Sermon: Salt, Light, and the Law – Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany (Matthew 5:13-20)
Our scripture reading this morning picks up with the verse immediately following the end of our reading last week. So, this reading is the next part of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. Last week we talked about the beginning of that sermon, which is known as the Beatitudes, and this week we have the follow up statements. These are transitional verses that will lead into the next major section of Jesus’s sermon. Still, these verses are worth following up with, after all, we find in these verses some more well-known sayings of Jesus. “You are the salt and the light.” And, “Don’t hide your light in a bushel basket.” It is in these verses that Jesus begins what it might look like on a practical level the life of blessedness he lays out in the Beatitudes.
So, to think back to last week’s sermon, where I talked about using the Beatitudes as a template for creating and imagining a world that looks more like the unexpected blessedness of the Beatitudes and less like the oppression of the Roman Empire. These verses will continue to examine what that looks like in our lives. So, before we go much further, lets refresh our memories and revisit last week’s reading of the Beatitudes.
[Read Matthew 5:3-12]
Part of the reason that this text sparks the imagination and provides an effective template for considering a new and different world is because it must have been, and still is, relatable to its audience. Imagine the crowd there on the day Jesus gave this sermon. Hearing the words blessed are the meek, a man in the back of the crowd may have turned to his neighbor and said, “That’s me. He’s talking about me.” Hearing Jesus say, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” a woman in the crowd may have thought to herself, “That sounds like the people in my village.” When Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” a man nearby could have heard this and thought, “I try to be peacemaker. I’m so tired of the violence I see all around me.” It’s a relatable jumping off point for a vision of a blessed life. Because Jesus is telling his disciples that this blessing starts with them, where they are, taking into account all the weaknesses of their lives. Or at least what the rich and the powerful might consider to be weaknesses. Jesus lets them know they are in fact blessings.
It doesn’t stop there, however, because not only does Jesus tell them that they are blessed, he also tells them that they are a blessing. He says it this way, “You are the light of the world.” And as we think about that statement, I want to remind us of a bit of context that I mentioned last week. At this point in the gospel Jesus has not called all twelve disciples. Only Peter, Andrew, James and John are with him. So, when Jesus makes these statements, they are not just for the twelve who were chosen and called, they are for everyone who is listening. So, when he says, “You are the light of the world” he is talking to the whole assembled crowd. They have heard the Beatitudes, their lives reflect the Beatitudes, so they all are the light of the world.
This is further encouragement to live out the beatitudes, and it even suggests that we don’t have much of a choice in the matter, because that is who we are; a people that care for the well-being of others. This is what Jesus is referring to when he talks about salt. In this time, salt was not just a seasoning (and it certainly wasn’t used to melt icy sidewalks), it was also a preserving agent. It kept things from going bad. To be the salt of the Earth was to keep the creation whole and preserve peace and justice. Salt losing its taste is a metaphor for the world losing its well-being. Even the salt of the earth runs the risk of losing its taste. In other words, if we are not careful, if we are not mindful of the needs of God’s creation, beyond our own interests, we are not living into that way of blessing as the salt of the earth. We are not preserving peace, justice, and well-being.
So, this is the message that Jesus is bringing to his congregation. “You are the salt and the light.” You and your life make all the difference, no matter how big or small a problem you face. No matter how significant or insignificant your existence may seem to the powers of this world, we all make a difference towards the well-being of creation. To say that we are the salt and the light is to tell us to simply be who we are and who we were created to be. Beloved children of God who are called to love the world as we are loved by our creator. Christian historian and writer Diana Butler Bass puts it this way, in a reflection from her book, A Beautiful Year, “Yes, God created the light. Jesus is light in the darkness. Yet we -fragile and flawed human beings- are the light of the world.”
In ways big and small, we can live in a way that reveals that we believe God is love. Maybe that looks like helping a neighbor with their groceries. Saying a prayer for the suffering of a loved one far away. Maybe it is going to church, to worship with community to keep the spark of hope alive in a dark time. Remember, though, doing acts of loving kindness like this do not earn us God’s love. That love is given graciously to us by God. Instead, these acts are a sign that we are living a new and transformed life and in that way they serve as that light to the world. Also, we must remember, a light has to be able to do two things. It must shed light on what is in the darkness, like a flashlight, but it also must draw attention to itself and call searchers and seekers to its location. Like a lighthouse near the water’s edge.
