This week’s reading: Matthew 5:13-20
Hi Friends,
As we continue this great Sermon on the Mount, this week let’s focus on the idea of being salt and light. Our reading is from Matthew chapter 5 verses 13 through 20, but listen to these powerful verses:
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Mt 5:13-16 NIV
Salt and Light. First, this title goes out to EVERY believer and follower of Jesus…but let me distinguish between believer and follower. A believer believes and is saved…but if a believer believes, then he or she will follow also. Got that? We talked about this a couple of weeks ago, but it is so vitally important, I will say it again. A true believer will follow Jesus, more and more, as they grow in His Grace. If we do not mature, reflecting the Light of Jesus more and more, then we must ask ourselves if we really believed at all. You see, this “believe” that the famous John 3:16 talks about, is a life-changing belief. Not only is our eternal destination forever altered, but then the way we think, speak and act must also display this change. We are to be followers of Christ. The more we engage with God’s Word, by leaning on the Holy Spirit so we can put it into action, the more we are transformed from the self-centered sinner we used to be, to the God-centered saints we now are in Christ. Please never forget, transformation is what Salvation is all about. As I said above, God transforms our innermost being, our spirit, by giving us Eternal Life when we surrender our hearts to Jesus as Savior and Lord. We GET to go to Heaven when our time here is done. But Heaven is NOT the goal, my Friends. Being made into the image of God is! That was God’s first desire for His children, and it still is today. Thus transformation!
Practice and teach. Second, the key to all this is seen in v19 of our reading where Jesus encourages us to both “practice and teach” God’s commandments. Think playing the piano here. Apart from a miracle of God, most people have to practice… and practice… and practice some more, before they can play the piano with ease and beauty. It is certainly the same with our attempt to live the holy lives God desires for us to live. It is so contrary to our fallen nature that, if we don’t lean on THE Teacher as we practice, then we will never get the notes and melodies of life right. We must practice, but it is interesting that Jesus adds “and teach.” The reality is we cannot practice without teaching, but if we think we can only teach and not practice, we are headed for trouble. The best way to teach is by simply showing others how to walk with Jesus. This includes being honest about when we mess up, my Friends! No human will ever walk the straight and narrow path like Jesus did! If the incredible St Paul says, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Ro 7:15) If he struggled, what can we expect. This is no excuse to mess up, as if we needed one, but it should encourage us that, you and I are children still learning to walk this walk. At best, we will oscillate back and forth from our old self to this New Self, but hopefully, with every pass of this journey, we will spend more time in our New Creation, rather than that old pathetic person we used to be. This is called growth and this is what leads us deeper and deeper into the Abundant Life Jesus has given us. Once we are born again, then Jesus continues to save us from our old ways, and leads us towards His New Way. This is why He will always be our Savior and Lord. Transformation is key and one of the ways Christ does this is by making us “salt and light.” Let’s turn now to see some of the goodness these two significant identity markers offer us. One more thing, please note, Jesus does not say we HAVE salt and light. He says we ARE salt and light. Remember, He is making us into His Own Image. This is why I call these titles some of our new identity markers. We should be living lives that reflect we are becoming like our Lord, Who is THE Salt and THE Light.
Salt preserves and adds flavor. In our current culture, we may miss the wonderful word image Jesus is trying to convey here. With our more modern forms of ice and refrigeration, we may not need to use salt to preserve our foods as those in these past times had to. The salt though would keep the foods, especially meats and fish, fresh. That is, salt would keep them from decaying. Again, this is what Jesus does for us as our Savior. He keeps us from staying in that old dead and dying way of life where MMI is at the center of it all. That prideful way of existing never brings the peace and joy we truly desire. It is unfulfilling and leads to a life full of regrets. It is only as we love God by loving others that life really gets satisfying. I think we all know the awesome feeling we ourselves experience when we help those in need, right? That is what we were made for, to love and be loved. In an ideal world, no one would be in need because, if my focus is helping you with your needs and your focus is helping me with mine, then everyone’s needs would be fulfilled, right? But alas, we do not live in that kind of world…yet. While we cannot control what others do or do not do, we certainly can work with God to do our part here already though, and we will reap the benefits of love. Another thing salt does, which we are familiar with, is add flavor to our foods. Jesus certainly adds all sorts of flavors of goodness to our lives as we learn to trust Him, no matter what. We can learn to have that peace that surpasses understanding and joy that strengthens us and makes our lives steady, consistent and powerful. This is how we can be salt in the lives of others around us. For instance, let’s say your friend is filled with anxiety about a medical procedure she must go through. As you bring that peace and strength, you lighten her load so that she can relax and put her trust in God too. And if you do not think that is adding flavor to someone’s life, then you have never truly experienced being the hands and feet of Jesus! I have seen many people’s anxieties and worries melt away simply because God put me in their path at just the right moment to allow my peace to overflow into their own situation. It is a treasure to watch God’s joy be contagious, even if the other person is not quite sure where it is coming from. What a gift to us to be able to enrich the lives of others. One more thing, if we ARE salt, then we should be looking, on purpose, for ways to lead others to our Savior, as well as to share all the gifts God has given us. Whether this means spiritual gifts, like the peace I am talking about, soulful gifts, like helping others to control their emotions, or physical gifts like a hug or some kind of material object, the more we choose to be salt to others, the more salty our own lives become.
