*Ye* are the light of the world a city situated on the top of a mountain cannot be hid.
I have enough from three rich sources. Writing the answer.
The Lord's words in Matthew 5:14 — "Ye are the light of the world: a city set on a hill cannot be hid" — mark a step beyond what has just been said. The disciples have already been named the salt of the earth; now they are named something more outward and more public.
William Kelly draws the distinction carefully:
William Kelly"Here the character of the position for the disciples goes beyond 'the salt of the earth.' For this was expressive of righteousness; a righteousness not outward like that of the scribes and Pharisees (which sought reputation of man, and was little beyond the pride of a Stoic), but lowly and real as in God's sight. Whereas 'the light of the world' is the shining forth of grace, and inseparable from the confession of Christ in that respect. Salt preserves, but does not make everything manifest as the light does."
So the figure changes from a hidden preservative to an open testimony. The salt keeps corruption at bay; the light brings things into view. The one is a quiet work of holiness, the other an unmistakable declaration.
Kelly notices that the Lord does not repeat the word "earth" here, but enlarges the scene:
"'The world' had no such special dealing of God as 'the earth.' There moral darkness had reigned, which the light was to dispel as far as He gave it scope and power. Redemption, Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension, would give the light a penetrating energy unknown before. For such was the deadly pall which overhung the favoured land during our Lord's earthly sojourn that, contrary to nature, the darkness resisted the light, and 'comprehended not' even the True Light in His person. But when He rose victorious over all the power of the wicked one, the old commandment became the new, and was true not in Him only but in us, Christians, because the darkness is quite passing and the true light already shines."
The shining therefore is not limited to Israel. The disciples are placed in relation to the whole moral night of mankind, and their light has its source and its energy in a risen Christ.
The figure is meant to press home that this testimony cannot be a private thing. Kelly continues:
"This is confirmed by the figure which follows and carries the truth out farther. 'A city set, or situated, upon a hill-top cannot be hid.' The sphere is no longer the circumscribed area of the earth or land, but, as for another aspect we read, 'the field is the world.'... And they, His disciples, are the light of the world: a city set upon a hill-top cannot be hid. Once darkness, they are now light in the Lord, and responsible to walk as children of light, corporately as well as individually. For the fruit of light is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth."
The city is corporate — a company together on a height, visible from every side. Concealment is not open to them; the only question is whether the light shines brightly or dimly.
Kelly then turns from the city to the lamp, and here the indictment is sharp:
"Men treat their light more fairly than Christendom does the light of which our Lord spoke. Men shrink from natural darkness, its inconveniences, and its dangers; and when they light a lamp, they do not put it under the dry measure (which of course would quite hide it) but on the lampstand, and it shines to all that are in the house. But Christendom fears the light that exposes its neglect of scripture, and of the Holy Spirit's guidance, and of Christ who is and ought to be the all."
The point is not that the light is weak but that those who bear it too often cover it. The remedy is courage — "the faithful are bound with humility yet in courage of faith to let the light shine; for it is not of self, but the confession of Christ in everything going forth as God has taught them, whether men hear or forbear."
One of the most careful observations belongs to F. W. Grant, who warns against collapsing the light into mere benevolence:
F. W. Grant"From it being said, 'let men see your good works,' people often imagine that these are the light itself, and thus make the two things we are considering practically one. Indeed they are made for one another: separate them, and there is at once a fatal deficiency in each. What testimony to Christ can there be, if there be not the life giving evidence? But again, what evidence in the life if the lips are silent as to Christ?"
Grant then presses that the light must shine upon the works, or else the works will be misread:
"Thus it needs the light to shine upon the good works, that they may be seen as such, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Apart from this, they may glorify humanity, or glorify any lie under the sun. Christ is He with whom in the full reality of it, 'light is come into the world,' and if 'men love darkness rather than light,' it is, as He Himself says, 'because their deeds are evil'... Thus if any are to be in any sense a light of the world, there is but one way of it — by reflecting Him."
Kelly puts the same guard in his own words:
"Benevolent works are no test, and are not what Christ looked for and here expresses. He spoke of works excellent in the sense of what suits the Father and the Son, and of which the Holy Spirit is the sole power in us. It is not His mind to let our good works shine before men, but our light, or confession of Himself in word and deed."
And he follows with a striking warning:
"Nor can anything other or short of this secure the end He proposes. For I might dole out all my goods in what men call charity, or deliver up my body to be burned without confessing Christ, and therefore without in any way glorifying the Father. There is neither light nor love without the faith and the confession of Christ; and self might thereby be honoured, but not the Father."
J. T. McBroom places the saying in its context among the beatitudes, and shows how this shining follows directly upon a willingness to suffer for Christ:
J. T. McBroom"Verses 10-16 show the submission of heart which accompanies the foregoing. Suffering whether for the kingdom or the King was to be esteemed a favour, and it would have its bearing both on the present and the future... They were the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Notwithstanding the persecution and hatred of men they were to be a force for good, able to meet and counteract in divine power the corruption that is in the world through lust, and shed a beneficent influence on all around them."
