The Meaning of Life

When I was young, I often remember hearing the question, "What is the meaning of life?"  I heard it on the radio, on television, and from people.  The question always intrigued me because it captured the essence of why we are here, as opposed to not being here.  I found that the answers were always different, (happiness, knowledge, wealth, life is an accident, etc.) but I never recall hearing the right answer, which is to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

If becoming a follower of Jesus is the meaning of life, then the question must be asked, "Why is it that when a person becomes a follower of Jesus that they remain in this world?"  This question is based on the premise that followers of Jesus have an end-hope of eternal life with God, and if we have fulfilled our purpose in this life, then why doesn't God just translate us into the next one? The answer to this question is found in John 17, a prayer from Jesus concerning His followers who are in the world.  Here He explains why those who have found the meaning of life are still left to live in this world.  He essentially says that His followers are "in the world, but not of the world."  That is, although we may have personally found the meaning of life, part of that meaning involves sharing it with others.

God leaves Jesus' followers in the world for a very specific reason, which is to share the meaning of life with those who have yet to find it.  In Jesus' sermon on the mount, He shares at least three ways that a person can be in the world and not of it, and extend the meaning of life to a lost world.

1.  Followers of Jesus are Salt (Matthew 5:13)

Salt is good for many things (to flavor, preserve, purify, etc.).  The thrust of Jesus' use of salt is to flavor and to preserve.  Much like we sprinkle salt on a bland entree, so Jesus sprinkles salt on the bland earth.  Without His followers, the earth is flavorless.  More importantly, however, is the thought that we preserve the earth.  If the world was void of followers of Jesus, then it would literally rot away.  The context of Jesus' message was before modern day refrigeration.  Salt was one of the primary ways to preserve food.  It was an absolute necessity for life.  Wars were even fought over it.  Jesus is essentially saying that one reason why His followers are not immediately translated to Heaven after deciding to follow Him is because without us, the world would be flavorless and it would rot away.

He furthers this thought in saying that if we were to actually lose our flavor, (which is impossible, but He was exaggerating a point), that we would become worthless.  This is the difference between being "in the world, but not of the world."  If we become of the world, we are essentially salt that has become mixed with a worthless substance, and although we have not lost our flavor or our nature to preserve, we are too mixed up with the world to do any good.

2.  Followers of Jesus are Light (Matthew 5: 14-16)

Jesus secondly calls His followers "light."  He illustrates this in two ways.  First, we are a "city on a hill."  Second, we are "a lamp on a stand."  Consider these properties of light and how it reflects the follower of Christ:

• Light Give Us Sight - The sun is our primary source of light.  Without it, we would be in utter darkness.  Sure, we have man-made lights, but these are only possible because of the light the sun gave us to make them.  Likewise, the world would be in utter darkness if it were not for the light of Christ in His followers.
• Light Has a Dual-Nature - If I understand correctly, if you look at light from one angle, you see it in waves.  If you look at it from anther angle, you see it in particles.  Scientists deem this dual-nature the photon.  Followers of Jesus also have a dual-nature.  Although we are citizens of God's kingdom, we are also citizens of this earth.  Although we are in the flesh, our souls belong to God.
• Light is Fast - Light travels at 186,282 miles a second.  It could travel around the earth 7.4 times in that second.  Likewise, Christians have the amazing opportunity to cover the earth with our light.
• Light Exerts Physical Pressure on Objects - It is a phenomenon that light can exert physical pressure on an object because it is essentially an immaterial thing.  This is likened to the light that we have as followers of Jesus.  Although we cannot physically see the light, we can see its affects.

3.  Followers of Jesus are Righteous (Matthew 5:15-20)

The crowds apparently began accusing, or at least thought about accusing, Jesus of heresy. His message seemed fairly radical, almost as if it denied God's Word (Law and Prophets). Jesus says that He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them. The general idea here is that the Law and the Prophets are good, but it must be understood that they cannot, in and of themselves, fulfill the meaning of life.  They point you to the meaning of life, which is Jesus Christ. To read the Law and the Prophets without the understanding of Christ is to misinterpret it altogether. It is to place righteousness on self and on the ability of self to be perfect, instead of on Jesus' ability to pay the price for sin.  Our goodness is not a valid payment for the sin that we have committed against God.

Jesus says it this way, "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven" (20). These were considered the most righteous of all in Jesus' day. It was considered impossible to surpass their righteousness. This is exactly why Jesus said this.  He was conveying the fact that interpreting the Law and Prophets apart from Him is not enough.  Jesus must be the "end of the Law."  

As followers of Jesus, it is important that although we are "in the world," that we never become "of the world." We are here to be salt, light, and express righteousness in Christ. Becoming a follower of Jesus is the meaning of life, and He expects us to share that truth with the world.