The Lamp - part 1

 The Lamp Part 1

The parable of the lamp is recorded in three Gospels, and twice in Luke. On the surface, it seems pretty simple. In Matthew, it’s part of the opening of the Sermon on the Mount, and it’s preceded by the statement, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” It’s followed by the command that we let our light shine before men so that they may see our good works and give glory to God.

So, when Jesus says that nobody lights a lamp and then hides it under a basket, or in a cellar, or under a bed, or in a jar but places it on a lampstand, the message seems clear.

But did you ever wonder why Jesus used that particular image? And what exactly is the lamp supposed to be?

Well, look at Proverbs 20:27. What on earth does that mean? Well, basically, Solomon is saying that a person’s conscience is actually God’s lamp that sheds light on the innermost parts of his life. So, God has placed a lamp inside each of us that sheds light in all our little dark places and reveals our secret motives.

And of course, Psalm 119:105 is a verse that gets quoted often. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Well, that muddies the water just a little bit, doesn’t it? So, is Jesus talking about our witness, our conscience, His Spirit, or His Word? How about - yes! The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to sharpen our conscience in examining our lives so that we live lives that won’t soil our witness.

But let’s take it a little farther. John 1:1 says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus said, in John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” Combine that thought with Psalm 119:105, you get the idea behind John 8:12, where Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”

So you can also read this parable as saying that if those of us who have claimed the name of Jesus as savior will lift Him up He will do the work of drawing people to Himself.

But in order to do that effectively, we can’t have ruined our witness by living in a way that would bring shame to His name. That’s why God’s light empowers our conscience to illuminate our lives so that we can examine ourselves and make sure that we’re living as we should.

The best part of that thought is that the lamp does none of the work of shining. Very much like you have probably never heard a tree strain to produce an apple, you've also probably never heard a candle strain to produce a flame.

Jesus didn't say that it was my job to draw people to Him. My job is to let Him shine. He will do all the work.

I really think there's something to that line of thought. People put a lamp on a lampstand and it gives light to all in the house. Therefore, let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. So, if we lift up Jesus, then whenever people see us acting the way Jesus would act in any given situation, they will recognize that there’s something different about us, and it makes us love people. And that love will draw people, because people are hungry for real, genuine love.

So, to steal a lyric from Kathy Troccoli, take your candle and go light your world.