Salt and Light

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Ye are the salt of the earth

You “are”… this is quite literally as scientists tell us that every cell in you body contains salt

This is in the indicative tense, this tense is used to show reality

It is in the present tense which expresses a constant condition

Saltiness is to continually be the lifestyle of every citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven every day of their life on earth.

Salt doesn’t get a day off…it doesn’t get to stop being salt

When salt comes into contact with another substance it changes its physical makeup due to that substance but it never changes it’s chemical makeup

It will always be sodium chloride…one sodium ion and one chloride ion

You personally as a collective group are all salt

Like all the grains in a salt shaker

There are many different grains of salt that are all fundamentally salt

This shows how alike and equal we all are…

and 10-11

It also shows how unified we can be and should be

What brings this unity together?

The gospel

Salt here, I believe, represents the gospel

The gospel changes language and setting and time periods but never changes in truth

But if the salt has lost is savour

The greek work here is moros

Sophomore is sophia~ wisdom combined with moros~ foolishness

Foolishness is a lack or loss of discernment

So I think more so than losing its flavor it is losing its power of discernment

Losing its power to be distinct from society

It’s the loss of the ability to powerfully use the Gospel in this world

In light of the countercultural perspectives enunciated in the Beatitudes, it would be easy to assume that Jesus was calling his followers to a separatistic or quasi-monastic life-style. Here Jesus proclaims precisely the opposite. Christians must permeate society as agents of redemption.

Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 102.

Wednesday, April 24

Slide

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

You are the light of the world

-You…second person plural, Jesus is saying that, in a sense that there will come a time when they will be the light.

-We don’t want to speak for God where he hasn’t spoken for himself but look what word he doesn’t use…”We”

-He is preparing them for the purpose of being salt and light….there is an endgame here

That is that they become messengers of the Gospel

Everything from the Beatitudes to this point is flowing that direction….

-The vast majority of what Jesus is sharing in these three chapters has to do with the preparation to be messengers of the Gospel

They do not even know that he is going to die much less be murdered yet He is already preparing them to carry out the work

We could focus on several different aspects of light but just as with salt I believe Jesus has a specific intent here.

This is illustrated in the following phrase

Just like a city on a hill or a lamp on a lamp stand

WHAT IS THEIR PURPOSE?

To give direction and clarity

What is the purpose of a city on a hill or a candle in a dark room?

The city on a hill gives the traveler a point of reference

I will go out on a limb here and say I think this should be a picture of the church

The candle in a dark room is to bring clarity to those in darkness.

I believe this also is the church.

The church is to be in the darkness bringing the clarity of the gospel into the lives of others,

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and tglorify your Father which is in heaven.

This translation doesn’t give us all the clues to the interpretation

The ESV “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.”

This translation rightly helps us to apply the purpose of the city on a hill and the candle in a dark room to our purpose in the Great Commission

For their understanding Jesus is beginning the message that He was not going to be around to do all of the work.

And in case you haven’t noticed He still hasn’t returned

Therefore if you are his disciple…believed on his name…you are to be the sand (the preservative) and light (illuminating and clarifying agent)

If you are not doing that, I would say that you are living in disobedience to the commands of Scripture.

This is the foundation of the purpose and mission of the church

If the church is no longer fulfilling its purpose or mission it’s candle will be blown out

It is no accident that that Jesus refers to these men who will be the pillars of the church as candles and that in revelation he warns the churches that if you leave your first love, your purpose, and your mission your candle will be blown out.

As a part of Waunakee Baptist Church, how are you personally and us as a whole doing being salt and light

Are we to the point that evangelism is so neglected that Jesus is in the process of blowing out this candle?

Do we have the passion and desire to fulfill our commission

What if the disciples responded to this challenge as well as the Great Commission with the passion and eagerness of this church body?

Would they have turned the world upside down?