Daily Bread 2010 Matthew 5
Matthew 5
Salt and Light
13"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 by men.
14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither 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. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Salt and light were important commodities in the 1st century world. Salt was very important to preserve and protect the food, especially meat, from getting bad. Lighting was done a whole lot differently than we know today, with our modern forms of electricity. These two things, salt and light, were very important to guide and protect people in the society this book was written to.
And so as the writer of Matthew gives us the Sermon on the Mount that captures the essence of Jesus’ teaching, Jesus uses this metaphor to explain to his disciples what kind of difference they can make. Importantly Jesus is distinguishing what kind of life his followers would have. What would they be like and how would their influence affect the world around them? And in this passage, he describes them as being salt and light. The world back then needed these two things badly, and we also in the world badly need this type of Christian.
The question the church must ask itself as we seek to be relevant in the 21st century is, are we light in the world, and are we preserving anything? A question which we might ask ourselves is: am I a light in a dark world, and does my life preserve the integrity of the gospel? Throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus will describe what God’s kingdom is like. When we live in the power of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to be the salt and light we were meant to be. Lights are meant to shine, and salt is meant to preserve and protect. When they don’t do these things their meaning and purpose comes into question.
Prayer: God help us to be the salt and light of the world. We want to shine the light of your love and truth into the world we live in. We want to preserve the world you came to save and make a difference. Send Your Spirit so that we might shine brightly for You and lead many others to the Light of Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Salt and Light
13"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 by men.
14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither 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. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Salt and light were important commodities in the 1st century world. Salt was very important to preserve and protect the food, especially meat, from getting bad. Lighting was done a whole lot differently than we know today, with our modern forms of electricity. These two things, salt and light, were very important to guide and protect people in the society this book was written to.
And so as the writer of Matthew gives us the Sermon on the Mount that captures the essence of Jesus’ teaching, Jesus uses this metaphor to explain to his disciples what kind of difference they can make. Importantly Jesus is distinguishing what kind of life his followers would have. What would they be like and how would their influence affect the world around them? And in this passage, he describes them as being salt and light. The world back then needed these two things badly, and we also in the world badly need this type of Christian.
The question the church must ask itself as we seek to be relevant in the 21st century is, are we light in the world, and are we preserving anything? A question which we might ask ourselves is: am I a light in a dark world, and does my life preserve the integrity of the gospel? Throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus will describe what God’s kingdom is like. When we live in the power of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to be the salt and light we were meant to be. Lights are meant to shine, and salt is meant to preserve and protect. When they don’t do these things their meaning and purpose comes into question.
Prayer: God help us to be the salt and light of the world. We want to shine the light of your love and truth into the world we live in. We want to preserve the world you came to save and make a difference. Send Your Spirit so that we might shine brightly for You and lead many others to the Light of Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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