Sermon on the Mount: Salt and Light

Sermon on the Mount – Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-16

Matthew 5:13–16 ESV

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.

1. Introduction – Way back at the beginning of this series, I mentioned that the Sermon on the Mount isn’t simply a list of rules we need to keep.

a. It’s not 3 chapters filled with what we should be doing as Christians.

i. First, Jesus tells his followers who they are – they he instructs them on what to do.

1. And that’s grace. Reminding us of who we are as God’s people…

a. But because we are God’s people, we are to be on mission for God.

b. And in today’s passage we have a crossing of the two.

i. Jesus tells his followers who they are – and then he tells them the implications of who they are.

1. To describe his follower’s role in the world Jesus uses 2 metaphors – salt and light.

a. Now I want us to think about this statement with the flow of the whole Sermon on the Mount.

i. We jus finished the Beatitudes…and the last Beatitude was a solemn reminder that if we are living out the essential characteristics as described in the Beatitudes, we will be persecuted.

2. If we are poor in spirit, mournful, meek, hungering and thirsting after righteousness…

a. If we are merciful, pure in heart and peacemakers, we can expect pushback and persecution from the world.

i. It’s what happens when God’s work is brought in to a world that is hostile towards God.

c. But here’s what we must understand, just because we will experience persecution – it doesn’t mean we are to run away and hide.

i. We aren’t to keep to ourselves…Jesus foresees this as a problem, so immediately after teaching on persecution…

1. He tells his followers that they need to be on mission in the world.

a. His followers are to penetrate the world, like salt and light.

d. Today, we’ll look at these 2 metaphors of the Christian life.

i. We’ll discover the cultural relevance of salt and light.

1. We’ll discuss what each metaphor says about our world.

a. We’ll look at what each metaphor says about us.

i. There’s a warning attached to each metaphor, we’ll see what those are all about, and we’ll close today by looking at v.16 – the purpose of it all.

ii. Hear God’s Word – Matthew 5:13-16.

2. Structure – Before we set out to answer those questions today,

a. I first want us to look at the structure of these verses.

i. Jesus uses 2 metaphors to describe the Christians life, and there’s a similar structure to each one.

1. If we understand HOW the passage is written, it can help us better understand what is written.

b. Each metaphor starts out with a “you are” statement. You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world.

i. Now, there’s a few things that I want us to take note of from these statements.

1. First – Jesus tells his followers what they already are.

a. He isn’t saying – someday – if you try really hard, you’ll be salt and light.

i. He didn’t say, “you should be salt…you ought to be light.”

2. He is telling them what they already are…you are already…

a. Because of their relationship with Jesus…

i. Because of our relationship with Jesus…we are already salt and light.

1. Not something to strive for…something we already are.

c. Secondly, take note of the world “the.”

i. It’s an oft-used world, one that is easily overlooked.

1. But Jesus is telling followers that they are the only source of salt and light in the world.

a. It could say, “You are the very salt…you are the only light.

i. Not one light among many…but THE light.

1. Not one seasoning among many in the spice rack…but THE salt.

ii. The word ‘the’…not simply a filler word, but really important.

1. And Finally notice the scope…universally influencing.

a. Salt of…the earth…light of…the whole world.

i. Sure, you can work in your small corner of the world…I can work in mine…

1. But when every Christian everywhere, each influences their own corner of the world for Jesus…

a. Our saltiness…our light has universal reach.

d. After making the initial “you are” statements, Jesus next makes what I’ll call an “impossible” statement.

i. What if salt loses its saltiness? This is actually impossible.

1. A city on a hill can’t been hidden. A city, especially nowadays with street lights and billboards and such…cities can’t be hidden. Especially elevated ones. It was true in Jesus’ day, still true today.

a. So if salt can’t lose its saltiness…if lighted cities can’t be hidden, what are we to make of these 2 statements?

i. We’ll look at that in just a bit.

ii. Next, there’s a warning – useless salt is discarded and thrown to the street.

