Why would followers of Jesus Christ want to be exposed in His light? — Why do we crack peanut shells? Why do we shuck ears of corn or separate chaff from wheat? Why do we put fire to precious metals? We do these things to reveal the most important and useful parts about them. When shone through us the Light of God exposes the truth about who we are at our core and cleanses us from the dark muck of this world. Sometimes God leaves traces of impurity in us so that His light will shine beautiful colors through us.
Did you know that the very thing that gives precious stones their color are considered by scientists to be impurities, or in some cases, deformities? Colored gems have traces of other minerals that react to the light making a ruby red, a sapphire blue, or an emerald green. One of the rarest of all stones (a red diamond) gets its color, not by impurities, but by what scientists call defects (or deformity) in the diamond’s atomic structure that rearrange the carbon atoms and alters the way light is absorbed and reflected. One of these single stones sold for over $70 million dollars! The rarest of all gemstones will refract the light that shines through them by the simple nature of how they were formed or deformed by time and pressure. It is the very deformities and impurities in these precious stones that the lapidary looks for in determining the right cut to make so that the stone will refract the perfect light the right way. When rare stones are extracted from the darkness of the earth, cleaned, and cut into shape — then they are ready to be displayed against the dark back drop of the lost world.
1 Peter 2:4–5 – Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
It is for the world that Christ came, died, and rose again. It is for the world that He requires us to follow His example of deepest love and humiliation for it. We shine the brightest when we love the deepest. What humiliation have we suffered in life that would ever warrant the audacity to lift our heads over those who are knee deep in trials of faith or vexing tribulations? Compare whatever humiliation you have suffered in life with the humiliation that Christ endured, lest you become like sounding brass or a clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1). Listen to the resounding words of prayer from Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself (Hebrews 12:3) …
John 17:4–5 – I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Before the world was? This is God speaking from the mouth of flesh! It was a humiliating concept from the beginning for one as high as Jesus Christ to be made like men — He who ruled the glorious Kingdom of Heaven where angelic beings all shine like diamonds and their songs of adoration can be heard continually for Him who ruled before the world was! How utterly contemptible to think that the Righteous King of Heaven and Earth would come off the highest throne to be dirtied by the sins of the world. Understand this, that the crucifixion of Christ was not the most humiliating thing about His work. Many prophets and Christians have been humiliated more in death than He…
Hebrews 11:35–38 – Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.
The greatest humility Jesus displayed was in the life He lived before His death; when in the culmination of all the great works He accomplished and words He had spoken, He was rejected and crucified by those who were considered His own people. His humility was found in His willingness to let it happen in an open display before commoners and aristocrats alike. He was paraded on a shameful road filled with cursing and bitterness to the Cross where He died for an undeserved guilty sentence. He was shamed before men and women whose condemnation was deserved and suffered the embarrassment before the Host of Heaven who had always called Him Lord God Almighty! Even though mankind was dead in their sins, He offered a great gift of salvation with His holy blood shed for the remission sins for all who would call upon His name; for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Joel 2:32).
Romans 5:6–9 – For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
