James Nisbet Commentary - Matthew 5:14 - 5:14

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James Nisbet Commentary - Matthew 5:14 - 5:14


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THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIAN LIFE

‘Ye are the light of the world.… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’

Mat_5:14; Mat_5:16

These words contain, in an image at once as simple and as beautiful as Nature could supply, a description of Christianity, and of the manner in which it diffuses itself.

I. God uses human agency.—For the conversion of the world to Himself God uses human agency. When the Almighty was preparing this material world, He said, ‘Let there be light: and there was light.’ But when the Son of God came into the world He selected human agents. ‘Ye are the light of the world.’ This was spoken to men very slightly armed either with intellectual or political power. Hence not only the wise and the great, but all of whatever capabilities who come within range of His light, have, by that very fact, had given them the power and laid upon them the responsibility of shining for God. We may not look with apathy upon the evil which is in the world, as if we were not our brothers’ keepers, and had nothing to do but attend to ourselves. The world is lying in darkness before our eyes, and its conversion depends upon us, and upon such as we are. If ever effected, it must be effected by God’s Spirit indeed, but through man’s agency.

II. Human agents must first receive light.—Our Saviour applies to His disciples an image which, in strictness of speech, only belongs to Himself. He is the light—they only light bearers. The light which they have is His; all which they have they have received. The Light of the World then is waiting to shine in upon and enlighten every mind that begins to be conscious of its darkness, and to desire to be taught of God. Jesus Christ, the light and life, and gladness and joy of the world, is waiting at the heart of every one for the undoing of the bars of prejudice and unbelief; nay, by His Spirit is inviting to, and assisting in, the undoing of these bars, that He may come in with streams of heavenly light.

III. The character and influence of the man who has received light, and so become light.

(a) Light is composed of several distinct rays, the red, the blue, and the yellow, but which, various in themselves, blend into the pure colourless light which is around us. A Christian is not a man who does a right action, or a class of right actions, but who in reliance on Christ acts as He did, and aims at regulating his whole moral nature and blending its discordant elements into one simple desire to please Him.

(b) Further, light cannot fail to be seen. This is its peculiar office. Real Christians, therefore, men and women, who indeed have the light of Christ within them, should be known and seen as lights shining in a dark place; they should be as clear as the stars in the heaven, or the lamps along the road on a dark night; for they are light, and all beside are darkness. And thus it was in earlier days: but in our days and in our land, the surrounding darkness is not so great, and the lights, I fear, not so brilliant. Yet the world is dark around us, and if we are Christ’s we must shine, be seen, and have influence.

(c) Light goes off from the source of light on all sides and in all directions. So from a Christian, light should go forth in all directions and at all times, naturally, not by impulsive emissions, but by regular irradiation.

(d) Light beautifies and gladdens all it falls on. And so wherever the light of Christ’s Gospel shines into the heart of man, and the Holy Spirit makes it to sink in and abide there; whatever that man may have been in character, and whatever he may be in position, it draws out and manifests such beauty of character and gladness of heart, that men cannot fail to see his good works, and glorify his Father which is in heaven.

Canon Francis Morse.

Illustration

‘It is related that the watchman of the Calais lighthouse was boasting of the brilliancy of his lantern, which can be seen many miles at sea, when a visitor said to him, “What if one of your lights should chance to go out?” “Never,” he replied. “Impossible!” with a sort of consternation at the bare idea. “Sir,” continued he, “yonder, where nothing can be seen by us, there are ships going to every port of the world; if to-night one of my burners were out, within a year would come a letter perhaps from India, perhaps from some place I never heard of, saying, ‘At such a night, at such an hour, your light burned dim; the watchman neglected his post, and vessels were in danger.’ Ah, sir, sometimes in the dark nights in stormy weather, I look out to sea, and feel as if the eye of the whole world were looking at my light. Go out—burn dim—no, never!” The eye of the whole world is indeed upon many of you. God give you grace “to keep your light so shining before men” that they may be guided by it through the manifold dangers of this world into the haven of eternal rest.’



THE CITY ON THE HILL

‘A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.’

Mat_5:14

How strange and exaggerated such language must have sounded to that rude and rough company which first heard it. Some turned away. Yet it all came true. Those disciples who sat on the Mount did go forth, did mould and shape and change the whole face of the world. Consider text as a description of Christianity.

I. The dominant idea contained in the metaphor. The city upon the hill is thrust upon the notice of all. What does this teach us of the Church of Christ? Religion proclaims the name of God and the action of God whether men will bear or forbear. The witness is maintained in two ways—

(a) By creeds. It is the fashion to depreciate creeds, but it is questionable whether without them Christianity would not long have faded from the earth.

(b) By forms of outward worship. It is true that all worship is worthless which is not the offering of the heart, but truth embodied in outward institutions lives. The habit of private devotion itself has been kept alive by that public witness week by week. Get rid of Sunday, and the very idea of worship would fade out of the national mind.

Christ’s Church was thus to be a mountain in the midst of a plain; a city planted on a hill.

II. The full meaning of that article of the Creed, ‘I believe in the Holy Catholic Church,’ should be dear to us. Get rid of Divine origin of the Church, and the mention of it has no place in Creed. Its beginning must be ascribed to a Power not of this earth before it can present itself as an object of faith. ‘A city set on an hill.’ Yes, the city is there with its baptismal gate and its sacramental table. What is the hill? Faith answers, ‘That hill is the accumulation of Divine providences and eternal decrees.’ Ever existing in the Divine mind, it broke upon the world in goodly proportions when the Risen Lord commissioned His disciples, “Go ye.” The Church is the creation of Jesus Christ Himself.

Bishop Woodford.

Illustration

‘A city set on a hill “cannot be hid.” It cannot. That is the worst of it. We, who belong to the holy city, would willingly escape from out of the light, if we could. We know our weakness. We feel our shame. Bitterly, bitterly, we weep over our unworthiness. We do not deceive ourselves. We know too well how helpless and hopeless we must look to those who judge Jesus Christ by us. We would not put ourselves forward. If only we could be hidden! But, alas! that is just the difficulty. The city that Christ built is set on a hill. And we are of it. Before the eyes of men we must pass as types of what Christianity means. We cannot escape. There is no veil that can be thrown over us. There is no merciful disguise by which we may slip through unobserved. No; we are named Christ’s. We bear His badges. We stand for Him. We count as His. We are in the light and cannot help ourselves.’