Salt and Light – Matthew 5:12-16
In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus describes his followers as salt and light in the world. This metaphor articulates a Jesus-vision for his followers to be visible disciples showing up to the places we live, work, and play.
“According to the influential historian Frederick Jackson Turner, the presence of “a continually advancing frontier line” at the “edge of free land” profoundly shaped American culture (Turner, 1893). The American frontier gave rise to a persistent culture of rugged individualism.”
– Samuel Bazzi, “The Roots and Persistence of Rugged Individualism is the United States”, 2020
Midtown itself is made up of several small neighborhood associations. Westport is one of those neighborhoods and is also one of the oldest neighborhoods in Kansas City. It got its name, West Port because it was the western most port in the United States in the mid-1800s. It was the last stop along the trail to the west for settlers to stock up on goods and supplies before venturing into the Kansas Territory.
As more and more settlers traveled out West via the nearby California, Oregon, and Santa Fe trails, the more and more Westport grew eventually becoming the sprawling city of Kansas City.
Therefore, as people of Kansas City, as pioneering and entrepreneurial as we might be, we are quite literally steeped in rugged individualism. In fact Bazzi and authors found that counties in America with longer historical exposures to frontier life and conditions “exhibit greater individualism.”
And the church not just in America but specifically in Kansas City, is not impervious to this rugged individualism. If anything we’ve allowed it to seep into our already porous ideas about religion.
Increasingly, religion has been viewed as a private matter.
Specifically, in Christian circles, this private religion or privatized religion has led to a variety of phrases like, “I am into Jesus, but not the Church. “
“For Jesus the church was never optional. Jesus was not anti-institutional. He regularly led his disciples and himself into the church of the first century which was the synagogue and temple.” – Tyler Staton, Bridgetown Church
When we examine the scriptures, Jesus was not a rugged individualist. Jesus did not believe in a privatized religion. For Jesus the church was never an option.
Three things in mind as in exploring the Sermon on the Mount:
The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech. Rather the sermon is an exemplification or personification of Jesus’ life.
The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to Him looks like. So for those of you more practically minded individuals, this is the sermon series for you.
Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice of imagination. That is to say that the specific application of Jesus' sermon given in the first century must be adjusted to apply to our moment today.
“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.”
Here Jesus is saying you, my disciples, are the salt among the people of this land. Salt in first century Palestine was most likely taken from the dead sea and was very impure.. These impurities could cause the sodium chloride to leach out of the salt essentially rendering it useless or salt without its saltiness. When this happened there was no way to restore the salt, it had to be thrown out.
In today’s society, there is a pressure in the words of religious scholar Dave Brunner “to not be too Christian.” There is a pressure to not take our religion too seriously and just to relax a bit. And yet, here Jesus is warning us, don’t lose your saltiness, don’t water down the very things that make you a disciple. If you do, you will be useless, just like salt that has lost its saltiness.
We lose our saltiness when we fall into the temptation to not take our discipleship to Jesus too seriously.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
In the ancient world, light was associated with knowledge, truth, revelation, and love.
Throughout the scriptures, light is specifically associated with Jesus as he is knowledge, truth, revelation and love.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12
When Jesus declares to his disciples in v. 14 that they are the light of the world, it is as if he is passing the light on. This is a commissioning statement. It is as if Jesus is saying I am the light that cannot be hidden, you reflect me! You bring the knowledge, truth, revelation, and love to those around you! You be Me in the world.
So to be a light to the world is to exemplify or to be the person of Jesus.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 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.”
Here Jesus gives us yet another example of visibility. He says people don’t light a lamp and put it under a basket, they keep the light visible. Visibility is a requirement of being a disciple to Jesus. Not only should you be salty or have the flavor of Jesus, but others need to see that you are a representation of Jesus. Your light cannot be invisible or it ceases to be a light.
“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.”
He shows us that shining our light is to let others see our good works.
A majority of scholars believe the good works mentioned here are in reference not only to the beatitudes but also to the set of responsibilities Jesus gives us in the rest of the sermon on the mount.
Remember, the Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech but rather the sermon is a personification of Jesus’ life. Therefore Jesus is saying, when people look at you I want them to see that you are being with Me, becoming like Me, and doing what I did.
Here is the big idea: for you to maintain your saltiness, for your light to shine, you must be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what he did. You must be the personification of the Sermon on the Mount or the personification of Jesus to the world
We must cast aside our rugged individualism and privatized religion to become a visible disciples of Jesus.
“24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” –Hebrews 10:24-25
