Shine Bright (Matt. 5:14-16): Jesus does not tell us to become something we are not. He tells us that we ARE light, more precisely, “the light of the world.” Our duty as light is to shine and not to diminish what God made us to be. We are to be outspoken for Christ and His gospel, and we are to manifest our new life in Christ openly and unashamedly. Both our talk and our walk are to dispel the darkness around us and direct sinners to come to Christ the Light. We are Jesus’ agents in this world to expose its darkness, set free those ensnared by it, and lead them to Christ that they also may become “light in the Lord.”[1]

Make Peace (Matt. 5:23-24): The hotbed of provocation is conflict or unrest in our relationships.[2] Jesus thus teaches us to seek peace with those who are at odds with us. He already assumes we will deal with our own anger when we are the offended party. As He taught us: “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). His Apostle also reinforces this: “When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate” (1 Cor. 4:12-13). But Jesus’ command in Matt. 5:23-24 goes a step farther. He calls us to humbly seek peace even when someone else may be offended by us. So then, we pursue peace no matter who is the offended party. Insofar as it depends on us, we seek peace (Rom. 12:18). In sum, all who are sons of God are “peacemakers” (Matt. 5:9), even as Jesus was a peacemaker.[3]

[1] Paul argues this in Eph. 5:7-14. We who are light like Christ expose the darkness and lead sinners to Christ.

[2] The “therefore” of Matt. 5:23 shows that we deal with relational unrest to preempt the anger of Matt. 5:22.

[3] According to 1 Pet. 2:21-23, this is what we are to do in Jesus’ footsteps. We find Jesus’ example at the scene of His crucifixion where He promises Paradise to one of the reviling robbers (Mt. 27:44; Mk. 15:32; Lk 23:43).