“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
I’m not going to engage in preacherese here and talk about symbols, the use of salt in the ancient world, light as a metaphor for goodness, and all that stuff. Who cares?
The point, I think, is to understand what Jesus wants us to do with the idea that we hold a transformative role in culture. America is in the grip of tremendous changes, and believers have a wonderful opportunity to live in a way that will bring meaning and direction to this great, but rudderless, nation.
We are the salt of the earth. We are that because we have a radical understanding…we believe that Jesus really is the way and the truth and the LIFE! His gospel has given us life, and we would follow him and him only. He has ‘salted’ us.
In this age of sexual permissiveness, of crimes against children, proliferating addictions, latch key kids, greed, and fallen heroes we are desperately in need of the salt of the earth…those who follow Jesus so completely that they point a stable and consistent way to God and to heaven.
I watched a sampling of reality shows this past week, for laughs and curiosity. They are an example of the truth that modern man has both feet firmly planted in mid-air. Reality shows purport to celebrate the human drama, and to legitimize the lives of people in real life. They do not. They trivialize the human experience and distract from the great questions of life. In their endless parade of the tragic, erotic, depraved, melodramatic, and sensational is completely lacking the element of asking, “What is the meaning of all this…how does it affect our lives…is it right…does it promote the greater good?
The salt and light offer a new way of thinking, a changed set of values, and a clear standard of what is right and helpful. We must, at every opportunity, both teach and stand for: Purity Vs immorality…honesty Vs. deceit…generosity Vs selfishness…innocence Vs worldliness; Unconditional love Vs looking out for number one…forgiveness Vs corrosive grrrrrrruuuudge.
God calls us to stand against the corruption of life. We do that by exclusively following Jesus, who is the way, truth, and life.
Mostly, what I’ve said so far is in the realm of ‘salt.’ Light is a bit different. As I understand it, light is for making clear the truth.
The hardest truth for us to accept is the truth about ourselves. In today’s culture we allow our greed and arrogance to color even our search for spiritual truth and meaning. Newsweek magazine, secular to the core, highlighted the narcissistic nature of today’s spirituality.
“Today’s spiritual consumers are not interested in what the church stands for, but in the fulfillment it can deliver. Unlike earlier revivals, the aim this time is for support, not salvation, help rather than an authoritative guide. A group affirmation of self is at the top of the agenda, which is why the least demanding churches are now in the greatest demand.”
The gospel of Jesus is a jarring note in this pursuit of self-fulfillment. The gospel teaches us that our hope is not in finding our true self, but in losing our selves in Jesus. The gospel never calls for an accommodation to self; it calls for repentance. The object of the gospel is not to make people able to with themselves; it is to make them able to live with God.
To be the light of the world is to tell and show the truth of what it means to be totally sold out to Jesus. Totally. To be called light is the greatest of compliments, because Jesus said that HE was the light of the world. He’s saying, ‘Be like me!’ We really need make it no more complicated than that. So we would do our very best to study him, to understand him, to talk with him, to follow him, and to stand for him. Just as he spoke the truth and illustrated it with his life, we are to do the same.
We have been invited to be a part of God’s great city of light set in this world. But remember that a lone Christian is not a city set on a hill, nor will a single candle light the world. Take your stand with God’s people, citizen of his holy Kingdom.
Prayer: “Great Father of light, help me to live so that my witness does not bring a dimming of the light, but so that it strengthens it. Please help me eliminate all barriers until it is clear that I am your disciple because of my capacity to love. Strengthen me so that I might encourage those around me with the example of a generous spirit and a selfless life. Help me to be like Jesus. In his name I pray, Amen.”