You Are Salt; Light

Introduction: Today we are continuing our Study of the Life of Christ and we find ourselves in Matthew 5 the sermon on the mount. Over the last 9 weeks we have been specifically looking at each of the Beatitudes as a glimpse into kingdom of living.

Jesus shows us what it looks like to live under the authority of the Kingdom of heaven. He shows us how distinctly different His Kingdom is than any other earthly Kingdom. His values are plainly different. Today we continue on through this sermon with the hope of connecting each part of it to previous statements our Lord has made.

Matthew 5:1–16 (CSB)

1 When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.

2 Then he began to teach them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me.

12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

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

15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are 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 in heaven.

I. What does it cost to be Salt and Light?

In this passage it is no coincidence that Jesus teaches us on what those who live for him can expect. Two weeks ago Will preached on persecution and immediately following that part of Jesus Sermon is this proclamation that we are “Salt and Light”. This idea can be summed up by the following passage:

John 3:19–20 (CSB)

19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.

20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed.

As we stated and saw that all of these ideas found in this sermon are connected. If there is any doubt that Jesus is still speaking about the Kingdom. We can look at verses:

Matthew 5:10 (CSB)

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

and

Matthew 5:20 CSB

20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

In the middle of these two proclamations is this idea of being Salt and Light. So we know that the overarching theme of the Kingdom is still the main focus.

What does is mean to be Salt in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Matthew 5:13 (CSB)

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

You Are the Salt of the Earth Because....

1. The symbolism of salt.

In the O.T. Salt was often used as a way to represent God’s enduring covenant with his people. So when Jesus proclaims his disciples as Salt. It is very possible that they would have understood this idea in light of the covenants that God had made with Israel. They were his covenant people.

2. Because of it’s value

In today’s society because of our mining techniques and our ability to collect salt from the sea, salt is not considered all that valuable. In Jesus day however, people could be paid in Salt. That is where the phrase of “your not worth your salt? comes. Jesus was telling them to understand the value of what he had called them into.

3. Because of it’s properties.

One of Salts primary functions was its usage in preservation of food. In fact it was one of the few methods they had to preserve food. Salt could hold back corruption. This is Another reason why Salt was so valuable. At times it was a matter of life and death to be able to preserve food for the coming season.

B. “But if the Salt should lose its taste, How can it be made Salty?”

Salt actually cannot lose it’s salinity. However, in the ancient world the salt they used was not pure salt. They didn’t have the process to separate all of the other minerals from the salt. They would mine it from the shores of the dead sea. So the salt could be leeched out and all that was left behind were minerals that did not serve a purpose. This is what Jesus was referring too.

The phrase “lose it’s taste” comes from a greek word meaning “to make foolish”

Now Jesus asks this question: How can it be made salty again. Now I have to admit this question was very puzzling to me. It’s not that I didn’t understand what was being asked but rather I wrestled with the implications.

Was Jesus saying it is possible for his followers to lose all of the properties that come with being Christ and that it than was impossible for them to return to a right relationship with the Lord? Well the rest of scripture teaches us that isn’t true. So what was the Lord implying.

He was saying that if all the Salt is gone what exists to take its place? The answer is nothing. Now understanding what we just talked about in the properties of Salt, that Salt holds back and fights against corruption, if there is no salt left there will be nothing to take its place.

C. “It is good for nothing...”

This idea of being salt is not so much about you but about your function as a disciple of Christ.

Why did Jesus call us the Light of the World and yet make the claim that He was the Light?

Matthew 5:14 CSB

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

Because we are His image bearers. We reflect his light

John 1:1–5 CSB

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

A foolish Act

Matthew 5:15 CSB

15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.

Notice we have the same idea of foolishness associated with not living out our function as disciples of Christ as light as we did with salt.

In other words it would be utter foolishness for a disciple of Christ not to be shining.

There is somewhat of a rehtorical question built into this passage. What else would you use a lamp for but to produce light for those who are around.

Being Salt and Light has nothing to do with being accepted by the world around us, but rather it is about us showing the world the standard by which they will be judged(God’s holiness and character) and the remedy for their condemnation.

Application:

It is foolishness for us to hide who we are in Christ and hide the message of Christ in order to show the world Christ.

It is foolishness to believe the world will accept our witness when they did not Accept Christ’s

John 1:9–12 CSB

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name,

By your mere existence as a disciple of Christ you are Salt and Light. Expect to be treated as such.