Salt and Light

 

The metaphors of salt and light in the Bible call Christians to actively influence the world positively. As salt, they are to preserve goodness and enhance the quality of life around them. As light, they are to provide guidance and be visible examples of righteousness. This is from biblestudytools.com

 

The scripture text presents us with two short and to the point transition statements.

Both are easily remembered and easily repeated. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.

The statements are boldly made without interpretation or explanation.

These two statements are the connective tissue between the Beatitudes, Blessed are, and Jesus’ teachings on the Law, You have heard it said.

 

These two statements continue from the last Beatitude, “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you.” The YOU is plural. It is not about a single person but rather a corporate you. This kindom work, that Jesus’ is and will be teaching about, cannot be done alone; it is relational work therefore it must be done together. In like manner, YOU are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world, the YOU is plural. You as the body of Christ. One grain of salt or one charged electron goes untasted, unseen. It takes many grains and many electrons to be tasted salt and visible light. Within the language the two statements are not just of the earth, of the world, but, FOR the earth, FOR the world, not for yourselves – light is put on a hill so that it is visible. Matthew’s Gospel is preparing listens for the grande finale of the Great commission at end of the Gospel – go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, teaching them.

 

Praise the Lord for two clear statements!  -object lessons in a sense –

(sigh) only to be followed by a complicated section that begins, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law…

Some scholars deem this section the most difficult in the whole Gospel. It is peculiar to Matthew’s Gospel. It is full of ambiguous terms with tension between clauses and other passages. Editor’s hands have been at work to make sense of what Matthew was trying to articulate. There are no satisfying explanations.

What the ambiguity does do, however, is spark our curiosity to try and figure it out. One item we find is an important note about the context of 1^st century Judaism.  Jews of Jesus’ time highly regarded scripture; scripture was holy-inspired with God as the ultimate author. Rabbis and teachers, whether Pharisee, Sadducee, Essene, or other group revered and used Hebrew scripture. They were united in this. Where they did not agree was in the interpretation and application of the scripture. We see this lived out in confrontations between Jesus and other scripture reading groups, most often the Pharisees. We see interpretation at work in Matthew’s Gospel as he freely altered some of the quotes he used from scripture.

 

The rest of Matthew chapter 5, that following what we have read this morning, is Jesus’ interpretation and teaching of the Law. Jesus is teacher and the disciples are the class. At times there are others who listen in, auditing the class so to speak. I kind of picture chapter 5 like teaching confirmation class. After church this morning, the confirmation class meets. The class will focus on learning about the Commandments as printed in Luther’s Small Catechism, so including Luther’s interpretations and applications for each Commandment. Part of the class we will concentrate on applying the 5^th Commandment, you shall not kill. Using a spectrum each student is invited to decide where they stand on various applications of the law. Is it okay to kill a mosquito? Is polluting the environment breaking the commandment? Does it break the commandment to euthanize a sick dog? To shoot animals for sport? In times of war, can you kill another human being? What about abortion, MAID? As the exercise continues, each described situation becomes more difficult to discern how to interpret and apply the law.

 

There is nothing easy about Jesus’ discourse on the Law.

But before we get there, we are gifted with two clear bold statements. Statements that can be repeated when we get confounded and confused, when conversations get convoluted or commandeered. Matthew gifts us with two statements that centre our minds and call our hearts back to the core. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.

 

(Hold up a saltshaker and a light bulb)

 

Salt and light – an object lesson.

 

Of all the objects Jesus’ could have used, he chose salt and light.

How many of you have salt at home? How many of you have lightbulbs or candles at home? At the church we have shakers full of salt and we have lots of light sources.

There are few places where humans are that you won’t find both salt and light. Both are in your home, in the home of your neighbour, in the home of your enemy, in refugee camps, in shelters, in camp sites, in war trenches, in bunkers, in prison, in hospitals, in asylums, in zoos, in conservatories, on airplanes, on space expeditions, on death row. There is a universality of salt and light. Both affect the human condition.

 

One thing I learn from the abundance of salt and light, is that salt and light are already present. When we go into the world - salt and light are already there before we get there. God is already there, as is kindom in various stages of wholeness. When we go, we enhance the quality of both salt and light already present.

 

I think Jesus chose that which is simple and common because the very presence of salt and light acts as a mnemonic device, continually centring our minds and calling our hearts to the two statements. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. The statements are in our face, as the continual reminder that we are a community – a plural YOU- who lives in relationship and together applies the law and how it is that we approach and live every moment of life.

 

This week every time you turn on a light switch, light a candle, obey a traffic light, use the flashlight on your phone… Be reminded that You are the light of the world. Every time you put salt on your food, eat a salty potato chip, use Epsom salts for sore muscles, or put salt down after shovelling… Be reminded that, You are the salt of the earth. Centred and called YOU are a connected to a community. You are a community, flavouring and illuminating the world – many grains, many electrons together enhancing the wholeness of God’s kindom.

 

The metaphors of salt and light in the Bible call Christians to actively influence the world positively. As salt, they are to preserve goodness and enhance the quality of life around them. As light, they are to provide guidance and be visible examples of righteousness.