Epiphany A 05: Salt of the World

This week’s Gospel comes right after the Beatitudes that we read in last week’s Gospel. These two Gospels lie right at the beginning of that long section of Matthew’s account of the Gospel that is known as the Sermon on the Mount. There is so much to cover in the Sermon on the Mount that the Gospel readings for the rest of the month all come from that sermon. Even then, we won’t even come close to finishing the Sermon on the Mount.

Last week’s Gospel provides important context for the Sermon on the Mount. The Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to begin His account this way: [Matthew 5:1–3] “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven …’” and so on through the rest of the beatitudes as we read them last week.

Notice that although there were many crowds, it was his disciples who came to Him. That means that The Sermon on the Mount is for teaching disciples. His teaching is not intended for the general crowd, but for those who believe. His teaching is for the Holy Christian Church. In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the Church that she is salt and light.

Notice that Jesus did not say, “You should be the salt of the earth,” or “You should be the light of the world.” Instead, He said, “You are the salt of the earth,” and “You are the light of the world.” Too often, we take these words as commands instead of descriptions. We start beating up on ourselves because we are not salty enough or we are not shining our light. We make it all about ourselves instead of about Jesus.

The evil threesome of the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature want us to believe that the primary goal of Christianity is self improvement – the focus being on the self. That evil trio wants us to think that being salt and light means living such a perfect life that everyone will want to be just like us. If we can convince others that the Christian life is really, really great, then they too might want to become Christians. Our evil foes want us to believe that the Christian faith is about an improved life with the Bible as a guide book for living. They want us to believe that this is the faith that will be salt and light to others.

This misguided propaganda sounds pretty good at first. It seems doable and what a boost this would be to our egos if we pulled it off. This is the problem that the Pharisees had. They had taken the teachings of Moses and twisted them into a law that was doable and they pointed to themselves as the ones who did it the best.

The only problem is that, over time, it becomes obvious that no one can pull it off. There are days when we leave our homes with smiles pasted to the front of our heads that have absolutely nothing to do with the way we actually feel. There are tragedies that strike us to our core. Cancer, strokes, and heart attacks – accidents on the road and in the home, these things and more remind us that we are mortal. How can we possibly make ourselves salty and shine our own light when that mortality really hits home? <Pause>

Then there are those pesky Bible passages that tell us that we can never live the life of salt and light. [Isaiah 64:6] All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. [Romans 3:23]All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. [1 John 1:8] If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Then, as we examine the Ten Commandments, we realize that we are not going to pull it off. Then we hear the last verse in today’s Gospel: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Despair sets in. We will never be salt and light. Once again, we see the wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ twisted into the law.

But Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth,” and “You are the light of the world.” He said this right after the Beatitudes. He had just taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’” Even though we are spiritually bankrupt, Jesus blesses us as He performs the deeds of God among us and for us. Just as the blessings of the beatitudes depend, not on us, but on Jesus, in the same way, it is Jesus who makes us salt and light.

Christianity is not about us. Instead, it is about Jesus and what He did for us. We do not earn God’s blessings, but He gives them to us freely for Jesus sake. We cannot become salt and light. Instead, the word of Jesus makes us salt and light. We are salt and light, not by what we do, but by what Jesus does in us.

The salt and light begin in Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit inspired John to write: [John 1:4–5] In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. From these words we learn that Jesus is the light of the world that no darkness can over come. The Holy Spirit also inspired John to write these words: [Revelation 21:23] the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for … its lamp is the Lamb. From these words we learn that Jesus is the light of the next world as well.

Jesus is the light of the world because he is its salvation. Jesus works salvation by fulfilling the law and the prophets just as He says in the second half of today’s Gospel: “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.” These words tell us that Jesus placed himself under the law. As Paul told the Galatians: [Galatians 4:4–5] When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. In this way, Jesus fulfilled the law for us.

Fulfilling the prophets also meant fulfilling His role as the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. Jesus Himself said, [Luke 24:46] “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead.” The light shines out no brighter than when Jesus poured Himself out for the forgiveness of the sins of the world as He hung on the cross. Even as the world was plunged into darkness, Jesus, the light of the world, was overcoming the darkness. As He hung on that tree He earned the light of salvation for us so that we can be free from the darkness of sin and death. By his work on the cross He gives us His righteousness. This is the only righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees – the only righteousness that gains entry into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus, the light of the world, triumphed over darkness on the cross and three days later He confirmed that triumph as He rose from the dead. With His resurrection, He demonstrated that He really is the light of the world. All His promises will come true, especially the promise that all who believe in Him have everlasting life.

Jesus is the light of the world and by His suffering, death, and resurrection; He has made us the light of the world. All who believe in Him have forgiveness, life, and salvation. We regularly confess that we are poor, miserable, sinners who have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed. As we confess our sin, He absolves us, He gives us His light. We regularly come forward to His altar, and He gives us Himself as we receive his body and blood in the bread and wine.

Now, Jesus says that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. It is just as ridiculous for salt to lose its saltiness as it is for us to keep Jesus to ourselves. It makes just as much sense for us to light a lamp and hide it as it does for us to hide our salvation. We are not super saints who live a life that others envy. Instead, we are forgiven sinners who have a loving Savior. As salt and light, we point, not to ourselves, but to our Savior.

There is a promise hidden away in our Lord’s description of us as salt and light. Since we cannot be salt and light without Him, He must always be with us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He works in us and through us so that we are salt and light wherever we go. We are salt and light in our families as children of our parents and as parents of our children, as husbands and wives, as Grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins and all the other ways that we can be related to people. We are salt and light in the work place as employers and employees. We are salt and light in our communities as friends and neighbors – as citizens of city, county, state, and nation. In all these roles Jesus has promised to be with us so that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Amen