How would you like to spend a period of time in a dimly lit room, eating nothing but some type of tasteless cooked cereal? Most of us wouldn’t like that, as we prefer our food to be flavored, and we enjoy sunlight. That is why one of the first things I do every day is open up the shades in my home to let the sunlight in. I also flavor my food to a moderate amount. Jesus likes light and flavoring, too. However, rather than referring to the spice rack in the kitchen and sunlight through a window, He is referring to desiring His followers to be that in the world around them. Let’s look into our short Scripture passage today from the Gospel of St. Matthew.
As our Scripture opens, Jesus was seated on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, and was preaching a message, today known as the Sermon on the Mount. He told His followers that they are the salt of the earth (vs. 13). Salt enhances taste. It flavors food which might otherwise be bland, which is why it is added to many recipes. Salt was also used in the ancient world as a preservative. Before refrigeration, salt was used to preserve meat and other foods, as it would prevent decay.
This is what Jesus wants us to be in the world. Today the world is morally and spiritually decaying. Jesus wants us to go out into the world and be salt. As His disciples, our godly lives and Gospel witness can help to restrain corruption. As we act as salt with our Christian living, we can show an alternative to the corrupting ways of the world, and point them to Jesus for salvation. Our presence should bring moral clarity and a spiritual attractiveness that brings a desired flavor to the world’s decay. The Apostle Paul tells us that our speech, the way we talk and act, should always be as seasoning to others (Colossians 4:6). As we all know from experience, salt causes thirst. When those who don’t know Jesus see how we handle problems, illnesses, or suffering, they will thirst to know how we do it, and then we can tell them about what Jesus can do in their lives
Salt in Jesus’ day was often mixed with impurities. If the true salt leached out, what remained was useless. If a professing believer loses their distinctiveness, their witness becomes ineffective. Compromising one's beliefs and the truth of God’s Word will destroy one's testimony. If we lose our flavor, if our beliefs become watered down, if our words and actions do not display true faith in Jesus Christ, then we lose our influence and we are of little value to the Kingdom of God.
The second thing Jesus told His followers is that they are light (vs. 14-16). One thing that light does is that it reveals. In a dark room you will stumble around, bumping into whatever is there that you can’t see. When a light is turned on, then you can see and avoid the obstacles. As light, believers reveal the truth about God, about sin, and about salvation. We are to shine as lights in the middle of a crooked and perverse world (Philippians 2:15). We are a light in the darkness. We are watched. The world may hate the light, but there will be some attracted to it. We must let our light shine.
Light also reflects off of objects. Jesus is the true Light (John 8:12). We shine only because we reflect Him. This is borrowed light, just like the moon reflecting the sun. Jesus said that we are not to let our light be hidden, but rather be the light on a lampstand or a beacon from a city on a hill. A genuine Christian is visible against the corrupt and perverse world. Our lives are meant to be public testimonies. No one lights a lamp to hide it. Likewise, God saved us to shine, not to retreat. Our testimony is meant to illuminate our sphere of influence.
Light shines most effectively when it is not hidden. Light is brightest when the lamp is kept clean. We need to eliminate sinful attitudes and practices which dims our testimony for Jesus. Light reveals what is hidden in the darkness. It serves to warn of danger and guides to safety. This is what the Lord wants us to be for a lost world.
As believers, we represent the family of God. The world will judge our Father based on our words, behavior, and our attitudes. Jesus challenges His followers to let their light shine into the world’s spiritual darkness, and be the salt to flavor and preserve against an increasingly corrupt and perverse world. Our deeds, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, will reflect an image of God that others will see. Remember, this world is dark and decaying. As Christians, we are not called to blend in but to stand out.
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