You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

- Matthew 5:11-16

In yesterday's reading, we read the Beatitudes. Verses 1-10 of this fifth chapter of Matthew's gospel constitute the first part of the Beatitudes, and today's reading the second. After that, the Sermon on the Mount continues through chapter 7 of this gospel. Taken together, today's reading and yesterday's give us a sense of the blessings of the kingdom of God. In yesterday's reading, we understood that the Beatitudes, in the ten verses as a kind of counterpart to the Ten Commandments, constitute a prescription of steps for transformation, of entry into this kingdom. Today, we continue with Jesus where He left off yesterday. For yesterday's reading, see The Beatitudes (Part 1).

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." In yesterday's reading, Jesus' final "step" in the first ten verses of the Beatitudes is "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In the first ten verses, in yesterday's reading, Jesus is teaching us about righteousness -- repentance, conversion, becoming a part of this kingdom. And the "crowning" pronouncement, if you will, is this one about persecution. In today's reading, we start with His elaboration of that statement. My study bible says, "In willingness to suffer persecution, the Christian shows his loyalty and unity with Jesus Christ. He walks the road of the prophets, saints and martyrs. The Greek for be exceedingly glad means to 'leap exceedingly with joy.' " In persecution for the sake of the kingdom, we share with the prophets -- we share a kind of golden living reality, a participation in something truly divine, that is of the kingdom. My study bible says that "suffering for Christ is attended with inexpressible joy."

"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." Salt is a preserver, and was necessary for life in the ancient world. In places where it is difficult to find, it is a rare and precious commodity. It is also necessary for things to be palatable, tasty, to give flavor. In the Hebrew tradition, for all the above reasons and more, it also symbolized the making of covenant: to eat salt with someone meant to be bound together in loyalty. Thus, my study bible indicates, "as the salt of the earth, Christians are preservers of God's covenant and give proper flavor to society." What is it that seasons us, gives us flavor, makes us whole and worthy but this covenant which He teaches, that we uphold through our faith? This is what Christ calls our worthiness, our salt, our savor. Our covenant and participation in the Kingdom gives us the substance of true self, the gift of life and personhood that God gives to us, with which we participate in the world. To be "thrown out and trampled underfoot by men" in some sense can be seen as what we become without this faith that draws us out of the world: products of our surroundings, subject to every influence, taking our "flavor" from elsewhere.

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Here Jesus gives us an even more powerful symbol than salt, substantiating the great worth of this transformed life that participates actively in the Kingdom, in covenant with God. It is like bringing light to the world. Such a person of both salt and light is to illumine what is around him or herself, a kind of treasure of value that is God's gift back to the world in this essential relationship that will make us who we are in His image. My study bible says, "Light is necessary not only for clear vision but for life. Consequently, the life of faith relies on the divine light and one the revelation which makes the believers 'sons of light.' "

Salt and light -- let us think about these eternal, timeless images for ourselves. Salt is covenant, binding and preserving something of deep value, of necessity to ourselves. It gives life its flavor, making things savory -- not only preserving, but also expanding and enhancing what is there that is good. Christ doesn't speak of God per se in this context (although God is the origin of "every good gift"), but actually speaks of us in this context! By adoption, we become the salt of the earth. We are to bring those qualities of sonship through our faith and through this covenant of righteousness that He teaches. We are to be the light reflected into the world. The Source of that light is of course, God. And Jesus calls Himself also "the light of the world." But light expands outward from its Source, and that light shines into us so that we too may reflect it into the world. As a fire is lit in a lamp (of Christ's era), so it gives light to all the household. Or it is compared to a city on a hill. The light is there to shine for a reason, to give glory to the Source of that light, "our Father in heaven." Thus, we may return to His theme of persecution: we should not let our fears of being different (and the possible consequences of such) stand in the way of this light and illumination that will glorify its Origin, the place from which "every good and perfect gift" comes, the "Father of lights." In communion, covenant, relationship, we are meant to salt and illumine the earth, to give off a flavor (not merely to be "trampled by men") and to preserve, to help to bring light to all things. When we pray in that commitment, let us remember what it is for. Let us understand that God works in us "for the life of the world." When we follow the Beatitudes (see yesterday's reading), and exchange one kingdom for another within ourselves, it is here that Christ leads us. In the Beatitudes, Jesus shares with us the blessings of this kingdom, and the essential crowning glory of those who are willing to truly participate, our own essential role in God's plan for salvation, for the world. We really couldn't be elevated higher, nor cherished more deeply, than in this vision and inclusion.