Matthew 5:13-18 (NRSV) (i)

Salt and Light

¹³ ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. ¹⁴ ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

The Law and the Prophets

¹⁷ ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. ¹⁸For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

This reflection is based heavily on the work of William Barclay ...

There is no greater compliment a person can be given than to be referred to as “... the salt of the earth ...” This is because, in Jesu’s day, salt had many important qualities.

1.      Purity: The Romans thought that salt was the purest of all things and it was the earliest of their offerings to their gods. Salt was also an integral part of Jewish sacrifices because is was seen as being so pure. So, to be ‘... the salt of the earth ...’ one needs to be pure. This seems to be difficult in today’s world where we see standards lowering all the time: honesty, diligence at work, conscientiousness, general moral standards – all seem to be experiencing a lowering of standards. If Christians are to be pure, we need to show this in our speech, conduct, even our thoughts and most especially in our moral standards. Barclay comments: “The Christian cannot withdraw from the world, but must remain unstained from the world.” (cf James 1:27)

2.      Preservative: Salt keeps things from going bad. Meat, by itself will go bad; but when it is treated with salt, it is preserved, and kept fresh. Barclay writes: ‘... it is like a soul inserted into a dead body ... Christians need to have an antiseptic influence on life ...’ There are some people, in whose company, it is easy to do good; while others, it is easy for standards to be relaxed. We should be those where people would never dream of lowering standards.

3.      Adds flavour: Food without salt can be sickening. I am approaching the 10^th anniversary of the removal of a pancreatic tumour. For a while I was forced to eat the blandest diet. At one stage, I preferred the chemical feed, because it was preferable to the tasteless diet which was my only other option (I eventually never ate or drank anything for 7 ½ weeks! Barclay suggests: “Christianity is to life what salt is to food. Christianity lends flavour to life.” This provides a balance to the earler point. While we need to be a preservative influence, it needs to be in such a way that we enhance life and not force others into a monochrome existence. Barclay adds: “People need to discover the lost radiance of Christian faith.” The Christian must be the source of joy.

Are we the salt of the earth?

In verse 14, Jesus commands us to be what he was; ‘... the light of the world ...’ We need to shine like Jesus.

Jesus did not believe that a person kindled their own light – for the Jews – God lit Israel’s lamp. We too are not required to produce out own light, “... we must shine with the reflection of his light ... which comes from the presence of Christ within the Christian’s heart.”

Barclay continues by pointing out a number of interesting ideas:

Firstly, a light is meant to be seen. Christianity is meant to be seen adding that “there can be no such thing as secret discipleship.” Our Christianity should be perfectly visible to all in the way that we do ordinary everyday things:

·         Speak to shop assistants;

·         Order a meal;

·         Treat those we work with;

·         Play sport;

·         Behave as a motorist.

Barclay adds: “We are not meant to be the light of the Church, and in our life in the world our Christianity should be evident to all.”

Secondly, a light is a guide. A light is something that makes clear the way; in the same way our lives should make the way clear to others. We need to focus on goodness, and we need to have the moral strength and courage to make a stand when necessary, to provide the lead for others to follow. We need to be strong enough for others to lean on, because this might be what they need to be enabled to do the right thing.

Thirdly, a light is often a warning. Light tells us to stop when there is danger ahead. As Chaplain’s, I believe one of the greatest tragedies to befall us could be if a young person were to come to us and say:

“I would never be in this situation in which I find myself, if only you had spoken in time.”

But there is another dimension: our warnings ought never to be given in anger, in irritation, nor in criticism; not in condemnation, not in the desire to hurt, but in love. If we do it this way, then they will be most effective.

A light to be seen, acts as a guide and a warning – a massive challenge for us.

¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Barclay suggests that there are two very important things to take note of here.

Firstly, people are to see our good deeds. The good deeds of the Christian must be both good and attractive. Barclay writes: “There is a charm in true Christian goodness which makes it a lovely thing.

Secondly, good deeds ought also to draw attention, not to ourselves, but to God. Barclay tells the story of Dwight Moody who met a group at one of his meetings who were conspicuous in their ‘holiness’ advertising that they had spent long hours in prayer and when asked what they had been doing draw his attention to the way their faces shone like that of Moses. To which Moody replied that Moses did not want  his face to shine. “That goodness which is conscious, which draws attention to itself, is not the Christian goodness.”

We as Christians should never think of what we have done, but rather what God has enabled us to do; we should never seek to draw attention to ourselves, but always to God. Barclay concludes: “So long as men are thinking of the praise, the thanks, the prestige which they will get for what they have done, they have not really even begun on the Christian way.”

And on to verses 17-18, where Jesus lays down the eternal character of the Law.

Over and over again Jesus broke what the Jews thought was the Law: he did not observe the hand washings, he healed the sick on the Sabbath and ultimately he was executed as a Law breaker – and yet here he seems to speak of the Law ‘... with a veneration and a reverence ...’

The ancient Jews used the word ‘Law’ in a number of different ways: (i) they used it for the 10 Commandments; (ii) they used it to refer to the first five books of the Bible – which was for them the Law par excellence (iii) they used the term Law and Prophets to refer to their whole Scriptures and (iv) they used it to refer to the oral or Scribal Law. In the time of Jesus, this last one was most frequently used and it was this Scribal Law that Jesus (and Paul later) both condemned so utterly.

Jesus (in our Gospel reading) claimed here to be redeeming the original Torah from the legalistic obsession to other added laws, most notably the 10 Commandments – and its focus on respect and reverence for God and others – this can never pass away – Barclay concludes: “... they are the permanent stuff man’s relationship to God and to his fellow men.”

Paul Tillich put it this way: “The law of love is the only law, because it is the negation of law.”