Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Matthew 5:14
Our text is even more evident today than when the Lord Jesus quoted these words: a city on a hill is obvious to all who have vision and from great distances. I remember many years ago as we drove up the St. John River late at night, and came within sight of the city of Fredericton. The many lights on the hill made a dazzling display. And yet, with all the development on that hill since, and with all the communication towers, water and utility towers, and aircraft beacons, that hill is much more obvious at even greater distances now. It would be impossible to impose a blackout on that city, or to create a camouflage that would hide it from view. There is a hill that Christians can occupy that will make sure that we are never hidden.
We don’t know where Saul of Tarsus was on the day when the Lord Jesus was crucified. But he may well have been among those who cried for His blood, or those who wagged their heads as they viewed Him on the cross. We don’t know. But after he encountered the Saviour on the Damascus Road, Saul, renamed the apostle Paul, was seldom far from the reality of the Hill of Calvary. His preaching constantly referred to the cross, and it is a frequent topic throughout his epistles. Because he took up his station on that hill, Paul was persecuted and eventually jailed and executed. When he was functioning as a Pharisee, he made no great mark in the world. But when he stood on the great foundation of Calvary, he became a target for the Jews and a beacon for the Christians. Like Paul, we will make a difference in this world only by how high we are willing to climb up Mount Calvary.
The world will say they have no interest in Calvary; the cross has no meaning for them. But when a Christian begins to speak of Calvary and to present the claims of the Christ of the cross, the world notices. Most will respond in a negative way, just as they did when the Lord Jesus was rejected, despised, and forsaken. But some will respond to the Gospel message and appreciate the cross. It’s not always easy to take our stand on that hill. It’s certainly not popular and it’s usually not appreciated. But the message of Calvary is the only message that offers hope and salvation, and we do the world no favour to hide it under a bushel.
There are other hills we can climb, such as those of self, pleasure, gold, or glory, but only the hill of Calvary offers a worthwhile purpose for the child of God. -Jim MacIntosh