Light

For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,

that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Acts 13:47

God promised 700 years before that the Jews would bring the light of salvation to the Gentiles, and now he was fulfilling it. Paul and his team initially went to synagogues to share the gospel. Often people would come to faith, but persecution intensified too.

So at this point, having been hounded out of the synagogue, Paul declared that they were going to prioritise the Gentiles from now on. They would still go to synagogues where there were them, but often now they were reaching places the Jewish diaspora hadn't. Most of us are beneficiaries of the fact that Paul didn't limit his gospel preaching to the Jews.

The Jewish people had great priviledges as the people of God. They were the recipients of the Law and the Prophets; the promises of the coming Messiah. The Messiah was not to just be the Jewish Christ though, he came as the Saviour of the world.

As recipients of God's promises, the Jews had a responsibility to share the good news with the rest of the world. Paul and his team were the fulfilment of that responsibility that God had promised would be fulfilled. Now, as Gentile recipients of the promised light, we have a responsibility to take it to the dark corners of the world and brighten it up for Christ.

"Lord God, thank you for shining the light of your gospel into our hearts. Help us with this entrusted light to shine it in the darkness of our world so that others can come into your brightness too. In Jesus' name, amen"