Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven

Lamps at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

 "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

Yesterday we read that 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 comments that those who suffer persecution for Christ walk the same road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.  In Greek, the word translated as be exceedingly glad literally means to "leap exceedingly with joy."  (See Acts 5:40-41.)

"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."  Jesus now gives images for the role of His disciples in society:  salt and light.  In Christ's time, salt was necessary for its preservative powers, necessity for life, and its ability to give flavor.   Because of these qualities, it had religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19, 2 Chronicles 13:5).   If one "ate salt with another" it meant to be bound together in loyalty.  My study bible says that as the salt of the earth, therefore, Christians are preservers of God's covenant and give true flavor to the world.  The true and uncreated Light is God.  In the Old Testament, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to the other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light"  (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  We need light for clear vision and also for life itself.  Just as the world is dependent upon the light of the sun, faith relies on the divine light of God, so that believers may become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) who shine in contrast to a perverse and dark world (Philippians 2:15).   In the last statement here, Jesus teaches us that the virtues meant to "shine" in Christians have both a personal and public function.  Our virtue can bring others to glorify our Father in heaven.

Jesus uses two primary images -- elements of life in this world -- to illustrate the power of holiness.  Holiness is that attribute that is the manifestation of faith, of turning one's life over to discipleship, so that we are filled with Christ's light.  To be the salt of the earth is to manifest those things that make life good, that give it flavor, make it worthwhile.  Salt is not only a preservative (widely relied upon long before refrigeration was possible), but it is also cleansing, antibacterial.  Moreover salt has fixative properties that allow elements to bind together to make something better and useful for the world.   If we understand salt in its natural form, it is possible for the particular element that give it its flavor to be leached out through too much exposure to moisture; hence, Christ's question:  "if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?"  Light is something we all rely upon for life; without the light of the sun, the world would not survive.  Light is necessary for all of the things that grow on this earth, for plants and flowers, for human beings and animals.  The sun, our source of light, is central to our solar system, and so Christ Himself -- God as Light -- is central to our identity as beings and creatures.  That uncreated light of God, which shapes all spiritual reality and gives birth to creation, is the very basis of our being -- of all being.  Just as the sun feeds light to the world upon which life is dependent, so the light of God feeds us in our place of being.  We may "take in" the energies of that light, and become more "illumined" or "luminous" ourselves.  As Christ says, we may thus shine that same light into the world, so that others may glorify its source.  Since we also know that God is love, consider then that the virtues of light are those which manifest love in its varied energies and manifestations.  This includes the practice of mercy and peace, holding fast to the good, and seeking to live that good for ourselves and for others in right-relatedness.  To affix those virtues within ourselves regardless of what others around us do, to live through and shine that light back into the world when there is darkness that seeks to extinguish the light, is to be the disciples Christ calls us to be and to become more fully.  It is the way He teaches.  It is the fullness of true responsibility and self-realization, and the power of grace that is at work in us so that we may all become "sons of light."  Jesus ties this in with persecution for righteousness' sake.  So the light that shines in the darkness may encounter such hostility, and so we are told to be exceedingly glad.  To shine a lamp in the darkness may irritate those who have chosen that darkness, and yet the illumination stands.  This is the way of discipleship.