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"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 began the Sermon on the Mount, which will continue through this and the next two chapters of Matthew. These initial teachings, or blessings, are called the Beatitudes. Jesus, seeing the multitudes, went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
"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." My study bible tells us: "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.' 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." Jesus speaks of salt and light in the next few verses. These terms, according to my study bible, indicate the role of the disciples in society: "They are to manifest the light of patient goodness, bringing glory to their Father in heaven. Because of its preservative powers, necessity for life and its ability to give flavor, salt had religious and sacrificial significance. It symbolized the making of a covenant. To eat salt with someone meant to be bound together in loyalty. Thus as the salt of the earth, Christians are preservers of God's covenant and give proper flavor to society." Jesus emphasizes here the flavor of the salt, its pungent, potent and complementary influence on whatever it is sprinkled on; this is the character of His disciples that must be maintained for real worth. Salt enhances the flavors already present in food -- this is the quality of magnifying and enhancing the good qualities that may be found naturally in human beings.
"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." My study bible tells us, "Light is a symbol of God who is the true, uncreated Light. In the Old Testament light is symbolic of God (Is. 60:1-3), the divine Law (Ps. 119:105), or Israel in contrast to the Gentiles. In the New Testament the Son is called 'light' and 'the light of the world' (John 8:12). Light is necessary not only for clear vision but for life. Consequently, the life of faith relies on the divine light and on the revelation which makes the believers 'sons of light' (Luke 16:8). With this knowledge of God in their hearts, Christians shine as lights in a perverse world (Phil. 2:15), stimulating others to look to God and His righteousness." Another note adds: "Christian virtues have not only a personal but also a public function. By living according to the gospel, by doing the truth (John 3:21), we will bear good works and show the goodness of the Father to every person (see 1 Cor. 10:31; 1 Pet. 2:12)."
Salt and light become the themes for today's reading. Salt is important in a number of ways, but most of all in its potency, its power of preservation and as a complement to bring out the "hidden flavors" (St. Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers) in the things it enhances. The word in the Greek that is translated to "lose its flavor" also means a kind of foolishness, perhaps passivity, rooted in a word that implies "infantile" in modern Greek (moros, from which we derive "moronic" in English). So the implication here for the flavor of the salt is one of full-fledged responsibility, bearing something into the world, and asserting a kind of potency. The image is one of courage implied in the earlier verses about being reviled and persecuted for Christ's sake. So, salt here gives us an image of a kind of vigorous assertiveness in character, its action being to enhance the good qualities of what is around it, and in the ancient world to act as a preservative -- keeping things from rotting, including preserving the aroma of the prayerful when associated with sacrifice in worship. Light is for illumination, and the way that Jesus uses the image of the lampstand here that must light all who are in the house, and instructs His disciples to let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven, gives us another image of vigorous courage and assertiveness, a grown and powerful character in pursuing and living the things of the Gospel and the Kingdom. Even through persecution, He tells us, this is the way to live our lives, as salt and light which are meant not simply to be good in themselves but rather to enhance and complement, to preserve and illuminate others, and the rest of the world. The good qualities of discipleship are those things that are meant to bring the flavor of life, to bring out the "hidden flavors," to illuminate what is dark or difficult to see, to give blessings in many ways for everyone. Salt and light are things that human life cannot flourish without; take them away and we cannot survive. These good things and their good effects are the ways in which His disciples must be a part of the world, and allow their good qualities to flavor and enlighten life around them and to do so with boldness. How do you live this gospel today, this teaching? In what way can you enhance and preserve the life around you, and show a light that glorifies God?
