Light (6?&7) of the world
jay_emm
Kerygmania Host
in Kerygmania
The topic of light seemed to run out of steam a bit, but it's near Easter.
Jesus in John 8:12 says "I am the light of the world.
While in Matthew 5:14 he says I am "the light if the world"
How do we reconcile these?
John obviously further expands on the light theme. And we can talk about us.
How are we included in "You are", not sure...
Jesus in John 8:12 says "I am the light of the world.
While in Matthew 5:14 he says I am "the light if the world"
How do we reconcile these?
John obviously further expands on the light theme. And we can talk about us.
How are we included in "You are", not sure...
Comments
*I'll be a bit disappointed if no-one questions that.
It's also in line with the idea of being "in Christ" or being "Christ's body". We are identified with him in this way.
Matthew is saying that this is what Jesus' expectation of his disciples is; with a warning that if you do not do this you are not much chop as a Christian.
Did a small talk on this once. I pointed out that in Jesus' day salt was not pure sodium chloride. It came from mostly evaporated pools and was full of impurities--gypsum, minerals, even sand and other sediments. If that ancient salt was exposed to humidity, rain or poor storage, the sodium chloride would have dissolved away leaving a tasteless residue.
I just meant that the two metaphors were saying the same thing, perhaps to reinforce each other.
The “you” there is plural. So I think it’s up to interpretation whether that means each of us or all of us together.
Given that Jesus goes on to say “let your light shine” rather than “let your lights shine,” I tend to lean to the interpretation that we collectively are called to be the light (singular) of the world.
1. I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.
2. Why do you think he means you? You weren't there. He was talking to the Apostles.
ETA: It was “Becoming tasteless in Matthew 5:13,” starting here.
Why does a plural "you" mean "we"?
Ah! You mean it is a collective "You (disciples as a group)
you also playing with how quoted pronouns are ambiguous.
Or
A humourous way of saying what Turquoise said about being ambassadors of Christ.
(2)
Before the question. There were lots of little reasons for writing it that way. The distinction between you as a collection and you each probably wouldn't have come up.
I also do think it's debatable.
As to the question why do I think it applies to us all, and not just the 12...
It is from the sermon on the mount, so I do think Jesus was referring to more than the 12 (if there was some rhetorical device Jesus used to specify the apostles for the crowds, Matthew could have recorded it. And if it was a private break, similarly).
And if (a lot of assumptions here) it was addressed to all present then it seems unlikely that they were the only people who could be referred to that way (and similar metaphors are used elsewhere to people who presumbably weren't all there, I need to look them up). And maybe to all who follow via catch up
My point was simply that since the you in the Sermon on the Mount is plural while light is singular, it would seem more accurate to interpret Jesus as saying “you—all you disciples who read or hear my words—are together the light (singular) of the world.”
Or as we might say in the American South, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is saying “All y’all are the light of the world.”