Listen to the Scripture reading below, and then learn more from related resources. As you meditate on this passage, think about this question: Why does Jesus call his followers the light of the world and a city on a hill?
The first hearers of these words were mostly low-status, powerless Israelites on the fringes of mainstream society.
Matthew 5:3-16
Kingdom Identity
What would it have felt like to be in the crowd and hear these words?
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“Jesus is taking this image from the Hebrew prophet Isaiah, who said that one day, God’s heavenly reign will touch down on Earth in Jerusalem, high on a hill. And this city will reflect God's light out into the nations, who will learn the ways of God and live in peace. It’s a heavenly city, and its light will be like the dawn of new creation.”
Chapter from Sermon on the Mount E8
The Servant as the Light in Isaiah
“What Isaiah begins to anticipate is that if God's purpose for Israel is ever going to happen, that calling, to walk in the light of Yahweh, to be a source of peace among the nations, is going to fall on the shoulders of one Israelite who is just called ‘the servant.’”
When Jesus calls his followers “the light of the world” and “a city on a hill,” he is referencing images from the prophet Isaiah. The shining city on the hill portrays God’s wisdom and heavenly presence emanating from Jerusalem and filling the whole Earth. By using these images, Jesus is applying Isaiah’s prophecies to himself and his followers.