I am still processing the Sermon on the Mount. I have gone through the 25 posts and edited them for clarity and to revisit them for myself. Now I want to look at the applications I should be making for myself.
It is easy to get caught up in ideas to the point that you miss the main purpose. I was substitute teaching once, and offered a treat to anyone who could correctly answer a question I posed. Even before a word was said, hands are in the air to respond. So I called on one to ask the answer. They said that I had not even asked the question yet. Exactly. But in an effort to be the one to be called on, hands shoot in the air.
There is a lot of wonderful information out there about salt and light, and some great spiritual lessons that can be gained. But what is the main point that Jesus is trying to get across here, and do I get it? He is speaking to the masses, there will be no test. He states, "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." At this time a major use of salt was to preserve food. But if the salt does not do its job, it gets thrown onto the pathway, where it will be crushed into the ground. The people should have easily understood this. The useless salt, the salt that cannot do its purposed task, gets thrown on the path where it will kill the growth of most anything and create a path that will be walked upon by others.
Take Away: If we are not living a life that is God-honoring, we are as useless as that salt. It is not just what we do, but how we do it. Is it God honoring? It's not just going to church, praying, giving our time and or money, but it is also about honoring God in the process. If my goal is anything less than to honor God, I have failed and am useless, only fit to be thrown out and trampled on. Note that in the process, I kill everything around me.
Jesus continued, "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." The job of light is to illuminate. Why would you turn on a light and then cover it? It's useless. Note that Jesus even says to let your light shine so that people may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Even having a shining light is not enough if it is not God honoring.
There will be no test over all of the qualities of salt and light. The only test is the same one found in Matthew 7:15-20. What does your fruit reveal about you?
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