We're Light & Salt | Matthew 5:13-16

It's the title of this blog, so you probably want to know what it means, right? I mean, obviously, we are't physically the sun carrying around tubes of table salt. But spiritually, we, as Christians, are these two things.

If you've got your Bible handy, open it to Matthew 5, verses 13 through 16. If you don't have your Bible around, that's okay, I'll type the scripture here.

Matthew 5:13-16

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are 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 in heaven.

Alright, got that? Let's break this down a little, because it's got several elements to it.

BACKGROUND

This chunk in Matthew is part of The Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus preached to crowds from the Mount of Olives. This sermon is recorded from Matthew chapter 5 through chapter 7.

SALT | Matthew 5:13

So, salt is the first thing Jesus says we are in this passage. I'll be honest; when I read this chunk of verses, I was confused. Like, English please? But thankfully I've got my dad, who was able to break this down for me. Reread verse 13 again.

Jesus says that we're the salt of the earth. But when it loses its taste, it's no longer useful. What on earth does that mean?

Salt in Jesus' time was used to preserve meat--to keep it fresh, as a purifier. That's one of the things Jesus is telling us to be: a purifier. No, I don't mean go stick a bunch of food in the fridge to keep it fresh or to try and become a water filter. It means that we are to lead pure lives, imitating Christ, and do help others do the same. In this sense, we are purifying the world.

Salt also does something else--when it gets in a cut or wound, it burns like crazy. That's the other half of what Jesus wants us to be, a voice for him. When we spread his word, sometimes it doesn't sit well with people. It makes them uncomfortable, because the Holy Spirit is working inside them, convicting them, or making them aware that they need Christ.

So being 'salt' is to be two things:

#1 purifier

#2 convicter

LIGHT | Matthew 5:14-16

The second thing Jesus says we are as believers is the light of the world. If you've grown up in church, this part of the passage should at least ring a bell. And if you haven't grown up in church, that's totally okay, cause you get to read it now!

Jesus says that a city on top of a hill cannot be hidden. This makes sense, when you think about it. If a town is planted on top of a hill, everyone will be able to see it--there's no way to cloak it. We're supposed to shine for Christ in the same way, where no one can hide us. Along these same lines, Jesus says that no one hides the light a lamp gives off. Instead, the light shines and penetrates through the entire house. We're supposed to do the same thing--shine openly and not disguise our love for Christ.

Lastly, in verse 16, Jesus says that we're supposed to let everyone see our light. This is so they can see the good things we do for others. But doing these good things is not to make ourselves look good, even though that's what a lot of people want to believe. People being able to see our good works is so that Christ will be glorified. Not us--but our heavenly Father.

So, being a 'light' for Christ means to not only be like Him, but to be bold with it and not hide it, so that Christ receives the glory.

Now do you know what it means to be light and salt? This is one of our many callings in God's Word, and it can be pretty intimidating and rough sometimes. But there are small things we can do each day to reflect God's love.

Go sit with that lonely kid at lunch, or pick up someone's stuff when they drop it. Offer to help someone out, and, even though this one seems scary, share Jesus whenever you get the chance. Listen, no one's perfect at sharing Christ. And there isn't a perfect way to do it. But if you ask God for the opportunity, and pray for the courage to take the opportunity, He will come through and give you the words to say. I experienced it firsthand recently. God gave me the opportunity to talk about my beliefs on more than one occasion with a friend of mine. I don't know what will come out of it, but God gave me the opportunity and the courage! When you share Jesus and the good news of the Gospel, you're being light and salt. You're sharing your faith which can convict and revealing the pure ways of Jesus, while being like Him! We've got an amazing God--He won't ask you to do something without being there to provide.

I hope you learned something, and that God will be able to use this in your life today :)

Thanks for reading, everyone!

--Elizabeth :)