Jesus went on: “Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don’t you put it up on a table or on the mantel? We’re not keeping secrets, we’re telling them; we’re not hiding things, we’re bringing them out into the open.
-Mark 4:21-22 (MSG)
I am slowly but surely switching all the lights in my house over the compact fluorescent lamps, aka CFLs. Besides just looking cool, the energy savings are enormous. And when you “grow up” and have to pay your own power bill, you start paying attention to those things.
I’m really enjoying having the new CFL bulbs because I like a well lit up room. Since they are more energy-efficient, I find myself letting those lamps and overhead lights do what they were meant to do — shine. It’s a nice change.
Here in Chapter 4 of Mark, Jesus is talking about lamps. He states the obvious — lamps aren’t meant to be hidden; they are meant to light everything up and help people see.
The “lamps” mentioned are a direct reference to Jesus’ followers. Just like I used to not want to turn my lamps on due to the consequences of a higher electricity bill, I wonder how many Christians are reluctant to be identified as such because of the consequences? As Christ-followers, we aren’t meant to stay hidden from sight or be embarrassed of our faith. Like a lamp, we were made to shine.
A lamp that is on and in the open naturally brightens everything around it — that’s just what a lamp does. Simply put, our lives should light up the lives of everyone around us. As Jesus is pointing out, that’s just what a Christian does.
Before I switched to CFLs, the lamps in my home weren’t doing their job. If my life is not helping people see Christ, I’m not worth much either. I must shine like a CFL.
