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 

 

In the reading from Saturday, we read of the explosive growth of Christ's ministry, across the territories of Israel and the Jewish communities that surround them, even in Gentile areas.  So already "great multitudes" are following Jesus.  Yesterday we read that, seeing the multitudes, Jesus 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 same road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.  The Greek word translated as 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.  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."  Salt and light are used here by Jesus to illustrate the role of disciples in the society.  My study Bible explains that because of its preservative powers, its necessity for life, and its ability to give flavor, salt had religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; See also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone, it notes, meant to be bound together in loyalty.  As the salt of the earth, therefore, faithful Christians are preservers of God's covenant and they give true flavor to the world.   Regarding these images of light, God is the true and uncreated Light.  In the Old Testament, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all the other nations.  In the New Testament, moreover, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  My study Bible says that light is necessary both for clear vision and also for life itself.  So, faith relies on this divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5), who shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  In many Orthodox parishes, the Pascha (Easter) Liturgy begins with a candle being presented, and the faithful are invited to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  Of this verse, my study Bible notes that Christian virtues have both a personal and public function, for our virtue can bring others to glorify the Father.  

Salt and light seem to serve several important functions.  As Jesus has given us both of them, we may assume that both are necessary for us to understand and to follow in our own lives as disciples of Christ.  Salt speaks of covenant, loyalty, a kind of steadfastness to a pledge and a relationship.  It asks us for our firm bond to Christ, through thick and thin, through good times and bad.  Jesus also emphasizes its flavoring qualities, which are essential everywhere in cuisine.  Salt has that flavor property that universally adds to whatever it is one uses it on.  (If there is any doubt that this is also true of sweet foods, let it be known that many salt watermelon and also apples.   In some sweet foods, it is a kind of balancing agent, again enhancing flavor.)  In the ancient world, salt was necessary -- as my study Bible points out -- for preservative power before refrigeration was available.  Believers, therefore, in this context, are valuable to God as those who are loyal and steadfast, and also as those who "flavor" the earth with its enhancing power.  Light, of course, has long been an image of God.  From the pillar of fire that illumined the way for the Israelites following Moses in the night, to the halos of the saints and angels, and manifest in the light of the Transfiguration, light is an unshakable image of God and God's energies at work in the world.  Beyond that, the light of the Lord is said to illuminate our path through a difficult world, beset with paradoxical choices and dilemmas and temptations, half-truths and heresies.  Jesus spoke of Himself as Lord to the people, just prior to the events of Holy Week, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35-36).  So God is Light (John 1:5), the grace of God (God's energies in the world) is light, and yet another property of that light is that it is shared with us, and we also may bear it into the world (Acts 2:3).  Jesus speaks of a lampstand because in the ancient world, light was given through fire, through torches and lamps which burned oil, so we must understand all instances of fire to be also giving us images of this light.  In fact, the verb "to shine" in the Greek of the Gospel is λάμπω/lampo.  Not only may we be gifted by the bearing of this light ourselves, but through our own faithfulness, Christ asks us to participate in the work of grace:  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."   What are these "good works?"  Well, they are undoubtedly related to the fruit of the Spirit, which St. Paul teaches is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control," and for which he adds, "Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  In living these qualities, and bearing this fruit, we let our light shine before others, so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.