Text: Matthew 5:13-20 Revised Standard Version (RSV)
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
The Law and the Prophets
17 “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
In the Name of God, the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Amen.
John W. Donahue tells us: “Holy men and women serve this world by reflecting in it the light of another.”
And Jesus tells us: “You are the light of the world.” “You are the salt of the earth.”
Boom. There it is, straight from Jesus himself. No qualifications, no caveats, no clarifications. You are the salt of the earth, the light of the world.
All of this is really good to hear. And Jesus is saying that to us.
I’ll repeat the question I asked last week: “How does this make you feel?” I would hope that this comes as really welcome news – Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that we, his followers, are really and truly indispensible.
“You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world.” Note that he states it in the present tense. We are the salt of the earth and we are the light of the world right now. Not in some future time, not after completing some seminar, not after passing a test – but right now.
Our friend David Lose writes: “Jesus isn’t saying, ‘You should be the salt of the earth and light of the world.’ Or, ‘You have to be,…’ let alone ‘You better be,….’ Rather, he is saying, you are. As in already are. Even if you don’t know it. Even if you once knew it and forgot. Even if you have a hard time believing it.”[1]
And Jesus means what he says, too!
“Salt of the earth” and “light of the world” are probably two of the most familiar phrases we have; but of the two, I would bet that “salt of the earth” is the more popular.
How many times have we heard or said ourselves of someone that he or she was the “salt of the earth”? When we want to lift up someone as a positive example of goodness, of solid worth, of virtue, we say that they are the “salt of the earth.” The image that’s evoked is always one of stability, integrity, honesty, and downright usefulness. Everybody wants to be known as “the salt of the earth.”
And that’s why it’s good news to hear Jesus tells us that that is exactly what we are in God’s eyes.
To the ancient Greeks, salt was, as William Barclay writes, not just highly valued, but the word they used to describe it was “theios,” (θεῖος) or “divine.” A holy thing. That kind of makes us look at our salt shakers a little differently, doesn’t it? The Romans also had an exalted view of salt – “the Romans said: ‘There is nothing more useful than sun and salt.’”[2]
That notion about salt was in the air throughout the Near East in Jesus’ day, so it’s pretty likely that, when Jesus equated salt with his followers, people sat up and took notice.
So, OK, we’re the salt of the earth. Now what? What might it mean today for us to be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world”? Well, think back over life over the last couple of weeks. Think of the variety of ways God has used you to be salt and light. Think of your words of encouragement to others. Think of your faithful work at your place of employment. Think of the volunteering you’ve done. Think of the prayers you’ve offered. Think of the promises you’ve made and kept. That is how you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Here’s a true story posted just the other day by Bri Lamm on Faithit.com:
“Sometimes people just need a little bit of help. After all, we are all here to live in community with one another. Marcus Pass knows as well as anyone that we have a duty to love each other and treat people with respect.
“So you can imagine the disappointment Marcus felt when a young guy in a chicken joint took the time to laugh and joke about a man in need, rather than go help him out.
“Marcus wrote on Facebook:
‘Eating lunch at Zaxby’s and overhear some young man laughing about an older gentleman in the bathroom that couldn’t get off the toilet.’
“He made his way to the restroom where he could hear the older gentleman crying.
“’I ask him if he’s ok; he said that his legs were too weak to stand up and he left his cane by the door.’
“Without even thinking, Marcus asked the man to unlock his door. He immediately helped him back to his feet, and got his pants up for him.
“The man was wearing a hat that said ‘Vietnam veteran’ across the front. He fought for our freedom, and this young guy that was out there making fun of him wouldn’t even give him the time of day.
“He hugged Marcus and with tears in his eyes told him that he’s 69 years old and that was the most embarrassing moment of his life.
“The two shook hands and thanked each other—one for everything he’s sacrificed for our freedom, and the other for simply taking the time to care for another.
“Marcus then walked the man out to the restaurant lobby where he made the teenager—who was making fun of him before—apologize to his face.
“Moral of the story: Getting old is inevitable, but being a complete [jerk] to a stranger is not.”
“Thankfully, what was meant for evil, God turned around to use for good.
“Since Marcus posted his power-packed message on Facebook, it’s been shared over 45,000 times, reminding people around the world to take the time to simply be kind.
“I pray we all carry Marcus’ morsel of wisdom with us today.”[3]
Marcus Pass has shown us clearly and unambiguously what it means to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Barclay tells us that, in the time of Jesus, salt was connected with three special qualities, the first of which was purity:
“No doubt its glistening whiteness made the connection easy. The Romans said that salt was the purest of all things, because it came from the purest of all things, the sun and the sea…So, if the Christians are to be the salt of the earth, they must be examples of purity.”[4]
When we think of “purity,” we might think of those who seem so good that they don’t seem to have human blood flowing through their veins, people like the legendary Parcival.