The shining and the suffering belong together: those who take their place with a rejected Christ become His luminaries in the very scene that rejected Him.
Matthew 5:14 presses two things together that ought never to be separated. First, the disciple's place is necessarily visible — a city on a hill, a lamp on its stand. Concealment is a contradiction of calling. Second, the light itself is Christ confessed, not philanthropy, not reputation, not mere moral decency. The good works that men glorify the Father for are the works that the light shines upon — works that could not be accounted for apart from the open confession of Christ. The warning, then, is twofold: do not hide, and do not substitute. Do not hide, for the whole purpose of a lamp is to shine to all in the house; and do not substitute something lesser — even burning charity — for the one thing that makes the light a light at all, which is the presence of Christ owned in word and life before men.
Nor do [men] light a lamp and put it under the bushel, but upon the lamp-stand, and it shines for all who are in the house.
Now I have enough material. Let me write the answer.
Matthew 5:15 reads: "Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house." It is the middle verse in a trio (vv. 14–16) where the Lord declares His disciples "the light of the world" and presses home that this light is meant to shine outward, not to be covered over.
The Lord has just called His disciples the salt of the earth, and now speaks of them as the light of the world. The two figures are not synonyms. William Kelly draws the distinction sharply:
"The salt of the earth represents the righteous principle… But now, in verse 14, we have not only the principle of righteousness, but of grace — the outflowing and strength of grace. And here we find a new title given to the disciples, as descriptive of their public testimony — 'the light of the world.' The light is clearly that which diffuses itself. The salt is what ought to be inward, but the light is that which scatters itself abroad."
That is the key to verse 15. Light, by its very nature, goes out. To hide it under a corn-measure is to contradict the reason it was kindled. Kelly continues:
"'A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.' There was to be a diffusion of its testimony around. Man does not light a candle to put it under a corn measure, but on a candlestick, 'and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.' After this manner let your light shine before men, 'that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.' Mark it well."
J. N. Darby puts the same thought in his synopsis with characteristic brevity:
J. N. Darby"The disciples of Christ were the preservative principle in the earth. They were the light of the world, which did not possess that light. This was their position, whether they would or no. It was the purpose of God that they should be the light of the world. A candle is not lighted in order to be hidden."
The phrase "whether they would or no" is weighty. The disciple does not choose whether to be a light; the Lord has made him one. The only question is whether the light will be set where it can do its work, or smothered under the bushel.
The bushel is any covering — timidity, worldly prudence, the fear of man, the pursuit of comfort — that would hide the testimony the Lord has kindled. J. T. McBroom ties this back to the beatitudes that precede it:
J. T. McBroom"Suffering whether for the kingdom or the King was to be esteemed a favour, and it would have its bearing both on the present and the future… They were the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Notwithstanding the persecution and hatred of men they were to be a force for good, able to meet and counteract in divine power the corruption that is in the world through lust, and shed a beneficent influence on all around them."
Persecution, in other words, is precisely the pressure that tempts the candle under the bushel — and the Lord forestalls it by reminding His disciples that a hidden light is a contradiction in terms.
A common misreading turns verse 15 into a summons to display our own good deeds. Kelly warns against this firmly — the object is not our works but the shining of Christ through us, out of which good works will follow:
"When people talk about this verse thinking of their own works, they are generally not good works at all; but even if they were, works are not light. Light is that which comes from God, without admixture of man. Good works are the fruit of its action upon the soul; but it is the light which is to shine before men. It is the confession of Christ that is the point before God. It is not merely certain things to be done."
And further:
"The moment you make good works the object, and their shining before men, you find yourself on common ground with Jews and heathen… What so bad, in the way of a thing done professedly for God, as a work that leaves out Christ, and that shows a man who loves Christ to be on comfortable terms with those that hate Him?… Let your confession of what God is in His nature and of what Christ is in His own person and ways — let your acknowledgment of Him be the thing that is felt by and brought before men; and then, when they see your good works, they will glorify your Father which is in heaven. Instead of saying, What a good man such a one is, they will glorify God on his behalf."
Matthew 5:15, then, is no mere proverb about visibility. It is the Lord's insistence that the testimony He kindles in His own must not be smothered. The disciple is a light by the Lord's own appointment, not by his own choosing, and the light he bears is not his character or his charities but the shining of Christ Himself. To put that light under a bushel — whether through the fear of man, the love of ease, or the wish to be on easy terms with a world that hates the Master — is to frustrate the very reason the candle was lit. Set it on the candlestick, and it will do what light does: illuminate the whole house, and bring men not to admire the disciple but to glorify the Father which is in heaven.
Let your light thus shine before men, so that they may see your upright works, and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.
Después de las Bienaventuranzas, el Señor Jesús pasa de describir el carácter de sus discípulos a declarar el efecto público que tienen sobre el mundo: sal y luz en medio de un mundo corrupto y oscuro. El versículo 16 cierra esa sección con un mandato positivo que plantea dos preguntas: ¿qué es la "luz" que ha de brillar, y a la gloria de quién sirve?
