PODCAST
Called To Be Light-Bearers
June 4th, 2013
Isaiah 42:1-9
Jesus was undoubtedly the Servant of the Lord par excellence.* He assumed the responsibility Israel failed to pursue, to be “a light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6, NRSV).
None of Jesus’ Jewish contemporaries read Isaiah’s Suffering Servant Songs (Isaiah 42–53) as Messianic prophecies. Early Christians concluded that Jesus was the Messiah primarily because God raised Him from the dead. Isaiah’s songs helped them make retrospective sense of His shameful death on the cross.
Jesus died to spare us from death. But He also lived to give us an example of how we should live (Matthew 10:25; 16:24). We “are children . . . of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings” (Romans 8:17).
We are not called to pursue persecution. We are to live in such Christlike ways as to “win the respect of outsiders” (1 Thessalonians 4:12). But as we reflect “the light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5; Matthew 5:14) in a world that loves darkness (John 3:19-20), we should not be surprised if some hate us as they did our Lord (John 15:18; 1 Peter 2:18-25).
*See Isa. 61:1-2; Luke 2:32; 4:18-19; 9:35; 23:35; 24:45-46; Acts 8:30-43.
Author: George Lyons
June 4th, 2013 at 5:13 pm
“We are to live in such Christlike ways as to “win the respect of outsiders” (1 Thessalonians 4:12).”
We win their “respect”, but not necessarily their friendship (John 15:18). That sounds like an oxymoron, but they “hate” us because we show them (without saying a word) that their way is not the right way. Thus, they don’t like to associate with “us”. We don’t shun them, they shun us.
June 4th, 2013 at 5:29 pm
“But as we reflect “the light of the world. . ”
Notice the writer used the word “reflect.” Jesus stated that we should let our light shine (Matthew 5:16), but we need to remember that “Jesus” is the light, not us.
October 27th, 2014 at 5:07 pm
Amen! What an awesome privilege we have from God to shine our light through our words and actions. Jesus is the perfect example of how we can accomplish this. What kept His light going was His constant communication to His Father through prayer. That is something we all need to grow on. It’s so easy for us to overlook prayer, but prayer is the only way we can be successful in leading others to God and His ways.
I have a blog about being a Lightbearer for the Good King (Jesus Christ). If you would like to visit it you can click on this address below:
http://lightbearersforjesus.wordpress.com
May God continually strengthen you through the reading of His Word and prayer!