Matthew 5:13–16
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
I love how simple examples can hold profound depth. Jesus often used common things to explain concepts with rich spiritual impact. The fact that both salt and light are common to all means if we don’t dig a little deeper, we’ll miss the beauty hidden within the details.
When we think of salt, we probably think of the table salt we use to sprinkle liberally on a plate of hot fries. However, salt in the ancient world was so valuable it was used as currency, hence the phrase, “He’s worth his weight in salt.” Salt helps to sustain life. It’s an essential element found in every cell of our body, without it we would die. Salt was also used to preserve meat and slow decay.
Christians are called to be a preserving influence and slow the decay happening rapidly in the current culture. Used as a flavor enhancer, salt makes everything taste better. As Christians, we’re to make the world a better place. How do we do that? We live out the Word of God with authenticity, not as perfect people, but as forgiven people. We move away from just intellectually knowing Jesus. We display a flavorful faith by daily choosing to walk in humble obedience. We walk like Jesus did through a broken world with compassion, grace and love. We represent salt when we become good stewards of our suffering and trials.
The world is hungry for believers to practice what they proclaim. Many unbelievers think, Ok, if your God is so good, why do you act like everyone else when hard times hit? It’s quite a remarkable sight to behold when a Christian, at their lowest point, chooses to praise and worship God. This is why the Book of Job fascinates even unbelievers. When we behave like the world we lose our saltiness. And the Lord warns, if the salt loses its saltiness, it’s good for nothing except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
We’re called the light of the world. Jesus wants us to be a shining beacon of light in the darkness, like a lighthouse guiding people back to safety—the safety of the Savior. The beauty of light’s nature is it swallows up the darkness. When you light a match in the corner of a room, it doesn’t just illuminate a small corner, but the entire room becomes engulfed in a light. Our light is to be so bright it’s a spotlight on the Lord’s goodness.
Light represents truth. There would be no light without truth. Jesus calls Himself the truth ( John 14:6). As Christians, we’re called to speak the truth in love to an increasingly dark and hostile world. We live in a time where the culture calls good evil and evil good. When our Christianity mimics the darkness, or if we’re more concerned with blending in, we miss the opportunity to let our light shine like a city on a hill and display the character of Christ. God wants us to live in such a way that visibly attracts people to the beauty of Jesus.
Pause: Are you salt and light in this world?
Practice: Pay attention to how you “do life” daily. Are you walking in truth with compassion, grace, and love?
Pray: Dear Lord, please help me demonstrate Your light to a lost and broken world. Allow my actions and my words to be seasoned with salt. Help me live in such a way that attracts people to You. Only Your love transforms hearts and minds. Amen.