The people of Minnesota, particularly those in Minneapolis, are a good example of what it means to be a light in this sense. For one thing, their work is showing the world what is happening in their city. The country’s news cameras are focused on Minneapolis, documenting the events there, but also the camera’s on the cell phone of the constitutional observers are also revealing what is happening on the streets day to day. Actions that might otherwise be carried out in darkness are revealed as the abuses of power and people they are. But not only is their light revealing what is happening, it is also shining out beyond their state. Many people have seen it and have been called to solidarity with their cause. Some even traveling to Minneapolis to help in person. The light can reveal and inspire, and remember you are the light.
To embrace that identity, as a light to the world, we must acknowledge that how we live our life shows people what we believe about the world. How we live our faith reveals what we believe about God and Jesus. This brings us to this section where Jesus says that does not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Jesus fulfills and affirms the law that was given to the people of Israel during the time of Moses, because Jesus lives it out in his life in a way that no one else did. So, Christ’s instruction to his disciples is to live out the law in a similar way. If they claim to be faithful and to follow the law, then do it. Not just in word, but in action and in spirit. It is in this way that their lives and the world could be transformed. For Jesus, what we do matters more than what we say. So, we live in a way that can be a light and a blessing. We begin to show the world what it looks like to live by the new template.
The people in Minnesota are examples of this, as well. Their actions show us that they believe in helping their neighbor. It is not their speeches or press releases that breaking through with people. They are not displaying political ideology with these actions. That is not what has gotten people out in the streets. What has moved people to these actions is a faith and belief in love and the better angels of our humanity. One interview with a resident of the city succinctly expresses this idea. A resident of the city, middle-aged white man, was asked why he was out in the street one night. He responded with anger in his voice. He said that he felt he had to be there, that he was not someone who had ever gone out to protests in the past, but now he felt he had to, because his neighbors were in danger. Unfortunately, our world often encourages us to see everything in political or economic terms. How can I get one up on the other guy? People’s actions are judged by the perceived advantage it might give them. This reveals a belief about that world that is narrow and self-serving. Where the law is only observed in so much as helps construct the social hierarchy. It is a view of the world that denies our identity as salt of the earth and light of the world.
In these dark and difficult times, we can take inspiration from the witness of the people of Minnesota in many ways, about many things. But especially let us take inspiration from their actions that help the vulnerable people in their community. From taking their phones out and observing events on the street to getting groceries for neighbors who are sheltering at home for safety. To people marching and protesting, to people taking part in economic boycotts. They are showing their vision of the world, which is a world of peace and well-being rather than a world of violence and domination. It is all a reminder to us that the light of the world cannot be hidden under a basket. We are blessed to be that light, just as we are, but to fully receive the gift of God’s blessings we must first share it with others. We are not blessed in isolation, but in community and relationship. That’s why we’re here this morning isn’t it? To share our light with one another?
Well, today is a good day to remember that truth. Not just because of what is going on in the world, or in Minnesota. This week I learned about a Christian feast day that I was not previously familiar with. It is called Candlemas. It falls on February 2nd, so this is the first Sunday since then. Candlemas concludes the cycle of light, a series of feast days and festivals that begins in Advent with the lighting of the advent wreath, moves through Christmas, and then to Epiphany when we observe the star the wise men followed. After all the lighting of Candles and the watching of stars, Candlemas concludes the Epiphany season by celebrating that Gods’ light has spread throughout and lit up the whole world. The day would be celebrated by people going to church, lighting a candle, and carrying it out with them into the streets for the world to see.
We don’t have candles for you this morning, but that’s okay, I think. Because Jesus told us that you -we- are the light of the world. Your presence, your witness, your actions can spread that light and make it visible. When Jesus calls us to live a life of blessedness, in essence we are called to live as our true and authentic selves, because the light of the world is in all of us so long as we can recognize it in ourselves, recognize it in others, and be open to sharing that light when we can. So, with all that in mind, let us pass the peace now this morning. And, as you greet people, why not share the light with one another? Since we have no candles, just greet one another by saying, “You are the light of the world.” And in that way let us be blessed for the work ahead. The work of caring for God’s people. Amen.