'You are the light of the world.' Matthew 5.14
Here, Jesus explains something of what it means to be His disciple. He pictures the world as a very dark place and those who follow Him as the light illumining it all. It's here that a sensitivity to grammar comes in handy. Jesus is talking to a group. The 'you' is plural. However, though one might expect 'lights' to follow ('You are the lights of the world.') that isn't the case. Jesus addresses His disciples not as individuals but as a group. They, together, are the light of the world. This explains something about the Church.
To be sure, Jesus is interested with each individual Christian. But it needs to be said that there is something about the Church, as a group, that is not just important but unique. The institution called 'the Church' has a singular role in this world. The Church is the light that is to dispel the darkness around us. That makes the Church necessary to Jesus' plans for the world. We, by what we do together, are to shine the light of the Gospel into the dark world around us. This speaks to our mission. The mission of every Christian includes as a priority being a part of what the Church is about so that it can shine brightly.
This is a part of a series of posts.
For the others click on 'Being the Church' below.