I am a Jesus pusher!!! “Nor do they light a lamp (luchnos) and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand (luchnia)” (Matthew 5:15). The Greek word (oude) translated “Nor” is a combination of “ou” meaning “not” and “de,” meaning “but,” used in a continuative sense as in our passage. Jesus began with the remarkable statement, “You are the light of the world.” He interjected information about a city, “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). The purpose of a city placed on a hill is for visibility because the intention was not to hide. This verse is a negative statement. Now Jesus continues with the imagery of light. In the same negative sense, as a city not hidden but set on a hill, a lamp giving forth light is not intended to be under a basket but on a lampstand.
Paul captured the essence of this truth when he said, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). God created physical light; this is the imagery to give us the courage to believe that He took the essence of who He is (Light) and placed it in the face of Jesus, giving us the additional courage to believe God will shine the same light of who He is in our hearts! Take special note of the emphasis in Paul’s statement on the light. He yells, “light,” “to shine,” “has shone,” “the light,” and “glory of God.” The God who created light in the physical took His being, which is light, and placed it in our hearts. In the next verse, he proclaims, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). The “treasure” is light. We are Jesus pushers!!!