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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
At this relatively early stage in Christ's ministry, St. Matthew reports that His fame has already gathered to Him many multitudes, especially due to His miraculous healings (which include the casting out of demons). 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." This beginning of the Sermon on the Mount gives us Jesus' Beatitudes, and we continue today.
"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 road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs. It explains that the Greek for be exceedingly glad means literally to "leap exceedingly with joy." See also 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." My study Bible says that salt and light give us a picture of the role of disciples in society. Salt has preservative powers, is necessary for life, and gives flavor; from these qualities it had religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5). To eat salt with someone meant to be bound together in loyalty, covenant. As the salt of the earth, my study Bible says, Christians are preservers of God's covenant and give true flavor to the world. Also, we know that God is the true and uncreated Light. In the Old Testament, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), of the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all other nations. In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5). My study Bible comments that light is necessary both for clear vision and for life itself. Faith relies upon 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 invitation to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."
Salt and light are given as two images of what Christians are to be in their societies, and in the world. Salt, as my study Bible explains, means covenant. It means loyalty. It is a binding agent, a fixative, and hence it had great significance in the ancient world, besides being a necessity for life, and a preservative for food. But Jesus also speaks of salt in terms of flavor. How we live our faith matters, the nature of our covenant and loyalty, our capacity to adhere to faith is crucial. It gives a particular enhancement of flavor to the world, and in Jesus' illustration, makes all the difference. It brings something essential to the table, so to speak, within the societies which Christians inhabit. He speaks of the faithful as the salt of the earth (meaning our planet, the globe), implying an element that is worth the effort to dig for, to value, and to consider an important part of the composition of our world and the life of the Creation. (See this article on Halite, natural rock salt.) At the same time, He speaks of believers as the light of the world. This word translated as world is κοσμος/kosmos in the Greek, and it means all of Creation, the universe and everything in it. It comes from a root in Greek that means adornment, decoration, God's beautiful order. It's related to the concept of a jewel or jewelry, so we can imagine what light is to a jewel in this context. If God's beautiful order and creation needs light, then faith and faithful believers are that light. As my study Bible teaches, we know that Christ is the original "uncreated" Light, but Jesus is speaking of light that illumines all of the creation. In this context, the faithful are a light that illumines what God has made. So the effects of faithful living by Christ's gospel make the world more clear to us, show us where we are and what the world is truly like, illuminating the facets of a jewel created by God. Light is indispensable for us to find our way, and in this context, forms an illumination that guides the way for all, no doubt rooted in the spiritual fruits that Jesus says cast glory upon God. If we take a good look at the fruit of the Spirit as named by St. Paul, we can correlate such virtues with all of the qualities that Christ names in the Beatitudes in yesterday's reading, above (see Galatians 5:22-23 for the fruit of the Spirit). Such things form the light that shines in the world before all people, that illumines and glorifies God, as we reflect the light given to us in our faith. In this light, we are able to see the purposes for which we've been blessed with God's creation, hold it in right relationship, and even to bless the world with its illumination, showing what is possible in the light of Christ. Let us remember our loyalty and our light -- where it comes from and to whom we are dedicated, for "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17). In the following chapter, as Jesus continues this sermon, He will give us the prayer known as the Lord's Prayer, or the "Our Father." Here, in today's reading, He is teaching us what it means to be the salt and light of "our Father" in this world, and to reflect God's glory back to Him. This is what it means to be His faithful disciples, to live the gospel message He gives us in this sermon. Let us be true to His teaching, and remember how important and essential we as faithful are to the world in His sight.
