BELIEVERS ARE SALT AND LIGHT
Matthew 5: 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Christ Fulfills the Law
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus is conducting spiritual boot camp for his disciples while thousands of others listen in. NOBODY is teaching anything like this in the synagogues and these people are amazed at what they are hearing. “You are the salt of the earth.” Say what? Sure, everybody knows about salt, uses salt, and looks for salt in the market. Caravans bring salt to areas that don’t have it. Salt is such a precious commodity that sometimes people pay debts with salt. Now Jesus is saying that just as fresh salt flavors food and makes it satisfying, so disciples must bear the flavor of God wherever they go. But what happens if salt draws moisture, cakes, and loses its flavor? Every housewife knows that salt is worthless and must be thrown away. Believers lacking the flavor of God’s presence won’t have any effect on the world.
”You are the light of the world.” About now, the disciples are thinking, “Who? ME?” These people are nothing if not realists, and they know just how sinful they really are. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Now the disciples are really worried. These guys know what others think about them, and they know they fall far short of God’s glory. And if they are worried now, they’re going to be more worried in a minute.
Jesus tells his people that he has come to fulfill the law, not to set it aside, that he is so concerned about fulfilling the law that not even the tiniest brush stroke of a letter will be ignored. This pronouncement might be disappointing for some who are hoping that Jesus is going to preach an easier way of salvation. And it gets even worse.
“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Well, now the disciples are truly discouraged. The scribes and Pharisees are professional religious people who spend all their time observing minutiae and arguing over it. Common people who have to work have no time for that stuff. Is Jesus giving a glimpse of heaven, only to snatch it away from his listeners?
The short answer to that question is “No.” Jesus is not a wicked man who dangles glory in front of people, only to disappoint them. The point of this teaching is to lead people to consider their sinful state and then to show them how God wants to change them. Jesus is fully conscious that none of his listeners can possibly achieve holiness by themselves, and that’s why he is teaching these things. Jesus wants to lead people into a far higher way of life, one in which they serve God out of love and not out of fear. The righteousness about which Jesus is teaching can only be achieved with God’s help, not by observing a myriad of petty rules.
Perhaps you too have struggled with some of the same problems those people are considering on that hillside. Somehow, you have gotten the idea that God is a wicked old man, sitting in heaven and prepared to punish anyone who puts a foot wrong. Jesus wants you to know that idea is completely wrong. God knows we are weak and that we cannot help ourselves. The first three steps of the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps say:
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Over the years, these affirmations have led millions of people to victory over alcohol, drugs, gambling, and other addictions.
Jesus is not preaching the Sermon on the Mount to accuse people, but to demonstrate what can happen when God’s Kingdom becomes a reality in the lives of individuals. God stands ready to help anyone who will appeal to Him for help, for He longs for fellowship with us and will bend every effort to assist us if we only ask. But we must be sincere in our asking. James warns us that when we pray, we can’t be like the waves of the sea, going back and forth, back and forth. We must trust that God hears us and that God will help us.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we know that we are sinners and cannot free ourselves from those sins that wrap around our hearts and minds and bodies. Please deliver us from ourselves. Help us to truly become light and salt, true citizens of Your Kingdom. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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