By Canaan Chapman
Light is a powerful and emotional concept. Many of us have a devotional time in the mornings, and if we’re up early enough, we get to see the overwhelming beauty that is a sunrise. Most of us see a sunset every evening, and if we’re lucky, we can stop and stare.
One of my favorite metaphors in Scripture is when light is used to describe things. The third verse of Scripture tells about God’s beautiful and powerful creation of light itself—all with a single word. God made Moses’s face to shine from His glory. God led the Hebrews at night with the light from a pillar of fire. King David described Scripture as a “lamp” and “light,” and David sang and prayed that God’s Word illuminated his path, and the light was God Himself. Exploring some Biblical theology, we know that we have the specific revelation of Jesus to the world—who was and is the Word of God—and that in Him is life, the light of mankind. First John even goes past the symbolism and says “God is light.” Jesus calls us to let our light shine before others, so people can see—then give glory to God. When all is said and done after Jesus returns, believers will experience paradise where the light comes from the glory of God Himself!
One of the reasons I found this passage to be so powerful is the contrast in the idea of light between humanity and the gospel. There’s a wonderful interplay between the fragility of our humanity and the amazing light within. We carry our treasure in clay jars. Made from a relatively delicate substance, it’s not like a clay jar would be expected to never get a chip, scratch, or crack. Despite this, it can still hold light. This passage reminds us that the outer person is being destroyed, but the inner, “renewed day by day” (2Corinthians 4:16). Our weaknesses—the cracks in the earthly vessels—become a means through which the light of God can shine through. Our imperfections show God’s perfection. When the light from the inside leaks to the outside, it doesn’t just remind you of the illumination you’ve received—it dazzles a world stuck in darkness.
As we embrace our vulnerabilities, we become vessels through which the glorious light of the gospel flows. And this is the call of every believer: to live as a child of the light and show that in God, “there is no darkness at all” (1John 1:5).
We can all probably lament the fact that it seems the world is dark and getting darker. In the shadows, evil things lurk. It’s hard to see, vision is difficult, there’s stumbling and squinting, and the enemy thrives. This is why today’s passage hits close to home—none of us wants that. You’ve got it in you. Let’s let it shine!
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