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

"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 who by now are coming to His ministry, 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 that those who suffer persecution for Christ walk the road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.  In Greek, the word for be exceedingly glad 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."  Here and in the following verses Jesus introduces two metaphors for the role of disciples in the society:  salt and light.  Especially in ancient times, salt had preservative powers, was necessary for life, and also gave flavor to all things.  From all of these qualities, including those upon which people were dependent, salt developed both religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19, 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone, my study bible says, meant to be bound together in loyalty.  So, in the words of my study bible, as the salt of the earth, Christians are preservers of God's covenant, and also give true flavor to the world.

"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."  My study bible explains that God is the true and uncreated light.  In the Old Testament, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), and the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and also of 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).  Light, my study bible comments, is necessary both for clear vision and for life itself.  Faith relies also on this divine light.  Believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  Thus, they shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).   In Eastern Orthodoxy, the Easter Liturgy frequently begins with a candle being presented in a darkened church, with the invitation to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."  The flame is shared, passing from parishioner to parishioner, lighting each one's held candle, until the entire church is illumined for the Resurrection at midnight, thus 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 notes here that Christian virtues have both a personal and a public function, for our own virtue can bring others to glorify the Father. 

So how do we practice the virtues of salt and light?  Let us remember that Jesus has just given the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, the entire list of blessings of the Kingdom, those mysterious realities that become a part of our lives through participation in this Kingdom even as we live our lives in the world (see yesterday's reading, above).  Let us take a look at these blessings Jesus speaks about, as they are blessings of identity and character, that develop through time and through discipleship, with God's help.  They are especially blessings of the Holy Spirit working in us and in our lives:  to be poor in spirit, to mourn the state of the world and our own lives and relationships where broken, to have an attitude of meekness in the sense of acceptance of life as it is in the context of faith, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to practice mercy as a way of life or attitude, to be pure in heart and focused on loving God and where that leads us, to endeavor to be a peacemaker -- bringing God's peace to all situations, and to suffer even persecution should it come for righteousness' sake.  These are the qualities of those who form the spiritual components of salt and light for communities, for the life of the world.  Jesus is encouraging us to be a part of something that takes us out of the world while we are yet in the world (see John 15:19, 17:15).  Thus, we may shine as light, or give a pungent and noticeable flavor as does salt.  I remember once reading about salt and its flavor properties, which are marked and unusual and fall into a distinctive category.  This is one which is considered to magnify and complement other prized or treasured flavors.  So, not only is salt treasured for its basic properties of flavor and preservation -- especially before widespread refrigeration was possible.  But it is also a component that livens the other flavors in whatever dish to which it is added.  If you love the flavor of tomato, adding salt will actually boost the flavor of  "tomato" in addition to giving saltiness.  (Let us note how Jesus emphasizes flavor in His depiction of salt as useless should it lose flavor.)  In the Greek, Jesus' expression for "losing flavor" adds another interesting idea to consider, because the text literally uses a word for "foolish" (and which we know in English as "moron").  The sense in which this word is used is to be missing something, or to have lost something -- and frequently appears as an insult, meaning lacking in intelligence or understanding.  So the robustness of salty flavor is emphasized as that which gives character, even intelligence, insight, understanding.  For the society to lack such individuals cultivated in discipleship is to be missing the whole purpose, apparently, of the Incarnation and the effects hoped for.  Couple this with notions of light, and we have a picture of that which illumines in each sense of that word.  Thrown upon any subject or scene, light illumines and makes clear what is there.  Light of a full spectrum shines as white, and therefore gives a clear picture of what we see.  Light lacking any part of the spectrum no longer reflects colors as is appropriate to us, and a dim light does not offer the same clarity.  So to add light is to help others to see.  It also throws into stark relief dark shadows, and illumines the places previously left in darkness so that we could not see -- thus giving to us what was previously hidden.  For believers to function as salt and light is to add the character of each of the Beatitudes to the world, giving powerful illumination and flavor to life, showing what is possible, and casting a light on what was hidden in darkness, magnifying potential, and helping us to discard what is not helpful.  Let us be that salt and light by understanding that Christ calls us to become something via discipleship.  Belief or faith is not simply a matter of acquiescing to a set of principles.  It is a way of life that asks for trust in Him, to be led on a certain way (John 14:6), toward something -- a fullness of something, and to grow in that fullness.  When we first come to Christ in faith, or in response to a call, we might not be at all prepared for the salt and light He wants us to become.  But He asks us to grow in these roles, to come to be something to which He calls us, and to continue in that growth in discipleship.  Let us consider the places He calls us, and just how much importance He gives to these crucial roles we might fill.  There is no telling where they might lead.  Note that salt and light aren't merely good in themselves; they are good as complements to whatever is around them.  They add something to life in this world, they bring something for the whole life of the world, all of creation.  That is the goal where we are called to be, and to become even more thereafter.  It is for this we bear even to suffer persecution, linking salt again to sacrifice, and magnifying the greatness of the gift.