1. Don’t light your lamp then hid the light. The purpose isn’t being fulfilled if salt is discarded on the street and light is being hidden.

a. And at the end of this section, in v.16 – Jesus gives us the purpose of being salt and light in the world.

i. Not fame and fortune…not adulation and praise – but we are salt and light…and really by light Jesus clarifies that he means “good works” – we do those so that people will recognize the source – God…and give him glory.

3. The Metaphors – So when looking at these metaphors there’s a lot that we have to consider.

a. Salt and light are common household items. Light is pretty self-explanatory.

i. Whether a candle, a lamp, a chandelier or a ceiling fan…light is used to illuminate dark places.

1. Salt – especially in the ancient world had many different uses. Still does today.

a. Salt is used to season, to preserve, to clean, and even kill bacteria.

i. Before the refrigerators and deep freezers were invented, people would rub salt on to meat to keep it from going rancid.

1. It was an ancient way of preserving meat.

b. Salt is an all-purpose element…useful for many different things…and a perfect image for a Christian’s work in the world.

ii. But using these 2 images, salt and light – Jesus speaks about the kind of influence Christians are to have in the world.

1. Yes, we will be persecuted by the world – but we will still have influence over it – the way salt influences the taste of food – the way light eliminates darkness.

a. These metaphors are actually an encouragement to Jesus’ followers.

i. Remember – Jesus is right at the beginning of this ministry.

1. He doesn’t have a huge follower – and the disciples he chose were a motely crew from all different backgrounds.

a. But from the outset – Jesus says to this small, rag-tag group – you are the salt of the earth – you will influence it.

i. You are the light of the world…you will light it up.

ii. How encouraging that must have been for them…how inspiring it is for us now!

4. Our World – And while the metaphors tell us a lot about the Christian life…they also tell us a lot about the state and nature of the world we live in.

a. If the world is in need of light…if the world needs Christians to shine their lights in it…it implies that the world is a dark place.

i. If the world needs Christian to salt it – and whether that means preserving it from decay or seasoning it with a nice flavour…

1. It means that left to its own ways and devices, the world we will in is prone to go rancid…is prone to decay.

a. The world is subject to decay – to going rotten – like meat that wasn’t properly prepare for preservation.

ii. The Apostle Paul describes this at the end of Romans 1.

1. If man ignores the laws of God…if humanity ignores or denies the very existence of God…they are subject to all kinds of moral decay.

a. They trade natural relations for unnatural ones.

i. They worship images of birds and animals instead of worshipping God.

1. They think up all kinds of weird and wacky things they think God is like.

ii. They trade the truth of God for a lie.

1. Paul wrote these words in the middle of the 1st century…but it very well could have been written this morning.

a. Because this describes the world we live in – it describes what happens when people trade the truth of God for a lie.

i. It because like spoiled meat. Rotten, rancid, putrid.

iii. It happened before Paul’s day, during Paul’s day, after Paul’s day, and in every generation since…and this kind of moral decay and grossness is running wild in our day.

5. Our Response – This is the world we live in. Dark and prone to moral decay.

a. We see it all around us.

i. And when we see it…what’s our reaction?

1. Usually we are horrified – we long for the good old days when things were better.

a. We’re shocked, we disgusted by the world.

i. When the world is going to hell in a handbag – when society goes bad, when it spoils – Christians tend to throw their hands up in pious horror and reproach.

2. But here’s the thing – we can’t really blame unsalted and unpreserved meat for going bad…

a. It’s what it does…it wants to go bad. The world is simply doing what the world naturally does.

i. When society goes bad…we should really reproach ourselves…where was the salt?

1. When the world goes dark…where was the light?

ii. We should long for the good old days, or reproach the world for its rottenness…we should ask ourselves why the salt wasn’t more influential.

1. Why wasn’t the salt spread more vigorously into the moral fabric of society?

a. Why wasn’t the light shone brightly into the dark corners of our world?

b. But here’s the thing we need to know about salt.

i. It has to touch whatever it is it’s supposed to influence.

