Week 13 - Light to the Nations

Jesus has spent his introduction telling the listeners what his yoke is about, now he is going to tell them why God wants them to take up this yoke. Jesus uses four metaphoric images to accomplish this. We covered the first of those metaphors last week: Salt of the Earth. The other three are very closely related: Light of the World, a City on a Hill, and a Lamp on a Stand.

Jesus grabs hold of these metaphors to continue to remind the followers of God’s purpose for them. He reminds them of their purpose, to be a beacon of hope to the world. Jesus starts this part by reminding the audience about the role God had intended for His people to play in the world all along. Since the time He set them apart (Genesis 12:3)#, God has expected His people to act as a pointer to Him for the other nations of the Earth (Psalms 67, 96, 117 and Isaiah 42:1, 4, 6).
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