You are the Light of the World
Dr. John K. Mathew
Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare. It was written between 1603 and 1607, during the reign of King James 1, of Scotland. The first characters we see in the play are the three witches. They talk to each other in a mysterious way and agree to meet with Macbeth on the heath. This scene includes the famous line " fair is foul and foul is fair." As a result of that the brave Scottish general, Macbeth receives a prophecy from the trio witches that one day he will become king of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth kills the king Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He then wrecked with guilt and paranoia. When a criminal sets out to do a crime, he does not welcome the light. He desires that the shadows be as black as possible. Lady Macbeth, the one who planned the murder was not different either. She uttered:
"Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark
To cry, 'Hold, hold,'!
The world in which we live loves night rather than light. The Scripture says, "This is the verdict, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" (John 3:19,20). Who is the light of the world? Our Lord Jesus Christ said,' I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life' (John 8:12). It is so amazing that He couples our names with His own that He says, " You are the light of the world" (Matt.5:14). Of course, there is a vast difference between his light and ours. Our Lord is Light in himself!.
So, please remember we are not self-shining! Apart from Christ, we cannot shine. We are supposed to reflect Christ's light through our lives. How is it? Often times with simple means. A young lad was scheduled for surgery and on the operation table the boy asked, 'Doctor what are you going to do with me'? ‘Dear son, we are going to put you to sleep,’ the doctor replied. The boy who had a habit of praying before going to sleep asked the doctor permission to offer his prayer. The boy prayed a beautiful prayer. He prayed for the doctor and the nurses. The doctor who was a skeptic was so surprised because it was his first experience. The surgery was a success. That day the doctor returned home as a new creation! Before dinner, he requested all family members to gather for family prayer. They read the Bible for the first time in the family, which made all the family members happy. Then he explained the reason for his change! The simple prayer of a young lad. Humble actions sometimes will bring a bumper result. Forget not, ' You are the light of the world' (Matt.5:14).
