Matthew 5:11-16
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
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When we think of salt - what's the first thing that we
think of? It's probably the taste. It’s the way that salt makes food tasty. It's easy to read this verse, and to think
that this is the point that Jesus is making - that we as Christians make life
more flavorful. And this is partly
correct.
But when Jesus spoke to the crowd, their ideas about
salt were a little bit different than ours.
Salt was used to preserve foods.
The people knew that fish would rot after a day or two - but when they were
packed in salt they would last for a very long time.
Salt did something to the food, to make the bad go
away.
Our lives are filled with light. When the electricity goes off, we still have
hours of power on our phones or other gadgets.
There is a flashlight on my phone that is always available. I'm never in the dark.
Did you know that scholars believe that 100 years ago
people used to sleep differently than we do now? Many scholars believe that people went to bed
when it got dark, slept for a few hours, woke up for a few hours, and then went
back to bed for a few hours. We have
more hours of dark than our bodies need sleep and this is what our bodies
naturally do without the distraction of lights and Facebook.
Being afraid of the dark is common enough for children
- but even most adults can be frightened if they are found in absolute
darkness. [turn off all the lights] The Old Testament talks about hospitality and
welcoming strangers so often, because the alternative was horrifying. If you were caught outside outside of the
city at night, it was a world of absolute darkness. It was the light that would save you.
In days when
walking between cities could take a full day - the only option was to leave
early in the morning and hope to make it there by nightfall. Imagine that you have walked the whole day,
and night has come. You are still on the
roads - the places where thieves and robbers thrive and where wild beasts own
the streets – how do you know that the city is close? If it is a city on a hill
- you are entirely dependent on the lights in the city to guide your way. If you are traveling in the dark, the light
of the city is your only hope and your only salvation.
The light is the only thing that could make the bad go
away.
When Jesus calls us to be salt and light, He is
calling us to be more than a tasty treat or a modern convenience.
He is calling us to help make the bad go away. He is calling us to live out our faith in
such a way, that we make the world better by pushing out what is evil. When we are called to be salt and light we
are called to save people.
Because what’s the point of unsalty salt – it’s just a
rock at that point. It can’t keep food
from spoiling and it can’t make food taste better. A city on a hill hidden is a death sentence
to those searching for the city.
Christianity sucks when it is self centered. When the whole point of a Christian's life
focuses on making himself better or getting rid of all the sin in her life or
figuring out what his personal theology is on the subject of how many angels
can fit on the point of pin - when Christians focus on themselves instead of
others, Christians get really ugly.
When we focus on ourselves and our main goal is to
save what we had and what we were instead of focusing on the people around us -
we cave in on ourselves. We want to grow
as a ministry not because we like having a full room, but because we honestly
believe in the Jesus that we talk about.
We honestly believe that Jesus saves people from all the ugliness and
sin that the world has to offer. And we
honestly believe that Jesus uses us to help make that a reality.
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a
bowl. [Put candle under glass bowl] I
have read this for years and thought – “well, of course, no one can see the lit
lamp under the bowl. What a shame that
everyone misses out on that light.
But this week I’ve been thinking about this more and
more.
What happens when the candle is put under a bowl? Well – for a while it is hidden - but we chose a clear glass bowl to show what
everyone listening to Jesus would have understood.
After a little bit of time, the lamp will go out. Once the oxygen is gone, the candle will go
out. If we hid the light of Jesus Christ
under a bowl – it keeps that light from those around us --- but it also
destroys the light that we have. We can
only keep this to ourselves for so long.
But when it’s on a lamp stand, it can provide a great
light to everyone around and it doesn’t burn out.
Jesus calls us to be salt and light. And that means that we must go out of this
place and live out what we honestly believe.
We have friends who are hurting and in pain. People that we love are struggling and
failing. And God wants us to make their
bad go away. It’s for them – that they
might find the light of Christ – but it’s for us as well. If we don’t live out our faith it slowly
fades away.
God wants us to be salt and light and to challenge
what is wrong and to make it good.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement,
had three general rules that he asked the people to follow.
Do no harm.
Do good.
Stay in love with God.
These simple rules are a powerful force against the
darkness of this world, don't you think?
I want us to read these verses again. I started with this verse for a reason. When we step up and work to make the bad go
away ... there will be a lot more bad first.
When we stand up for what we believe in, it is not always popular. If it was popular and easy, everyone would be
doing it. But Jesus reminds us that our
reward is in heaven. There is tremendous
joy in seeing someone's life changed from sadness and darkness to great
light. There is joy in being salt and
preserving the good and casting out the bad.
But, it is often painful and difficult.
Jesus wants us to do it anyway.
Dear friends, go forth this day - and be salt and
light. Find the real places where you
can do good, and do it.
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