Sermon on the Mount - Part 7

 Today I want to look at verses 13-16, once again focusing on who Jesus was speaking to, and on the context of the entire message. 

Matthew 5:13-16

(13)“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
 (14)“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  (15)or do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  (16)In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Jesus has just finished what we call the beatitudes, where He has detailed what it would look like for someone who truly knew and understood what God desires from them. Pretty much everything He detailed is what is not found in the current Jewish practice. There are the two groups that He is speaking to, the Jewish leaders who probably gathered in one area, and the common Jews, who likely were spread in to other areas. The leaders kept their distance from the common people, partly because of wanting to be ceremonially clean, but also I believe because they genuinely thought themselves better than them. 

So in my mind, what I see as Jesus speaks these verses, is a deliberate turning away from the leaders and turning toward the rest of the crowd. So often when we hear these verses we focus on the words salt and light. While these words are critical to the understanding of these verses, in my mind, as Jesus speaks these words, He is emphasizing the word "you." As in you, the everyday people, are the salt of the earth, the light of the world. People are not going to come to Jesus because some leader is good at following rules or memorizing Scripture. Now, they might listen to them because they don't want to go to hell, and they think that is the pathway, but is that really what it means to be a disciple of Jesus? They might listen to them because they are a good speaker, have great stories, or tell them what their itching ears want to hear, but is that really what it means to be a disciple of Jesus? Ihey might listen to them because that is how they were brought up, or because they don't want to be disrespecful, but is that really what it means to be a disciple of Jesus?  I've seen this post where people treat faith like is it some kind of eternal fire insurance, that by making Jesus Facebook famous we are witnessing to the world. Was that Jesus' goal, to go viral? Is that what Jesus meant when He told us to go and make disciples? That is so easy, so much easier than having to carry my cross. 

I cringe a little when people think that they have fulfilled their obligation to God by saying a prayer or getting baptized, and then maybe inviting people to church. Maybe instead of talking about how great our church is, we need to be living like we have a great Savior! Maybe that is why we have to have such huge buildings that sit empty most of the time, and give our time and money to great programs and speakers, because if people really knew me, I doubt that would convince them to come to Jesus. Maybe that is why we seem to focus more on what God can do for you rather than what He has already done in Jesus.

If we are going to take Jesus at His word, you are what gives the world its flavor, you are the light that shines to reveal Jesus, not buildings or programs or preachers, you. Right? (Note: I am not saying that we cannot use these things, but if the first part of the equation is not you, then we seem to be missing the most important part.)

Edited 2/4/2022