Monday
Monday
The Salt and the Light
You are the salt of the earth…. You are the light of the world…. Let your light shine before men.
Matthew 5:13–14, 16
Salt and light are two of the commonest household necessities. Certainly Jesus must often have watched his mother use salt in the kitchen. In those days before refrigeration, salt was used mostly for preservative and antiseptic purposes. So Mary would have let fish and meat soak in salty water. And she would have lit the oil lamps when the sun went down.
Now these are the images Jesus chose to indicate the influence he intended his followers to exert in the world. What did he mean? What is it legitimate for us to deduce from his choice of metaphors? I suggest he was teaching four truths. Firstly, Christians are radically different from non-Christians. Both images set the two communities in contrast to one another. On the one hand, there is the world; on the other, there are you who are to be the dark world’s light. Again, the world is like rotting meat and decaying fish, but you are to be its salt, hindering social decay. The two communities are as different from one another as light is from darkness and salt from decay.
Secondly, Christians must penetrate non-Christian society. Although spiritually and morally distinct, we are not to be socially segregated. A lamp does no good if it is stowed away in a cupboard, and salt does no good if it stays in the saltshaker. The light must shine into the darkness; the salt must soak into the meat. Both models illustrate the process of penetration.
Thirdly, Christians can influence and change non-Christian society. Salt and light are both effective commodities. They change their environment. When salt is introduced into meat, something happens; bacterial decay is hindered. Similarly, when the light is switched on, something happens; the darkness is dispelled. It is not only individuals who can be changed; societies also can be changed. Of course, we cannot perfect society, but we can improve it. History is full of examples of social improvement by Christian influence.
Fourthly, Christians must retain their Christian distinctives. The salt must retain its saltiness; otherwise it will be useless. Light must retain its brightness; otherwise it will never dispel the darkness. And what are our Christian distinctives? The rest of the Sermon on the Mount tells us.
For further reading: Matthew 5:13–16