Matthew 5:13-16

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

Psalm 119:129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135

Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples:

“You are the salt of the earth.

But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?

It is no longer good for anything

but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

You are the light of the world.

A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.

Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;

it is set on a lampstand,

where it gives light to all in the house.

Just so, your light must shine before others,

that they may see your good deeds

and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, as I listen to your Son’s Sermon on the Mount, I pray that the seed of his Word may find good soil to grow and flourish. Help me welcome your Word, die to myself, and bear fruit for your Kingdom.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Jesus Raises Up the Humble of Heart: In the Beatitudes, Jesus proclaims that those who follow him and enter the Kingdom of Heaven are blessed, yet they are the humble, the meek, the pure of heart, and the persecuted. “Now he teaches his hearers that in spite of their marginal social situation, they actually hold a lofty position, that God works through them, in their lowly status, to redeem the world. They are the world’s salvation, even though the world regards them as cursed, as enemies” (Huizenga, Behold the Christ, 146). Just as salt transforms food and light transforms a room, Jesus’ disciples need to transform the world around them with the grace and light of Jesus. 

2. Salt of the Earth: In ancient times, salt was used to preserve meat and food and keep it from spoiling. Beef or pork, for example, was salted for long journeys at sea. Salt was a valuable commodity and even acted as a currency for Roman legionaries. They were sometimes paid in salt, and this is where we get the word “salary” from. Lastly, salt accompanied many of the sacrifices offered in the Temple in Jerusalem. By calling his followers the “salt of the earth,” he is suggesting that their existence and their discipleship sustain the world. They are valuable, pearls of great price, in the world. Their work is a pleasing sacrifice to God. In the same breath, Jesus gives his disciples a warning: They can fail and fall away, and, if this happens, they will meet a bad end (see Huizenga, Behold the Christ, 146).

3. Light of the World: By calling his disciples, the “light of the world,” Jesus refers back to the original vocation of Israel to be a “light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). Israel struggled to be faithful to their calling and often became like the pagan nations instead of a light to them. Jesus warns his disciples not to hide their light from the world. They need to give the light they have received from God through Jesus and in the Spirit to the entire household. The city set upon a mountain is the Church, “established by God’s building hands in the midst of the world and yet also above it. The Christian cannot help it if God has placed and established him in the midst of the world, to watch over the world, to be watched by the world. … Christians are not their own architects and masters. The city is the dwelling of the saints, the City of God, and this polis [city] gathers up the surrounding world around itself and acts as its center and source of meaning. To it all the nations stream for strength, instruction, and protection” (Leiva-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy, Heart of the World: Vol I, 207).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I pray that I may be salt and light. Help me to give flavor to my preaching of your Gospel and enlighten the minds of those around me with your light. May I never lose my saltiness or extinguish the flame of your love.

Living the Word of God: How can I be salt in the life of those around me? How am I seasoning the world around me? Am I preserving the peace of the New Covenant and bringing it into the world around me? Have I lost my saltiness? Am I boring, dull, and tasteless in my proclamation of the Gospel?