Salt & Light

Discerning Jesus Teaching

English Standard Version (Mathew Chapter 5)

13 “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.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 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.

Right in the middle of the sermon on the mount, Jesus provides the verses we just read. He tells us that we are the Salt of the earth, (soil), and the light of the world. I want to spend a little time digging into this text, and attempt to dig out some nuggets. Let’s start with the commonality first. The first and greatest truth we must understand is this. Both Salt and Light change the environment around them. Salt when it is placed on food, makes it more savory. We will see that it does much more than that. Light, changes it’s environment as well. You and I are called Salt and Light, and we are to be a difference. Jesus said “I am the light of the world, if you are a follower, and image bearer, you too are to be the light of the world. So let’s start with Salt.

SALT

Jesus raises a great question in verse 13, if salt has lost it’s taste, how shall it’s saltiness be restored? We will dive into this question but first, lets dive a little deeper into the uses of salt in that day.

Salt was a commodity in the area because of the dead sea. 28% salt. Salt was harvested and used for many purposes including flavoring. Lets look at Jesus statement in in Luke, that gives us a little more definition. Jesus has just talked about the cost of discipleship, what it means to follow him. Taking up our cross, loving Him more than anything else. Then in verse 34 and 35 of Luke 14 He says. “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

This verses stumped me for years, because I only salt salt as a flavoring or preservative. But what Jesus is talking about here, the crowd would have understood. For you see in the massive amounts of salt harvested from the dead sea, there were numerous types of salts and phosphates. On of those is Sodium Chloride, a phosphate. Any farmers or Gardners here can tell me what this is used for? Fertilizer, that is right. Potash as we know it is used in fertilizer to help with growth and blooming, fruit production.

There was another not so pleasant use of salt in those days. Salt was antiseptic. They would rub it on new borns, but they would also keep a box of it out by the “dung pile” that Jesus was talking about in verse 35. In those days, no toilets or outhouses, one would go outside to a designated area, do their thing and then grab handfuls of salt to cover afterward. I know this is not pleasant, but it is important we understand what Jesus was referring to, as He wanted the people of that time and us today to understand.

In the context of us being the salt of the earth or the soil, we have to understand. That Salt is used to make good things grow, and it is there to prevent bad things from spreading.

To accomplish this task, whether it be in food or in the soil. The Salt must Contact the surroundings. For you and I to make a difference we must be in contact with our surroundings. If we are to be the hands and feet of Jesus to grow the good or stop the spread of the bad, we must be SALT and change our surroundings.

Secondly, we must be Contaminant Free. The question Jesus asked earlier, If salt loses it savor, how may it be restored? You see, Salt is always going to be salt. The only way it loses it saltiness, is by contamination. We are to be in the world, soil, but not of the world. We must not allow the contamination of the environment to make us look, taste, smell like it. We are called to be different, to change the environment, not allow the environment to change us. Jesus was warning us to remain contaminant free. Look like salt, not soil.

LIGHT

We are the Light of the World, and just as with the Salt, we are called to change the environment around us. That is what light does, it illuminates. You cannot enter an environment with a light, and that environment remain unchanged. Even if there is a light already, it adds to the light.

My grandson Cal, who will be heading to Turkey with his family to the mission field, very soon was playing mine craft on his Nintendo on Christmas day. Game he just received. He was digging down into the depths and he kept losing his way because of the darkness. We showed him how to install torches into the walls and it would light up so he could see. I went back later and he was in a huge underground cavern. There were torches EVERYWHERE. I said Cal, you may not need that many torches Buddy, what are you doing. He said Pop Pop, I’m lighting up the dark place. Everywhere I go, I’m going to light it up. I thought to myself, that is exactly what they are going to be doing in Turkey. lighting up the dark places.

Light Exposes the Darkness. The Word says everything in darkness shall be brought to light. Being a city on a hill, also exposes our own works. This speaks plainly to our call to be contaminant free salt. We are to add good flavor, and good growth to the world around us. Representing Christ well. We cannot do this on our own, it takes the leading and help from the Holy Spirit.

Finally, the light Enlightens the One who is good. The Standard for us all. in verse 16 of Matthew 5, Jesus said “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 heaven” The light that you and I give off should point people to Jesus. When they look at my candle they should see Jesus.

In summary. Being Salt and Light, is not merely for the preacher or the teacher. It was given to all on that hillside in the first major sermon that our Lord spoke. He wants you and I to know today that being Salt and Light is costly. In both the Sermon on the mount and in Luke, we hear Jesus warning that the Church will be persecuted. Serving our Savior is costly in this life, but eternally rewarding in the next.

Can I ask you today, how is your light shining? It is a city on a hill, or is it under a basket, hiding until you get to church, then you remove the basket for all to see?

Is the environment around you being changed by your presence, or does it look the same whether you are there or not? Jesus makes it clear, We are here to change the environment for the Kingdom and the only way that happens is if we pour ourselves out, and we lift that lid off of our candle!.