“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:13–16, NLT)
Salt and light. Two common things which change the world. Just a bit of salt changes bland to tasty. A single candle can push away the darkness. Salt and light are small things with outsized impact. Likewise, so is every follower of Jesus, every person walking the Jesus Way.
Salt enhances flavor; turns bland into wow. But only a little; oversalted food is even less desirable than unsalted food. When chefs and food critics talk about flavors, they use a specific word – elevates. The right amount of salt or spice elevates the food to a new level.
But there’s a bit of warning in Jesus’ statement about saltiness. We can become unsalty, and then what good are we? Perhaps a clarifying verse is – Jesus said, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” (John 17:16, NASB95) We can become too much like the world and lose our saltiness. And we can go too far in separating from the world and miss our opportunities to flavor and elevate it.
Light is energy. It was the first act of creation and is unique, having properties both of waves and particles. Unimpeded light is infinite. Scientists calculate that it takes nine years for the light from Sirius (the brightest star) to reach us, while the light from the Andromeda Galaxy began its journey over 2.5 million years ago. Amazing.
Light will always push against the darkness. And Jesus reminded His followers that the darkness doesn’t like light. Jesus, speaking with Nicodemus, said, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (John 3:19–21, NASB95) Light always exposes, not for shame but for redemption.
Notice, however, that Jesus doesn’t say “be salt and light” he said we are salt and light. The question is, are we flavoring our world or just adding to the blandness? Are we shining our light or hiding it from others? That’s the effect of the Jesus Way. By doing the things which follow in this study, we elevate the world around us and light their world so they may see what God is doing.
Yet, nothing that follows in Christ’s sermon is religious. It is instead highly relational, detailing how we should relate with one another and God. By doing these things, we are salt and light. If we fail to do them, we become unsalty and hide our light under a basket.
But the point of the Jesus Way isn’t to be a better person, to have a better life, or even to be noticed. The purpose of doing these things, of following the Jesus Way, is so that others glorify God. That takes humility and a settled heart.
As this study advances, we will discover how to be salt and light to those around us. It’s not easy. Jesus didn’t set a low bar that is easy to step over but a high bar that can only be reached through Him.
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