FOR JESUS, CROWDS WERE THE NORM. Not that he hosted dinners for thousands every day, but he did it on more than one occasion—and with ease. The Gospels record that Jesus often found himself surrounded by "multitudes" of people. On a seashore or hillside, at dinners and religious festivals—all out in the open, where those in the neighborhood might be drawn by the crowd or by his teachings and healing. Even when opponents threatened, Jesus didn't squirrel himself away for his own comfort or to protect his ministry. Instead, he was willing to let his "light ... shine before men" (Matt. 5:16)—to be a public witness to God's love for humanity.
The Gospel of Matthew places the Sermon on the Mount at the forefront of Jesus' ministry. This primary teaching includes the message to his followers that hiding is not an option: "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:14–16).
The directives in the following verses, which at first glance may appear to contradict the imperative to "shine before men," actually clarify and strengthen the meaning: "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: ... And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. ... When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret" (Matt. 6:1, 5, 6). Here Jesus draws an important distinction between "shining" one's "light" and merely showing off one's good deeds for the sake of religiosity. The Interpreter's Bible notes that the light of the world is not "an advertising light," but "an altar flame" (Vol. 7, p. 291). This light—our divine nature shining through brotherly love and acts of practical Christianity, such as healing—shines as an act of worship and as a result of living a God-centered life rather than as a means of achieving it.
