One thing I like about Jesus’ style of teaching is that He uses lots of metaphors and illustrations. While in some ways it would be nice if He simply came out and said what He wanted to communicate, by wrapping the teaching in some type of relatable illustration.
Within Jesus’ teaching, one of the more humoring illustrations is found in our passage for this journal entry. Jesus starts this passage by saying, “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.” (v. 16)
While most of us don’t light lamps anymore, we could adapt this illustration to say “No one installs lights under their carpet or floorboards. They install lights on ceilings and in places where they will be seen, so that everyone who enters a room will be able to benefit.”
Jesus goes on to talk about how all secrets will come to light, but instead of following Jesus’ illustration to the next verse, let’s stay on this verse to draw our attention to a powerful metaphor.
For many of us, when we look at our lives leading up to this point, we can see how God has moved and directed certain events to help lead us to where we are today. In many cases, God has brought us out of a life of sin, bitterness, depression, or any number of other “dark” places.
Now, imagine that God has just picked you up, healed you, dusted you off, and brought you out of the dark spot in your life. If God has just brightened your life up, why would He then “hide” you away? If God has freed you from your past and given you joy, would He keep your freedom a secret? Not likely. That would be like installing a light under your carpet.
Instead, when God frees us from our past, and He gives us His light, He will often give us opportunities to share that light with others. It might not be from a stage, podium, or pulpit, but it may simply be opening up connections and conversations with people we might not have known before.
When God lights up our lives, He places us in situations where His light will be seen!
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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