Let Your Light Shine

Jesus said to his disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?” Mark 4:21

Isn’t this a rather absurd question Jesus puts to his disciples? Naturally a lamp should not be hidden away. Neither under a bed nor under a basket! But Jesus asks it nonetheless to emphasize a point. He is talking here about the light of Christ, our faith, conviction and hope in our Savior. Many of us have a tendency to keep our faith to ourselves, thinking it is enough to be a “good” person, but not advertising that we pray, and believe in Christ, for fear of being ridiculed, or rejected. We are happy with our lives as it is, we don’t want to be known as a radical Christian, much less a rabid one, especially in the cultural climate we have today. 

In The Anawim Way, I read that, “Sometimes, we hide – or smother – our faith under a “bushel basket,” a receptacle for collecting and carrying things. In other words, we give priority to collecting and carrying the things of this world; we are preoccupied with possessions and work and money. At other times, we hide the light of Christ under a “bed,” a place of comfort and rest. This represents our dedication to pleasure, as well as our spiritual laziness – a common enemy of faithful discipleship. We do not let our light shine because we simply do not bother to make the effort, and we would prefer an easier path. So, even though we have received the light of Christ, our selfishness leaves us sitting in darkness, and deprives others of light as well.”

Let us remember that part of our calling as Jesus’ followers is what He commanded after He rose from the dead, in Mark 16:15-16: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”