Commentaries:
Barnes' Notes
Let your light so shine ... - Let your holy life, your pure conversation, and your faithful instructions, be everywhere seen and known. Always, in all societies, in all business, at home and abroad, in prosperity and adversity, let it be seen that you are real Christians.
That they may see your good works - The proper motive to influence us is not simply that we may be seen (compare Matthew 6:1), but it should be that our heavenly Father may be glorified. The Pharisees acted to be seen of men, true Christians act to glorify God, and care little what people may think of them, except as by their conduct others may he brought to honor God, yet they should so live that people may see from their conduct what is the proper nature of their religion.
Glorify your Father - Praise, or honor God, or be led to worship him. Seeing in your lives the excellency of religion, and the power and purity of the gospel, they may be won to be Christians also, and give praise and glory to God for his mercy to a lost world.
We learn here:
1.That religion, if it exists, cannot be concealed.
2.That where it is not manifest in the life, it does not exist.
3.That "professors" of religion, who live like other people, give evidence that they have never been truly converted.
4.That to attempt to conceal or hide our Christian knowledge or experience is to betray our trust, injure the cause of piety, and to render our lives useless. And,
5.That good actions will be seen, and will lead people to honor God. If we have no other way of doing good - if we are poor, and unlearned, and unknown yet we may do good by our lives. No sincere and humble Christian lives in vain. The feeblest light at midnight is of use.
"How far the little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world!"
Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Matthew 5:16:
Daniel 6:28
Matthew 6:1
Matthew 9:8
Acts 3:19
1 Corinthians 6:20
2 Corinthians 6:14
Philippians 2:16
1 Peter 2:12
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