He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
--Parallel verses:
Philippians 3:7-9
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
Just before the passage above in Philippians, Paul lists out all of the accolades he could point to — they were vast. He was an elite of the elite, the Pharisees. He was considered by the Jewish leadership structure to be at the pinnacle of the “faith”.
And what does he do? He casts off all of these titles and accomplishments. He casts them off for Jesus Christ and the life-changing, revolutionary path he allowed him to follow. With the forgiveness of sins, our sin-debt has been paid once and for all. And as he rose victorious from the grave, so that we too arise victorious and are alive in new birth with his Spirit!
When Jesus talked about putting our light on a stand, he, based on Biblical context, did not mean putting ourselves out (our churchy ways, our legalistic accomplishments, our titles and wealth, etc.). He meant to put on display: 1) our brokenness apart from Jesus Christ, 2) our amazing life through his Spirit. This is so that people in the world could both relate to us as sinners and reach out to the light we shine, namely Jesus Christ, for salvation.
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (II Corinthians 4:7)
Lord, may I be a transparent vessel for your light to shine through. People want to see real people who don’t have to hide behind accomplishments or other titles. They want to relate and not have to measure up. Help me to be humble and relatable and allow you to get the credit for the things you do through me. Then your light will shine bright!
Hi Joe. Looks like you got “spell checked” into a word switch. The last sentence of the second paragraph reads “And as he rose victorious from the GRACE” vs. GRAVE.
Just an fyi; superb devotion as usual! Much Thanks!
Mark