I am a Jesus pusher!!! Understanding “our purpose” becomes very important in revealing the Kingdom of God. Jesus makes it clear that visibility is essential. There is no chance that the Kingdom people can hide or be secretive. There are places in our world and times in our history when the world drove the church underground. Doesn’t this contradict this reality? It does not! The church always is the strongest and expands the most during the time of great persecution. Even when driven underground, the Kingdom cannot hide in secret. The light continues to shine.
Let’s look at the LOGIC OF THE STATEMENT. Jesus begins with a powerful statement of fact, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). It is so strong it carries with it the weight of an imperative. The imperative will follow in the last verse of this section, “Let your light so shine before men” (Matthew 5:16). After this opening declaration of “our position” as “light,” Jesus injects this statement about a city, “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). As we discovered in a previous study, this statement’s strength is not illuminated or shining but is invisible. Jesus quickly reverts to the imagery of light in the next statement, “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house” (Matthew 5:15). Everything Jesus states about “a city” becomes more vital in this statement about the “lamp.” He does not attempt to change the imagery from “light” to “a city.” He gives additional emphasis to the issue of visibility. We must see Jesus! We are Jesus pushers!!!