Salt and Light (a look at Matthew 5:13-16)

Matthew 5:13 'Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men.'

These days, most of us know salt as a condiment, something to add flavor to cooking. But in the time Matthew wrote this, salt was extremely valuable. Kings paid armies in salt, it was used to preserve foods. So Jesus saying, 'Ye are the salt of the earth ...' he was saying that you are something of high value, not to be wasted. But if something happens to you that destroys your value (your saltiness) how are you to be made salty again? So we are to PRESERVE our relationship with Jesus, and not let it be wasted by things we might do trying to pursue other 'savours'.

Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Have you ever been driving along at night, and see those search light type lights sweeping across the sky? The kind that are used for things like store grand openings or to draw your attention to some event like a movie premiere. This light is saying to you, "Come look and see! This is something you don't want to miss! Hey you! COME HERE!!!" Jesus is telling his disciples that we are to be the light that draws others to Him. We are to draw others' attention to Christ. As a child, I read verse 14 of this part and thought to myself, "Well of COURSE you can't hide a city on a hill!" I completely misunderstood the point. Jesus was pointing out that a city wants to be where it is easy to see. Granted, it can often times draw those wishing to attack the city, but more importantly, it draws those seeking the city. Merchants, travelers, farmers with crops to sell in the city's market place. A city needs to be seen. And while candles get less and less use these days, I think an accurate translation of verse 15 might say something like, 'if you want to use your lamp, don't leave it unplugged. Plug it in and put it on the table where everyone will be able to see it.'

Like the spotlight, Jesus wants us to draw others to Him. Shine the light for others to see, live your life in such a way that not only do people know that you are a Christian, they see by your life that being a Christian is something that (if they aren't already themselves) they would find Truth in.

Yes, we know that it is by Grace through which we are saved, and that our works cannot get US into heaven. But by our actions, we can attract others to the message that we offer! Something I've said for a number of years is that while it is very true that "faith without works is dead, but works without faith doesn't really do all that much either."

There are also Christians out there that will take their spotlight, and rather than try to use it to draw others to Jesus, will use it to shine their light on what others are doing wrong. We aren't supposed to compare others to ourselves. After all, compared to Jesus, we're ALL as sinful as the worst resident of Sodom. There's just no way that our own actions can justify our passing judgement on others. So, we are to use our lives as a beacon drawing others to Christ.