Bible Passage: Matthew 5:13-16
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: February 5, 2023

Bulletin February 5, 2023

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

In the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus puts forward a description of what his followers are like.  Among other things Jesus describes them as those who will be insulted and persecuted and maligned in this world.  And then, in the very next breath, Jesus says to these disciples who will be insulted and persecuted, You – yes, YOU – are the salt and light of the world!

 It may seem strange, but it is true.  Jesus says his followers will have global influence!  And notice, he doesn’t say, Go, try to be…  He doesn’t say, Aspire to be…  He says, You are!  Christian, whether you seek it or not, you are Salt and Light for a Rotting, Dark World.

 Let’s first of all just examine the two figures Jesus uses to describe his disciples.  He says you are salt.  We all know what salt is.  For us, salt is pretty much something we use to season our food.  Salt brings out the flavor of food.  Food without salt is bland and tasteless.  At the time of Jesus, salt was used to flavor food.  But that was not what salt was primarily used for.

Salt was most commonly known as a preservative.  Remember, these are days before refrigeration.  So to preserve meat it was heavily salted.  Salt drew out the moisture from the meat.  Without the moisture, bacteria couldn’t grow so the meat wouldn’t putrefy.  The salt prevented the meat from rotting.

Jesus says you – yes, YOU – are the salt of the earth.  And this world needs salt!  This world is a rotten, and rotting place.  Just think of the putrid and rotten morality on display all around us.  Just look at the rotten ways people treat each other.  Think of the rotten teachings and philosophies being taught at the most prestigious institutions in the world, teachings and philosophies that rot men’s souls.  But it could be even worse.  If it weren’t for the salt.

Not everything is rotten.  There is still teaching that is not rotten.  Christian teaching!  There is still morality that is not rotten.  Christian morality!  Were it not for the preserving agency of Christ’s people, this world would be a lot more rotten than it is!

Without Christian teaching and Christian morality, this world would be ready for the dumpster.  We see an example of this in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible.  Remember, the Lord confided to Abraham that he was going to destroy these cities because of how rotten they had become.  And Abraham pleads for the cities.  He asks if the Lord would spare the cities for the sake of the righteous people living there.  Remember how Abraham starts at 50.  What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? (Genesis 18:24)  And the Lord says that for the sake of fifty he would hold off judgment.  And Abraham finally gets down to 10.  And the Lord says that for the sake of ten he would not destroy the rotten cities!  Ten little grains of salt would be enough preservative to preserve those rotten cities!

You are salt.  And you are light.  Jesus says, You are the light of the world (v. 14)  In what way are we “light”?  Jesus stresses something about light.  He does so by using another illustration.  He talks about a city built high on a hill.  It is impossible to hide such a city!  If the founders of the city wanted to keep their city a secret, they shouldn’t have built it where it can be seen by everyone from every angle!  Jesus also speaks about lighting a lamp.  He is talking about little clay lamps that could be held in the hand.  There was a little reservoir for oil and a little spout at the other end with a wick.  This would be lit and then put on a little stand so it would give light to the house.  No one lights their little lamp and then proceeds to put it under a two-gallon bushel basket.  The whole point of light is to be seen!

The whole point of light is to be seen.  And Jesus says, You are the light of the world.  You are to be seen.  The Church on earth is a city set high on a hill.  It cannot be hidden.  You as an individual are a little lamp.  You are not to pull a bushel over yourself to cover the light you give. As the children’s song, “This Little Gospel Light of Mine”, says so emphatically:  “Hide it under a bushel? No!  I’m gonna let it shine!”

Just how is it that you and I have become salt and light?  It is certainly not due in any part to anything in us by nature.  You and I come into this world as rotten and dark as everyone.  But something has happened to you.  You have been brought into the presence of Light.  Jesus, who once said of himself, I am the light of the world. (John 8)  You have come into the light of his forgiveness.  You have come into the light of his grace.  In this light you can see clearly all the way to heaven!  The Holy Spirit has now begun his sanctifying – his “salt-ifying” – work on you.  It reminds me of this little white cross I had when I was little.  It was a glow-in-the-dark cross.  I would hold this cross up to a light bulb and then turn off the lights and this little cross would glow.  We have come near the Light of the world, and now we glow with Jesus’ love.  It can’t be hidden!

This world is a rotting, dark place.  But there are pockets that are not rotten and are bright.  Your place of work is not as rotten and dark as it might be, because at your workstation there is salt and light.  The evening out with friends is not as rotten and dark as it might be, because there is one there who is salt and light.  The talk and the conduct in the hallway at school is not as rotten as it might be, because the language and conduct by your locker is different.  It is salty and it is light.  When the neighbors on your street linger for a chat, the conversation is not as rotten as it might be, because there is one there whose speech is seasoned with salt and whose behavior is light.  You!  One commentator said it so memorably:   “Amid the guzzling, wenching, brawling sons of men, Christians shine forth in radiant decency.”  And none of this is for our glory.  We are salt and light to HIS glory.  As Jesus says, …that [people] may see your good works and glorify your Father who is heaven. (v. 16)

Amen.