It seems ridiculous and common sense, doesn’t it?

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.  

Of course a person lights a lamp or turns it on because they need light. It wouldn’t make sense to use a light and then cover it and hide it.

Although not necessarily.

Jesus is saying people have a light within and it is meant to shine. So why would anyone hide it?

Fear.

Think of all of us who are silent when we should say something. Or dismissive when we should engage Or quiet because we are afraid of the price we might have to pay – loss of respect of others, loss of job, a lawsuit, jail or worse.

We are light. But as times grow darker and the cost of shining light has an increase price, it’s more tempting to hide our lights. Jesus is saying here that light was made for the darkness. It’s for this very reason you have come.

But then there’s this.

Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness.

They eyes are the gateway of the soul. What is within comes out of our eyes. And also what we see affects what is within.

When we see through right lenses, our body is full of light. When we don’t, our lives can be filled with darkness.

It makes me think of someone I knew from high school. She disappeared for awhile without saying way. I had guessed that she just didn’t want to be friends as I didn’t see her for months at a time. Ok.

Several months later I saw her again and we talked. But not much. I assumed she didn’t want to be friends and had just kept her distance. I didn’t know she had left schools. She didn’t say anything.

She was devastated that I didn’t openly embrace her and welcome her back. I never knew she left.

It seems like a small, petty, high school misunderstanding. But that wasn’t the case.

I didn’t know until 20 years later that she had changed schools, left and was devastated by my response. The result was that when she had children, she raised them to trust nobody in their youth.

I apologized to her when I learned of the issue but it wasn’t received.

It got worse. When it was time for a class reunion the organizers just took the yearbook and wrote to everyone on the senior page thinking that was everyone. She had again left our senior year and was devastated when she didn’t get an invite. Once again this affirmed that people couldn’t be trusted. Nothing could convince her otherwise.

How we see and understand and perceive life can fill our hearts with light or darkness. And oddly enough, it is oftentimes the things we deem “small” that have the greatest impact on our lives. Even like “small” issues that warrant the need for forgiveness.

See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.  Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Be full of light. Full. Let no darkness reside in you. Let no part of it be dark. That way you will radiate light.

I’ve met people like that. They are just full of joy and have no guile.

I’m not there yet. In fact, I’m quite a long way from there. I’m a work in progress.

And that’s the thing. We are all works in progress, working to create more light internally. Not for our own sake but for the purpose of being people who are bright lights in the darkness.

Why did Jesus say this?

Remember the crowds.