Los comentaristas trazan una cuidadosa distinción entre la luz misma y las obras que la acompañan. La luz es el testimonio de Cristo; las obras prueban que ese testimonio es real.
Leslie M. GrantEn el versículo 16 la luz es distinta de las buenas obras, pero ambas están estrechamente unidas. La luz habla de un testimonio moral y espiritual de Cristo. Las buenas obras son las obras que respaldan ese testimonio como algo real. Las buenas obras aparentes, por sí solas, atraerían la atención hacia quien las hace, para que él fuera honrado; pero si la luz del testimonio de Cristo acompaña a las buenas obras, esto lleva a otros a reconocer que Dios nuestro Padre es la fuente de esas obras y, por tanto, a glorificarle a Él en los cielos, el lugar de la más alta autoridad.
El discípulo no tiene nada propio que mostrar. Lo que ha de brillar es el reflejo de Aquel que es, Él solo, la Luz del mundo.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinPero ¿qué luz es la que ha de brillar? Seguramente esto solo puede significar el reflejo de Aquel que es la Luz. "No dice: dejad que vuestras buenas obras brillen, sino: dejad que vuestra luz brille; es decir, que Cristo brille en vuestra vida; no para que vosotros veáis vuestras buenas obras, sino para que los hombres las vean; no para vuestra gloria, sino para la gloria de vuestro Padre."
Por eso también la lámpara no debe ser ocultada por la actividad del hombre:
Leslie M. GrantUna lámpara tampoco se ha de poner debajo de un almud, es decir, oscurecida por aquello que habla de la obra del hombre. No permitamos que nuestra obra se interponga en el camino de la luz de Cristo, que es la única fuente de luz para los hombres en tinieblas.
Las dos figuras de los versículos 13–16 actúan juntas, pero no son lo mismo. La sal frena la corrupción; la luz disipa las tinieblas.
W. T. P. Wolston"Vosotros sois la sal de la tierra." Ahora bien, la sal es preservativa, preserva de la corrupción... La sal corresponde a la justicia. Pero "Vosotros sois la luz del mundo" presenta otro pensamiento. La luz corresponde a la gracia. La sal solo preserva las cosas puras de la corrupción, pero la luz es activa, expulsa las tinieblas. Así, la gracia sale fuera y busca. "Alumbra."
Las obras son vistas, pero la mirada de quienes las ven debe elevarse más allá del que las hace, hasta el Padre que está en los cielos. Todo el Sermón del Monte se concentra en lo que el discípulo ha de ser delante del mundo, no en la conversión del mundo en sí.
MagazinesEl Señor Jesús no habla en estos versículos de la predicación del evangelio para la salvación de los perdidos. Todo el "sermón del monte" no trata de esto, sino del andar semejante a Cristo de los discípulos del Señor... el propósito del "sermón del monte" no es que ellos reciban bendición o sean llevados al Señor, sino que el carácter del Reino de Dios sea expresado en sus discípulos.
Las obras brotan de la luz, no al revés:
MagazinesAquí, las buenas obras son el fruto de la acción de la luz divina en el alma. Si dejamos brillar nuestra luz, las buenas obras también irán unidas a ella. Pero no son el centro de nuestra atención aquí... Por eso Él no nos exhorta aquí a hacer buenas obras, sino a dejar brillar nuestra luz. No debemos pensar en "nuestras" obras, sino en Él. Las buenas obras serán entonces el resultado. El apóstol Pablo habla del fruto de la luz, que es en toda bondad, justicia y verdad (Ef. 5:9).
Este resplandecer no es algo abstracto; es la conducta de cada día.
Magazines¿Somos amables, serviciales, pacíficos y rectos en nuestro trato con compañeros de trabajo, vecinos y otras personas? De esta manera podemos dejar brillar nuestra luz delante de los hombres. "Hacedlo todo sin murmuraciones ni razonamientos, para que seáis irreprensibles y sencillos, hijos de Dios sin reproche en medio de una generación maligna y perversa, en medio de la cual resplandecéis como luminares (lumbreras celestiales) en el mundo, presentando la palabra de vida" (Fil. 2:14-15, trad. J.N.D.). Dejar brillar nuestra luz significa que, además de nuestro testimonio hablado por nuestro Señor en el mundo, nuestra nueva naturaleza y nuestra posición como hijos de Dios se expresan en nuestra conducta.
- La luz primero. El Señor no dice "dejad que vuestras buenas obras brillen" sino "dejad que vuestra luz brille"; las obras son el fruto, no el centro.
- Cristo reflejado. La luz es el testimonio de Cristo: su propia vida brillando a través del creyente, ya que Él solo es la Luz del mundo.
- Las obras confirman. Las buenas obras respaldan el testimonio como real, para que los hombres no puedan descartar la luz como meras palabras.
- La gloria del Padre. Todo el propósito es elevar al observador, más allá de nosotros, hasta el Padre que está en los cielos; si la atención se detiene en nosotros, la lámpara queda oculta bajo el almud.
- El andar diario. Resplandecer es algo práctico: una conducta amable, pacífica e irreprensible como hijos de Dios en medio de una generación perversa (Fil. 2:14-15).