Matthew 5:13-16 "Salt and Light"

Introduction

Our text this morning comes from the greatest sermon ever preached. It is often referred to as the “Sermon on the Mount” and it was preached by the Lord Jesus Himself.

He is preaching from a mountain side with His disciples and the crowds gathered around Him.

The overall instruction deals with life in the Kingdom and what that looks like when it comes to the actions of His followers as they live in the world.

Our specific passage challenges us to think and live with a missional purpose as Christians in the world.

As Christians what is it that we are supposed to be doing and why are we to be doing it at the practical level?

The answer to this question is the foundational truth behind what drives our motivation and purpose when it comes to making disciples in the world.

We have been dealing with this over the last few weeks and this morning we see that Jesus informs our understanding even further by using two metaphorical examples out of every day life. Look at the first of these Metaphorical examples in verse 13*:

I. The Metaphorical Examples (13-15).

The Example of Salt (13).

Notice that He tells His disciples and followers that they are the salt of the earth.

Though there are many uses of salt in the ancient world, Jesus is using salt in the sense of how it seasons food. We know this because He refers to salt loosing its taste.

And He proposes the question that if salt looses its taste how can its saltiness be restored? And the obvious rhetorical answer is that it can’t be restored to saltiness.

He doesn’t give the answer because everyone knows that it can’t be restored. We know this because He adds that it is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and be stepped on under the feet of people.

Salt that looses it’s saltiness can no longer fulfill the purpose of tasting salty and thereby it looses all of it’s ability to season food. The second example is in 14-15*. Look back at your text:

The Example of Light (14-15).

Like salt, light is a common thing and Jesus refers to His disciples and followers as the light of the world. Like a city set on a hill can’t be hidden neither can light be hidden.

Cities in ancient times were set on hills so they could be seen from a distance. This is so when their GPS was on the blink they could still see the city from a distance.

Even when it was night lights from the city could still be seen and people traveling could maintain their bearings as they journeyed.

It may very well be that Jesus had the city of Jerusalem in mind here as the geographical landscape is set in Mount Moriah.

But the metaphor of a city on a hill was referring to His covenant people. And the City is the light of the world.

Ronald Reagan in a famous speech of his, once made a reference to this city on a hill being America. This is not what Jesus was referring to. It is the Church.

The city with all its light being unable to be hidden is compared to a lamp that is lit and then hid under a basket. That doesn’t make any sense.

People don’t light lamps and then hide the light. They put the light on a stand to give everyone in the house light so they can see.

Now in times past I have preached this text and really drove home the 101 ways of being salt and light in the world. Certainly there is some secondary implications of that in this text.

But this is not the primary point of this text. The text like much of the teaching of our Lord it is dealing with something very simplistic that is derived from the practical implications of both salt and light.

The two metaphors are making one and the same point of practical application. This is why only the light metaphor is used to derive the application in verse 16. Look back at your text.

II. The Practical Application (16).

The application is revealed by way of contrast. Like light is not meant to be hidden but to give light so others may see; so are we to let our light shine before others.

You do remember the song right? “This little light of mine”

Jesus doesn’t say light your lamp. He presupposes that you as a lamp have already been lit. The problem is that by implication the light has been put under a basket.

Christian if you have been born again by the Holy Spirit then God has already lit your lamp and the light is on. The point is that the world needs to see the light.

The world sees the light through good works being displayed in our lives. Now you can go back to our context to verses 1-12 and see a summary of Kingdom character that Jesus gives us in the be-attitudes.

But in reality all that Jesus has taught us we are to strive to live out in the reflection of His gospel having done its work in us.

Christian we have been redeemed to do good works in this world. God has chosen us and appointed us to this. He has already planned the works for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We are to do good works as light to the world. Obedience to Christ in doing good works is light to the world. This results in the ultimate purpose of the good works being fulfilled.

The Purpose

“so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”

So doing good works like gospel proclamation and disciple making is in the end bringing glory to God.

Feeding the hungry and clothing the naked and visiting the sick are in the end bringing glory to God.

Yes, all these things and more but if our purpose ends with us being seen by others out of an expression of our own vanity then we miss the mark and undermine our purpose.

This is why gospel transformation has to change our hearts first before we can live in the Kingdom reality.

Christians are not really lights in and of themselves. Christians are more like reflectors on a bicycle. Reflectors shine when light from another source hits them.

So do Christians, In God’s providential plan His work of redemption has prepared work for us to do as we live for Kingdom advancement in this world for the glory of God.

One of the greatest challenges to living out the mission of the Kingdom in the Church is the four walls of the buildings that we worship in becoming the basket that keeps the light from shinning. It is comfortable.

Certainly the culture wants it that way but the Lord of glory has called us to be a light in a dark world.

There are many enemies of the Kingdom but there are many in deep need of the light enabling them to see the glory of God.

John Lovelace story (Lakota Indians).

Conclusion

You see salt and light as a metaphor are really teaching us about our supreme purpose in the world. The glorification of God through doing the God appointed works that He has for us to do in gospel ministry.

If we are not going to be obedient to Him then we are saltless and under a basket. And sometimes we even wonder why as Christians we feel so dead. Or we wonder why the world isn’t coming to Christ.

Christian you have work to do. How do I know? You are still breathing. (Anna Helm)

Believer: Confess and receive His grace.

Unbeliever: Let’s pray!