark place. The world amounts to a populace where the blind lead the blind. What the world thinks is light is really darkness. (Matthew 6:23, Matthew 15:14, Luke 11:35, and Jeremiah 10:23)
Christ’s disciples carry a light-bearing teaching that must not be hidden away from those in this dark world. When we teach others as Christ taught and teaches us, they become attracted to that teaching like moths to a flame. It becomes a beacon showing them the way to the Father, the granter of everlasting life.
We want others to see our good works as they are a reflection of and a manifestation of the teachings of our Master operating in us; and, others might want those teachings which ultimately bring glory to the Father in heaven in giving the world the gift in His son. There is no need to advertise our good works, that would be improper. Christ’s true followers never let the left hand know what the right hand is doing. We do not seek praise, award, or reward from others. We see praise from God. Others will our good works and know that they emanate from a pure heart and we are genuine, not attention-seekers, or pretentious.
Jesus’ teachings are the truth. They are not our own. We inherit them and share them with others. Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life. And, if we accurately and skillfully transmit his teachings to others, then they will see Jesus as the way – the light – in this dark world that leads them to the Father.