Light. I love this saying, “There are two ways of spreading the light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” While only Jesus is THE Light, as His children, we can reflect His Light as we go about our days. Here are just three quick things light does for us and how we can then be light to those around us. 1- Light takes our fear away. Have you ever been afraid of the dark? It is because we do not know what lies in those shadows that we become afraid. Since light helps us see our surrounding more clearly, it takes away that fear. Light helps us feel safe and protected since less is hidden from us. As we share our Jesus, whether by literally talking about what He has done in our lives or simply being there for others in their own dark moments, we are helping them see life from a higher perspective which will increase their own sense of security. We can bring relief to someones anxiety as we reflect Jesus to them. 2- Light adds life-enhancing energy. Think of plants here. Apart from the sunlight’s energy, nothing would grow. Jesus adds passion to our lives as we seek to know Him and make Him known. Life becomes the great adventure it was always meant to be when we, on purpose, look for ways to add this life-giving energy to others around us. This is what loving others is all about, my Friends. We can lift someone out of the dumps, when we shine our light on them. We can feed a starving soul by bringing insight to troubles, turning tears to laughter or shouldering someone’s burdens. We can help others learn to walk this path of life, which takes them further away from the old dead road. Like Jesus, we can bring life to their lives. And 3- light illuminates our paths in life when things seem to get a bit dark. The first verse I ever memorized was Ps 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (ESV) Considering the darkness of Beckie’s cancer diagnosis and complications, I desperately needed to know God was with me, leading me step by step so I could see how to help her. We can do the same for others as, for example, we remind them of these two precious truths: God will never leave us nor forsake us and He is working all things together for our good. (Heb 13:5; Ro 8:28) Reflecting the light inside to others as they navigate their own journeys is both a privilege and a responsibility. We are supposed to do for others what Jesus continues to do for us. One more thing, light is meant to shine. It was 21 years ago that I received “my calling,” if you will, in v15 where Jesus says that we are not to hide this Light within us, but to lift Him up so that others may see Him too. Never are we to try to be the center of this spotlight, but we are to reflect this light as much as we “flawed mirrors” can, so we may shine for God’s glory, not your own. Oh how exciting a life it is to be part of this Light and to spread it far and wide.
Love fulfills the Law. Just a couple of more comments about this reading before we go. In the Old Testament, God had specified what we humans had to do to return to our original holy state, but because we are all fallen creatures, we failed time and time again. Thus the need for our Savior! Because Jesus lived the perfectly obedient life, He fulfilled all of the Old Testament requirements. (v17) It was never His mission to eliminate the Law, but to live it out perfectly, then sacrifice Himself on our behalf so that, those of us who place our Faith in Him, will be granted the righteousness of God. No amount of human good works could ever make us holy since we are flawed from birth. We do not DO good works to become righteous, but once we are given this righteousness, we can, and should, do good works. We tend to get this backwards a lot, as if we can earn God’s Grace somehow. My Friends, Jesus has already done it all. As He said, “It is finished.” (Jn 19:30) Now all that is left is to trust God the Father, allow God the Son to saves us still, and follow God the Holy Spirit. And when we fall, because we will, this Savior and Lord will pick us back up and dust us off, so we can continue to learn to follow Him. I know this has certainly been the story of my life, yet when I choose to act like salt and light, my own life becomes more and more abundant. Want that? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
