Matthew 5:16 (KJV)

Passage

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Matthew 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "good works", "shine", "before", "glorify", "father", and "heaven". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "good works", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Neither do men light a candle and..." into verse 17's "Think not that I am come to...", so "light" and "good works" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "light" and "good works" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.