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 tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved…So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell...
But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. (Matthew 5:13-16, 18, 29, 39, 41 NLT)
Last night was the second session of a six-week Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7. These three chapters capture a significant portion of Jesus’s teaching on how to live. Last week, we focused on the context and the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–12). For people who believed that the richest, most educated, and most prominent were the most blessed, hearing Jesus say that they were blessed would have been astonishing—a clear example of His “upside-down Kingdom.” Even more surprising was his teaching that they are blessed when they are persecuted.
Our study last night went through the rest of chapter 5, with topics ranging from salt and light, to righteousness, to oaths, to perfection. Here are some highlights – “points of information,” if you prefer – that struck me as especially interesting.
- (5:13) salt can be used as a preservative and as a fertilizer
- (5:14) light protects and attracts
- (5:18) the “jot” and “tittle” in the KJV refer to the tiniest letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the very small marks that make the difference between two letters in the Hebrew language
- (5:29) Jesus uses hyperbole when he tells people to pluck out their eyes or sever a hand if they are tempted to sin
- (5:39) because most people are right handed, a slap on the “right cheek” would have been a backhanded slap, challenging a person’s integrity
- (5:41) a Roman mile was 100 steps
I don’t know about you, but reading a translated text from 2000 years ago can be challenging unless the context is explained to you. Thankfully we have a very learned man whose research and stories help to give the Bible more dimension.
For now, I want to focus on the first few verses we studied.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].” (Matthew 5:13 AMP)
If we are “salt of the earth” we add “flavor” to peoples’ lives. We help to preserve morality in our culture. And we help to “fertilize” our world with the Truth of the Gospel, adding “minerals” to society for spiritual growth.
Today, may we be salt (and light!) to those around us.
God,
Thank you for all of Jesus’s teachings, and for godly men and women who help us to understand your Word. We ask that you would help us be “salt and light” to those around us. Help us to add your “flavor” to the lives of those around us in ways that reflect your Truth, Goodness, and Justice. May your Light within us protect us from darkness, reflect to those around us, and be attractive to those who do not yet know you. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that continues to teach us, challenge us, and mold us more and more into the image of Christ, whose name we pray. AMEN.