A Lamp Under a Jar

What is this light that Jesus is talking about.  Yes, we understand that if we light a lamp we cannot hide it.  Its light will always shine and make the place bright.  And not just the one who has lit the lamp but all who come in its presence will enjoy the brightness of the light. He is explaining what right hearing of the word–what fruit bearing–looks like.

Similarly, Jesus is emphasising to his disciples that they have been with Jesus all the time and taken immense wisdom from him cannot just take it and keep it to themselves, but the light should emit to all who come in contact with them from their behaviour.  The fruits of the spirit, love joy, peace, humbleness, meekness should flow from the person and inspire them to follow you.

Jesus follows this up by warning His hearers to “take care” how they hear. If we have truly heard Jesus’ words i.e., lit a lamp, have his word hidden within, then it will be evidenced by the obedience of love (i.e., bearing fruit, giving light, becoming manifest). If there is no obedience/fruit/light manifest outside in the practical sphere of our daily lives, then there is no reason to believe that there is faith/received seed/lit lamp inside.  The frightening part is that Jesus says, in verse 18, that for the one who has not (which I take to mean, who does not have true faith), “even what he thinks he has will be taken away.”

Let us silence ourselves and look into our life to see if there is any wrong that we are doing which is not as per the teachings of Jesus and pray to Him to help us make amends to our lives so that we can be good example to others.