Jesus states that the lamp in His illustration is to be placed on a stand. This means the lamp has to be stationary. Fixed. Immovable. That, according to Jesus, is how it will give light to “everyone in the house.” The same is true about the light of the Gospel. It cannot shift to suit the values of the culture if it is to provide light for the world.

In addition to immobilizing the light the lampstand serves a second purpose... it elevates it. For light to be effective it has to be visible, and elevating the light does just that. This was why Jesus also spoke of the city placed on the hill. But how God elevates our witness is the core of this episode and serves as an incredibly powerful-yet-difficult facet of Christian discipleship.

The imagery of the lampstand is not unique to Jesus’ story in Matthew. That symbolism actually plays throughout all of scripture culminating as a metaphor for the church’s role during the end times. The finale explores the call for the church to be the witness for God’s unchanging truth during ever-darkening days.