Normal people like us aren’t made like that. Parcival – and Lancelot, and Galahad, and all the other characters – are legendary because that’s exactly what they are – legends, myths, archetypes. Normal people like us can’t possibly begin to live up to their stature.
But all of us can be “salt of the earth” people like Marcus Pass. And that’s what Jesus calls us to be – normal people showing kindness to others.
“You are the light of the world.”
The website Vintage News tells us about one man who truly was the light of the world:
“When the Germans invaded Poland and started World War II, the priest Maximilian Kolbe was one of the few men to stay at his monastery; here he would care for others in a temporary hospital.
“Once the town was captured by the Germans, he was arrested on September 19, but released on December 8.
“The Germans tried to get him to sign the Deutsche Volksliste, which in turn would grant him the same rights as German civilians as long as he recognized his German ancestry.
“Once he was released, he returned to his monastery, where he and his fellow monks would provide shelter to the refugees from Greater Poland, which included 2,000 Jews whom he hid from their German captors.
“Kolbe even got permission to continue printing religious works, though it was reduced from what he had printed before.
“Though religious works were not all he published, the monastery became a publishing house of anti-Nazi propaganda. On the 17th of February 1941, the monastery was seized and shut down by the German authorities, Kolbe and four other men were arrested by the Gestapo before being taken to the Pawiak Prison.
“On the 28th of May, he was transported to Auschwitz and designated prisoner #16670.
“Even through all this, he continued his work as a priest in Auschwitz, which drew a lot of hate and harassment; he was beaten by the guards so badly that a group of friendly inmates had to smuggle him to the prison hospital.
“Kolbe was sent to the work camp, where his duties included carrying heavy blocks that would be used to build the crematorium.
Overseeing the workers was a vicious man named “Bloody Krott” who singled out Kolbe, he treated him the worst of all.
“The other workers said that Kolbe would take his beatings calmly.
On one noted occasion, Krott made Kolbe carry the heaviest load until he collapsed, when he did, Krott beat him within an inch of his life, leaving him to die in the mud.
“Near the end of July 1941, three unknown prisoners escaped Auschwitz which made SS-Hauptsturmführer Karl Fritzsch furious.
“He decided he would have ten prisoners starve to death as punishment and a warning to the rest.
“A man named Franciszek Gajowniczek was picked, he then began to cry out about his wife and children, prompting Kolbe to volunteer in his place.
“A witness in his prison cell saw Kolbe leading the prisoners in prayer.
“Each time a guard came to check, he saw Kolbe standing or kneeling in the middle of the cell, looking calmly at anyone that entered.
“After two weeks of this, only Kolbe remained. The guards, however, wanted the cell empty, so they gave Kolbe a lethal injection of Carbolic acid.
“It is said that Kolbe simply raised his arm and waited for the injection. His remains were cremated the 15th of August, the feast day of the Assumption of Mary.
“Kolbe was later considered a martyr by the Roman Catholic Church and was canonized a saint.”[5]
Kolbe’s example is one of spreading the light of God’s love to the world. What he did – as a common man in uncommon, horrible circumstances – showed what it means to spread the light of Christ in defiance of the darkness of evil.
And here’s the thing: There’s a bit of Marcus Pass and Maximilian Kolbe in every one of us. Very few of us will ever be called on to make the heroic sacrifice that Kolbe did; but every one of us has the power to shine a light of faith and righteousness around us so that the darkness, the meanness that seems to fill the world can be pushed back, just a bit, just for a moment. And that’s not just important; it’s all-important! Because, as the hymn “Lead On, O King Eternal” puts it: “With deeds of love and mercy / the heavenly Kingdom comes.”
Never forget: You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world!
Let your light so shine before all, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven!
In the Name of God, the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Amen.
[1] http://www.davidlose.net/2017/01/epiphany-5-a-promises-not-commands/
[2] Barclay, William, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume One, Louisville, Kentucky, Westminster John Know Press, 2001, p. 137
[3] http://faithit.com/zaxbys-act-of-kindness-vietnam-vet/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text-link&utm_campaign=faithitFebruary%201st,%202017&maropost_id=728873405
[4] Ibid.
[5] https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/05/18/polish-priest-imprisoned-auschwitz-volunteered-take-place-complete-stranger-sentenced-death-man-replaced-survived-auschwitz-lived-1995/