Jesus ended His explanation with a bright promise: the righteous “will shine forth as the sun” (Matthew 13:43). That light does not wait for the end of the age. It begins the day someone comes to Jesus.
Darkness. The Bible often uses darkness as a picture of sin and of life without God. Sin makes people want to hide, the way the enemy in the parable worked at night (Matthew 13:25).
Rescued. “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13). That is what happens when someone trusts Jesus.
Called out. God's people are called to “proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Once dark, now light. Paul told the Christians in Ephesus that they were once darkness, but now they are light in the Lord. So they should live as children of light (Ephesians 5:8).
You are the light. Jesus told His followers, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14).
Not under a basket. Nobody lights a lamp and hides it under a basket. They put it “on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house” (Matthew 5:15).
Shining for God. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Our light points people to God, not to ourselves.
Borrowed light. The moon has no light of its own. It shines because the sun shines on it. Our light comes from Jesus in the same way.
No need to fear. David sang, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1). God's light gives courage as well as direction.
Clean and bright. Living in the light means being honest with God about sin. When we confess, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9).
Growing brighter. Proverbs says the path of people who do right is like the first light of dawn. It shines brighter and brighter until the full light of day (Proverbs 4:18).
What to do. Ask Jesus each morning to shine through you. Then look for one way to show His light at home or at school.
The light of Jesus starts shining in His people now. One day it will shine in full. That is the promise of Matthew 13:43.
After the harvest. Jesus said, “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43). Then means after all evil has been taken away.
Shine forth. To shine forth is to blaze out brightly, like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. What is hidden now will be seen then.
Daniel saw it too. Long before Jesus came, the prophet Daniel wrote, “Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). The firmament means the sky.
Turning many. Daniel says people who help others turn to God will shine like stars. Telling a friend about Jesus is never wasted.
Like Him. John wrote, “we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). God's children will share Jesus' glory.
Children now. The same verse begins, “Beloved, now we are children of God” (1 John 3:2). Shining later starts with belonging now.
Meeting the Lord. Paul wrote that when Jesus comes, “the dead in Christ will rise first.” Then believers who are still alive will be “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
From every nation. John saw “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne” (Revelation 7:9). The field is the world, and the harvest gathers God's people from everywhere.
Glorified together. Paul says God's children are “joint heirs with Christ,” and that they will “be glorified together” with Him (Romans 8:17).
The Father's kingdom. Jesus called it “the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43). Heaven is not a strange place for God's children. It is home with their Father.
Not by being good enough. Shining in that kingdom is a gift. No one earns it. It belongs to everyone who has been forgiven through Jesus.
Hope for hard days. When you are sad, sick or treated unfairly, remember how the story ends. For God's children, the end of the age is a sunrise.
What to do. Draw a picture of the sun and write Matthew 13:43 under it. Each time you see it, thank Jesus for the bright future He has for His children.
Complete all sections to finish!
Read each section and answer the questions correctly.