Salt & Light
6:42:00 PM
This week in the Church calendar, millions of Christians around the globe are meditating on the Gospel of Matthew 5:13-20. It's a teaching from Jesus at the beginning of his most famous sermon - the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon takes up three chapters in the gospel of Matthew. It's the longest record of words spoken by Jesus in the Bible. This section of scripture follows right after the Beatitudes, or the Blessings (which are the intro to the Sermon on the Mount).
The Sermon on the Mount cannot and must not be ignored. It is the manifesto of what Jesus calls - The Kingdom of God. And we should pay close attention...
The Sermon on the Mount is directed not at the world around us, but specifically to disciples of Jesus. Here is what Jesus says:
“You are the salt of the earth, but
if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is
no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under
people's feet.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:13-20 ESV
We are called the salt of the earth. The light of the world. A city on a hill. Disciples of Jesus are the fulfillment of all that the Law and the Prophets were trying to achieve. This is so radical!
Ultimately, we are not called to change the world, but rather to be a part of the world that is already changed by Jesus.
If we believe we are to change the world, I believe we can fall into temptation. We will be tempted to take shortcuts. We can begin to be tempted by political power. But this is a lie. In fact, it was the same temptation that Jesus was faced with by the devil in the wilderness:
Again, the devil took him (Jesus) to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:8-9 (emphasis added)
The temptation that wielding the sword of political power to be used to change the world is of the devil - not Jesus.
"When the Church reaches for the sword, it lets go of the Cross." - Brian Zahnd
The beauty of Jesus' message is that it is soaked in love, forgiveness, & mercy. But never by force. We don't have to change the world. We just have to be the Church. This requires that we live like Jesus. We are not to be formed by the world or the culture around us. We are to be different. Set apart. The salt of the earth. The light of the world.
Notice that we don't become salt or become light. We are told that we are salt & light. This is something that automatically characterizes you as a follower of Jesus. And if salt loses its saltiness, its worthless - like dirt! If light is hidden, no one can see it. We are called to preserve and illuminate the world. Your light is how you live your life. The early Church is quoted as saying, "we do not proclaim great things, we live them."
The Sermon on the Mount is of utmost importance. It's the sermons of all sermons. It's about being peaceful, not angry. It's about not treating other people like sexual objects. It's about not deceiving people with clever agendas and schemes. It's about living a non-violent life. It's about giving to the poor. It's about praying and fasting with sincerity. It's about trusting God with our money. It's not about judging others but treating people the way we want to be treated. It's about living life to the full. It looks like Jesus.
Shining your light is living a life that is formed and living a life like Jesus Christ. It's what followers of Christ are invited into! May we have the courage and patience to live this out...
BT
(The artwork is Sermon on the Mount by Dirk A. Walker)
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