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“Salt of the Earth—Light of the World”
Matthew 5:13-16

 

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany—February 9, 2014

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

In today’s Gospel Reading from the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world.”  Salt, because our world is decaying; light, because our world is in darkness.

I recently visited an elderly woman who is approaching 100 years old.  She was talking about how the world has changed since her childhood, and she wondered, what will the world be like, how will things change, in the next hundred years?

In seems that in just the past decade there have been massive, revolutionary changes in our society, not for the better, but for the worse.  Changes that not so long ago would have been unthinkable; changes that go to the very fabric of human civilization; changes that threaten to wreak havoc on our nation and the lives of our children and grandchildren.

Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world.”  Salt, because our world is decaying; light, because our world is in darkness.

It’s easy to lament over the moral decay and darkness of society at large.  But, it’s much harder to look at ourselves and admit our own moral failures, our own sins and trespasses.  We are no better than anyone else in the world.  As St. Paul says in Romans, “There is no one righteous, not even one . . . There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

We are no better than anyone else in the world.  We confess that we too are sinners.  But we also rejoice that all our sins are forgiven by Jesus Christ.   There’s a bumper sticker that puts it this way: “I’m Not Perfect, Just Forgiven.”  You are forgiven all your sins because Jesus Christ earned forgiveness for you by His perfect life, by His death on the cross, by His resurrection from the dead.

To be Jesus’ disciple means, first, to trust in Him for your salvation.  And to be Jesus’ disciple means, second, to live for Him as His disciple, to live for Him as His disciple even in the midst of what St. Paul in Philippians already called in his day a “crooked and depraved generation.”  “You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world.”  Salt, because our world is decaying; light, because our world is in darkness.

In ancient times, salt was one of the most precious commodities.  You can get an idea how valuable salt was when you realize that our word “salary” actually comes from the Latin word for salt, “S-A-L,” “sal.”  That’s because in Roman times wages were often paid not with coinage but with salt, hence the word “salary.”

Why was salt so valuable in ancient times?  Because of a lack of something you take for granted—refrigeration.  Before the relatively recent invention of the refrigerator and the deep freeze, the only way to preserve meat was with salt, like this piece of beef jerky. 

The Holy Land was blessed with an abundant source this precious mineral: the Dead Sea, a great salt lake from which endless supplies of salt could be mined.  When Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth,” He was using an illustration from the everyday lives of the people he was speaking to.  For He spoke those words along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where the main industry was fishing, and where massive quantities of salt were used to preserve the fish.  In fact, one of the great delicacies in ancient Rome was fish from the Sea of Galilee, preserved in salt from the Dead Sea.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”  What does Jesus mean when He says that you and I, as His disciples, are to be the “salt of the earth”?  He means that our world is decaying all around us, and we are to have a preservative effect on our world.  The Lord is counting on us, His disciples, to help stop the decay.  But, if we acquiesce to the ways of the world, we are like salt that has lost its saltiness.

Jesus uses another illustration from the everyday lives of the people He was talking to:  “You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”  The Mount of the Beatitudes, where tradition says Jesus gave His Sermon on the Mount, is on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee.  Off to the west, across the Sea of Galilee, there was and still is the city of Tiberias, located up on a hill.  Tiberias was the largest city in the area, and still today the lights of Tiberias shine brightly at night across the Sea of Galilee.  While Jesus was speaking those words, “You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden,” He was probably pointing up at Tiberias. 

“Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”  What does Jesus mean when He says that you and I, as His disciples, are to be the “light of the world,” like a “city on a hill”?  He means that our world is in spiritual darkness, and we are to be like a “city on a hill,” a bright beacon, bringing the world His spiritual light.  The Lord is counting on us, His disciples, to help penetrate the darkness.  But, if we acquiesce to the ways of the world, we are like a lamp under a bowl.  It’s light is not only hidden, but will eventually be snuffed out.

“You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world.”  Salt, because our world is decaying; light, because our world is in darkness. 

Think of it in terms of an illustration from our everyday lives: Are you a thermometer or a thermostat?  A thermometer just reacts to the prevailing environment around it; a thermostat works to change its environment.  Jesus wants you to be a moral thermostat, not acquiescing to the prevailing moral climate but working to change it.

“You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world.”  Salt, because our world is decaying; light, because our world is in darkness.  But, what can we do?  What can you do to help stop the moral decay of our world?  What can you do to help penetrate the spiritual darkness of our world?  A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; a building is built one brick at a time.  Every action you take as Jesus’ disciple to resist the world’s ways helps to stop the decay.  Every witness you make for Jesus helps to penetrate the darkness and spread the light.

  • Being here this morning, worshipping in the Lord’s house.

  • Bringing your children up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

  • Making the words of Joshua the motto of your household: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

  • Setting an example by your own life and conduct.

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Psalm 115 says, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”  We live as Jesus’ disciples, not to bring glory to ourselves, but to bring glory to our heavenly Father.  We’re not perfect; just forgiven.  We live as Jesus’ disciples in gratitude for His love.  We live as Jesus’ disciples because He has given us a mission in this world, He is counting on us to help stop the decay and help spread His light.

When you read the paper or watch the news you can feel overwhelmed, you can feel there is nothing you can do.  St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”  Your Master has given you a mission; He is counting on you to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world right where you are: in your own family, your own workplace, your own neighborhood, your own school. In your everyday life be not a thermometer but a thermostat.  Be the salt of the earth and the light of the world right where you are, “because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Amen.

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