1. Think about your meals. Say your chicken or beef or casserole lacks flavour – you reach for the salt shaker…

a. But all you do is set the shaker beside your plate.

i. That salt is useless to you as all as it stays in the shaker. There’s no osmosis happening, not proximity effect…salt being near your food isn’t going to influence the taste of your food.

1. You have to shake it out.

b. Same with Christians being salt – we can’t influence the world from afar. We can never influence it if we never interact with it.

i. We can’t influence the world if we only sit in a salt mine…watching the world decay around us.

ii. As Christians – we need to be in the world…influencing it.

1. Seasoning it with God’s Word. As Christians Jesus tells us we are the preserving agent to keep the world from moral decay.

c. But while we are influencing the world…we must also recognize that we are fundamentally different than the world around us.

i. Salt is different than what it is seeking to influence.

1. Salt your food to add flavour. 1st century people rubbed salt on to meat because it is different than the meat…and that preserved it.

a. Light is fundamentally different than darkness.

i. As such, as the salt of the earth, as the light of the world…we are fundamentally different than the world.

ii. As we shouldn’t shy away from our differentness.

1. Things go awry when the church is influenced by the world…or when the church downplays its differences.

a. If we want to influence the world…season it, keep it from the decay and rot – we have to recognize our saltiness…and use your saltiness TO influence.

2. Recognize that light is different than darkness – and as Jesus said we can’t hide our lights.

a. What good is a flashlight if you never turn it on?

i. Again, we have to penetrate the darkness with the light we have as Christians.

1. As salt and light to the world – we have a responsibility to the world to season it, to preserve it, to light it up with the light of Christ.

6. Impossible – While giving these 2 images, Jesus actually gives 2 what I’m calling impossible statements.

a. Technically and scientifically speaking – salt can’t lose it’s saltiness…it can’t be anything but salt.

i. I’m not chemist, but I know a couple…maybe they can explain it further.

1. It’s impossible for a light city on a hill to be hidden.

a. So why are these statements included? If salt can’t lose its saltiness – what does Jesus mean?

ii. Well, while salt can’t lose it’s saltiness…it can be mixed with other things and thus become useless.

1. Especially in the ancient world, when they didn’t have salt mines and ways to purify the salt…

a. They got slabs of salt from the Dead Sea, and sometimes that salt was mixed with sand or gypsum.

i. So if salt was too influenced by other elements…it would be useless.

1. So in that manner – a Christian loses his or her saltiness when we are too influenced by the world.

2. We lose our saltiness when people don’t see us as different.

a. We lose our saltiness when we lose our influence with the people around us.

iii. We must make sure that doesn’t happen.

1. As salt of the earth, we must make sure we are the influencers and not being influenced.

a. We must not have our salt mixed with anything else…so we can be in the world…seasoning and preserving it.

7. Good Work – And finally today, I want us to take a look at v.16.

a. It comes after Jesus’ image about light – and here he tells us our light is the good works we do.

i. Now, there seems to be a little bit of a contradiction between this verse and the beginning of chapter 6 where Jesus tells us NOT to do our good deeds publicly.

1. Was Jesus talking out of both sides of his mouth here?

ii. No – each verse has its own implications.

1. The decisive different is purpose. In our text here, the purpose is good…bringing glory to God.

a. In 6:1 – the purpose is bad…bringing glory to ourselves.

iii. We must be very careful that when we shine our light – do our good deeds – we are shing light on who God is and not on who we are.

1. We work in our world…we are salt and light to the world around us so that people will recognize God and glorify him.

8. Conclusion - With 2 common household items – Jesus tells his followers who they are what they need to be doing.

a. We are the salt of the earth. We are here to influence and preserve the world.

i. And even though we may think ourselves powerless, we actually have great power to influence…we have the power of the gospel to preserve it form moral decay.

1. And we are the light of the world.

a. We are to shine the source of our light – Jesus Christ – into the darkness of the world.

i. The purpose of our lives is to lift the veil from the Father’s face and display something of God’s glory in to our world.

b. Christian, don’t lose your saltiness by being influenced by the world.

i. And don’t hide your light…instead…as the children song says…

1. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.