Matthew 5:14–16 (ESV)- 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

The King of Light rules over a Kingdom of Light, and the Kingdom of Light is composed of a people of Light. Light symbolizes purity, holiness, and truth in the Bible. Jesus wants the people of His Kingdom to understand that the reason they have a light to shine is because the King has placed His light in their heart through the Holy Spirit. We are not naturally full of truth, purity and holiness… But now, through faith we are in union with King Jesus and His truth, purity, and holiness transforms our heart more and more each day.

2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV)- “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”

Earlier in this passage the Apostle Paul reminds the Corithians that Moses was glowing with the glory of God as he came down from Mount Sinai, but his face was veiled. This symbolizes the nature of the Old Covenant, that though it contained God’s glory it kept the fullness of God’s light hidden behind a veil. Paul goes on to explain that the light which was hidden in the Old Covenant is now fully unveiled in the New Covenant through the Person of Jesus Christ.

Moses played the role of a mediator between God and the people in the Old Covenant, and the glory of God upon his face was hidden. In the same way Jesus plays the role of the ultimate mediator between us and the Father through a New Covenant with no veil to restrain the dispensation of God’s light and glory into our hearts! In the Bible, the face represents a person’s presence. By understanding this we can see that the unveiled face of Jesus Christ indicates that God’s Presence is poured out upon us abundantly through Jesus’ in order to reveal His knowledge and glory to us on a personal level.

Numbers 6:25–26 (ESV): 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

In order to become the people of Light that God has called us to be we need to understand that His provision of Light is given to us freely in Jesus Christ. Through Jesus we are given a new status of “redeemed” and the light of God’s face shines upon us with unmerited favor, joy, and peace. This comes to us as a free gift that can only be experienced by faith in the blood of Christ. Once we understand that we have now been given an unending provision of God’s favor and light through Jesus we can then participate in the process of dispensing His light to others through good deeds.

Colossians 1:12–14 (ESV): 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

When Jesus said “you are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14), He understood that this spiritual reality would be manifested in His chosen people for ages to come. We are the light of the world because of what Jesus did for us by dying for our sins on the cross. Through the forgiveness of sins we are now ushered into the Kingdom of light. Through our new citizenship we are able to be vessels of God’s purity, truth, holiness, and love in a dark and dying world. None of us can manufacture light in and of ourselves, but through faith in the Son of God, His light fills our heart to carry His name into all the world through the mighty deeds of His Spirit in us!

Prayer for today: Father, renew my mind with the light of Your Word in this season of my life. Expel every deed of darkness from me. Fill me with ever increasing light to do Your will with power and strength. Thank you for the light of Your face that shines upon me through Your Son Jesus Christ. Help me to walk in the light as You are in the light so that we can have fellowship with one another. Cleanse me of all my sins and lead me in Your way of victory! In Jesus’ name, amen.