The Light of the World

Jesus said “I am the light of the world…” as recorded in John 8. He also told His disciples “You are the light of the world” as recorded in Matthew 5.

Was it possible that He saw His disciples the same as He saw Himself? My guess is yes, He did. The question then is, can He say the same about today’s believers — and can today’s believers rightfully claim “I am the light of the world” as our true identity?

There’s a stark contrast between Jesus’ disciples and today’s believers. Believers love to self identify with passages like this, claiming that they are the light of the world. In reality, today’s believers bear almost no resemblance to the all-in, do or die, absolute commitment to following Jesus like His disciples did. They were the light of the world because their identity was so closely intertwined with who Jesus was. Even in their moments of misunderstanding, unbelief, and pettiness, they were identifiable as the ones that were doing the work of the kingdom.

What are today’s believers & churches doing? I see churches doing the work of the church… Business is business, and it has to be run as such, right? The programmed system of songs and speeches is what it is. What it isn’t, though, is the light of the world. This has to mean one thing. The Church has left the building and the church system. There are people out there who are actively being the light of the world. I believe that everyone else is going to be caught off guard by who God chooses to move through and who He doesn’t. He chooses people, not systems. Systems don’t have need for Him, they rely on people to lead them. He wants a people that rely on Him, so that He can rely on them to be His image — the light of the world. There are many who are wholly committed to the church system that will reject His church. It happened before. I believe that It’s happening again right now.