Salt & Light

Verse 13-16 are unique in the Sermon on the Mount. They serve as a transition between the character traits of kingdom people and an extensive teaching on the proper way to understand the Law. Notice the change in Jesus speech. He switches from “they” to “ye”. Jesus is speaking directly to those people who have the character of the kingdom. As a result of their new “kingdom character” they are now the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Those who are a part of the kingdom of heaven will have an effect of the kingdom of this world.

The key factor in these verses is influence. Both salt and light influence. The religious leaders of Jesus day were not influencing the world in a positive way. In fact, they were contributing to the darkness and corruption the world was already in. When Jesus calls believers “salt and light” He uses two very common and necessary things for the culture in which He lived. In doing that, He is saying that they are necessary. This dark and decaying world needs kingdom people or it will remain in darkness and corruption.

Jesus hearers would have identified with salt in many ways. He is the Master Teacher and no doubt His hearers would have applied this teaching in more than one way. We can do the same.

Salt is a preservative. There were no refrigerators in Jesus day. Meat, milk, and leftovers had to be consumed quickly. If they were not, they would rot. Rotting is a process. It happens over a period of time. Contrary to popular belief, our world is not getting better. We have increased in knowledge (2 Tim. 3:7) but not in wisdom. In the Garden of Eden sin entered into the world. Ever since then the world has been decaying. The world is not getting better; it’s getting worse (2 Tim. 3:1-5, 13).

In order to keep meat from rotting salt would be rubbed into it. This would preserve the meat for use at a later time. We can apply Jesus reference to salt to believers. We are to keep this world from corruption. We do this by transforming people’s lives through the gospel. The world will perish but people do not have to. If we are going to influence and preserve some things must first happen:

*We must get out of the salt shaker. God has called us out of the world but He has called us to go into the world (Matt. 28:18-20). Too often kingdom people would rather stay inside the salt shaker and just denounce the darkness. If the world is going to be preserved we must go into the world.

*We must be rubbed into the meat. This implies closeness with unbelievers. We cannot influence people from a distance. We must rub shoulders with the lost. We must go where the multitudes are.

*We must dissolve. You seldom see the salt you eat. Once it is on the food it is dissolved. If we want to impact the world we have to disappear. In other words, we have to die to ourselves.

Salt enhances taste. Salt brings out the flavor of food. It has a way of making things taste better. In the same way, believers are to make life taste better. Believers are the ones who are truly living. Life is enjoyed to its fullest when a person knows Christ. When a lost person sees a believer living life to its fullest they recognize their own life as bland and tasteless.

Salt makes people thirsty. Popcorn without drink is unheard of. The reason is that salt makes us thirsty. It creates a desire for water. The believer’s life makes the unbeliever thirsty. The unbeliever will then go to Christ for the living water that only He can offer (John 4:14).

Salt irritates. Salt in an open wound is discomforting. The life of the believer causes discomfort in the wound of sin and conviction. This discomfort leads the lost to the Great Physician to receive the Balm of Gilead (Jer. 8:22).

Salt is common. Jesus did not say the believers were the silver or gold of the earth. He chose a common element to describe us. This shows that kingdom people are not the high class, the rich, the noble (1 Cor. 1:26-29). They are the common people.

Jesus compared kingdom people to light as well. This implies that they are surrounded by darkness. Darkness is symbolic for sin and that which is evil. Hell is described as a place of outer darkness (Matt. 8:12), the unbeliever is said to live and walk in darkness (1 John 2:11), 1 Peter 2:9 says that kingdom people have been “called out of darkness”.

When Jesus gave Paul his new job description as missionary to the Gentiles He said that Paul would deliver the people from darkness (Acts 26:18). It is the job of kingdom people to bring light into a dark world so that the lost can see their sin and the Savior. Lets consider some truths about this light.

This light does not originate with believers. Jesus said “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12). Believers receive the light they have from Christ. Believers are like the moon. The moon has no light within itself. It only reflects light from the sun. In the same way, believers are a reflection of Christ. The light of Jesus day came from candles or lamps. Both had to be lit by a greater light. We are the candle of verse 15. Through salvation, Christ lights us. We reflect His light in the world we live.

Light reveals sin. As the believer lives a righteous life his light will expose the evil in the world. This will have a two fold effect according to John 3:19-21. Some will hate the Light, and the one that reflects it. Others will come to the Light and have their sins forgiven. As believers we should reveal what is right and wrong by the life we live.

Light creates an environment for growth. Plants can have all the water they need, but without light they will not grow. Believers create a warm and healthy environment for themselves and one another. As believers reflect the light of Christ they not only bring people into the faith, they also nurture them in the faith.

Light cannot be hidden. The city mentioned in verse 14 is impossible to hide. It is built upon a hill, so it is elevated for all to see. At day time, obviously the sun illuminates it. At night time it can be seen as well by all the burning lamps. The church of God is obvious in this darkened world that we live. It is elevated. We are seated with Christ in the heavenlies. It is illuminated by the Son of God and even in the darkest of nights our light shines. It is impossible to hide the church of the Living God in this darkened world.

Bad salt and Bushels

Jesus asks a question. Basically He says “What happens if salt loses its flavor?” Technically this is impossible. Salt cannot lose its saltiness. However, if you did have salt that was not salty, perhaps because it was mixed with dirt or other minerals as it was gathered, that salt would be useless. It would not function in the way you needed it to function. You might as well throw it out into the yard.

Men do not light candles and then cover them. To do this would be silly because it would make the light useless and as well it would extinguish the light because there would be no oxygen for the fire to burn.

What Jesus says about salt and light is interesting. Essentially He says that light can not be hidden and men do not extinguish or cover it. Salt cannot be resalted, therefore unsalty salt is useless.

After considering this I have come to this as the conclusion of understanding the interpretation of this. Simply put, it is foolish and silly for us as salt and light not to function in the way we are supposed to. We function as salt and light as we live out the characteristics of kingdom people revealed in the beatitudes.

The goal of our functioning in the proper way is seen in verse 16. Our goal is for the world to glorify our Father in heaven. They do this as they come to faith in Christ (1 Peter 2:12). The influence of believers should be drawing men and women to Christ. As we function as light and salt we are expelling the darkness and preserving souls.

Notice that Jesus said “ye are”. There is no other plan. We are the salt and light of the world. We must influence the world as members of God’s kingdom. As we do this we are not only pleasing God by our life of virtue we are also glorifying Him through the salvation of the lost.