In Eitan Bar’s book on Hell, there was a little eye opener for me about the light of the world phrase which is helpful as I read the Epistle of 1 John near the end of the Bible.
A Jew would understand this as a metaphor for how they can provide guidance, truth, and influence in the world.
A helpful mnemonic (something to help the memory, an aide memoire) for us would be T.I.G. (Truth. Influence. Guidance) – this also is a game we use to play at school. A northern England term for ‘it’ or ‘tag’ where you run around a playground or school field. Someone is ‘up’ meaning they need to chase someone else who isn’t ‘up’ and make them so, and in so doing release themselves from that position. We’d catch the person and say “tig, you’re it!”.
TIG likewise is where we can impact another or others by touching them with truth, influence and guidance thereby releasing something good from ourselves to slightly extend the TIG game analogy. We could also extend the ‘it’ analogy by saying, to be ‘it’ means to become something, something of importance. Negatively expressed by some as ‘They think they’re so ‘it’!’ – we could make that a positive thing. The person who wasn’t ‘it’, that is they aren’t or weren’t much in the eyes of the world, have become something in the eyes of God.
That’s an interesting idea in our modern world of YouTube, Facebook and TikTok influencers. We or I could actually be an influence in the world. Why do I disparage the idea of these influencers when in fact this is what light is? It does depend on how I’m influencing and what influence I’m bringing. If you’re bringing the influence of Jesus into the world by your words and actions all well and good. Jesus said you are the light of the world when speaking to his disciples according to Matthew 5.14 (see below).
A little aside. Most visual representations of his sermon on the mount have whole crowds listening like the series, The Chosen for example. It is not clear exactly from the biblical text in English whether it was to the crowds and the disciples or just the disciples. (Matthew 5.1)
In the Epistle of 1 John, the author speaks about the ultimate light being God. The statement I referred to earlier has been really helpful from Eitan for my western mind to get round what light means. As God is the light doesn’t he have an even more TIG presence in the world?! It puts a different spin on this:
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Back to Jesus speaking to his disciples the sermon on the mount.
You are the light of the world. A city located on top of a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and place it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it shines on all those in the house. In the same way let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Later Jesus says of himself:
“…While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world! The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
(John 8:12, LEB)
He is the one who brings truth as he is truth by shining his light of truth, influence and guidance upon us.
