21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
Question 1
What kinds of things do you associate with light?
Question 2
If a person had good news to share, and decided to keep it a secret, what would you think of that person?
Yesterday, we finished by thinking about the fruit that came in the life of the person who believes in Jesus Christ. Jesus goes on here to say what some of the Christian’s responsibilities are and he changes the picture from seeds and crops to candles and light.
Jesus asks a question in order to make the disciples imagine a situation. The question is, ‘Do you light a candle, and then put it somewhere where you can’t see it?’ Or to give a more modern example, who would turn on a lamp and then hide it in the cupboard? The idea is silly! The whole point of a candle or lamp is that it is to give light to the people around it so they can see. In the same way the fruit that comes in the Christian’s life is not meant to be hidden, but to be seen by all. As a light in the midst of darkness, our light shows others how to live and leads them to God.
Jesus goes on to say, “With the measure you use.” The Christian life is one of generosity. Once we realise that we receive everything from God, then we will be eager to share with other people. In fact, Jesus says the more we share the light of the gospel with others, the more God’s blessing we will experience in our own life. This isn’t like a mathematical formula, and we don’t do these things just to get rewarded. But if we have received God’s grace and love in our lives, give Him credit, and show the same love for others, then God promises us further blessings.
Question 3
In what ways can we hide God’s light?
Question 4
Why is Jesus so eager for us to be generous to others?
Pray
that God will light up your life so that everyone around you can see that and realise that they need to come to Him for themselves
