[Jesus said:] 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will 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.”

-oOo-

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Last Sunday we sat at the feet of Jesus and listened while he preached the first part of his very first homily, the Sermon on the Mount.  In this initial teaching Jesus proclaimed the Beatitudes, setting forth the blessings that will be bestowed on the people of God at the fulfilment of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Through these blessings we have been told who, and whose, we are.  And next Sunday we will hear the final third of Jesus’ mountaintop preaching, as he reinforces that he has come, not to abolish the Law of Moses, but to fulfill it.  He will call us to a greater righteousness; Jesus demands a stronger adherence, not only to the letter, but to the spirit of the Law.  And we will delve rather deeply into this final portion of Jesus’ first homily when we gather together next week.

But this morning we find ourselves in the middle part of Jesus’ first teaching; let’s call it “Sermon on the Mount, Part 2”.  And, as he will come to do so frequently, Jesus uses metaphors to describe the nature of those first listeners, and us.  “You are salt”, Jesus proclaims.  Well, since I’m presently on a salt-free diet, this description hits particularly close to home.  And what’s the big deal about salt, and why would Jesus choose this common seasoning to make his point?  Well, this Sodium Chloride compound, this salt was viewed quite differently in Jesus’ time from the way we consider it today.  To begin with, salt is incredibly more abundant and more easily obtained now than then.  Last year the world produced nearly 300 million tons of salt, and a container of plain table salt can be purchased for around a dollar-and-a-half.

But as I said, salt was a vastly different commodity in the first century.  Salt mining was done by hand in extremely dangerous conditions.  It was found only in specific areas and in many cases needed to be transported great distances to the end user.  In some areas in ancient times salt was literally worth its weight in gold.  Roman soldiers received a portion of their pay in salt; in fact, the Latin word for salt “salis”, gave rise to the word, “salary” for just that reason.  So, being referred to as “salt of the earth” would have been a great compliment to those listening to Jesus’ sermon.  But, as he will do so often in his preaching, Jesus then reminds us that salt that has lost its taste is no longer useful.  Suddenly, we don’t feel quite so self-righteous, we’re now tasteless salt.  We’ll return to this in a moment.

The next metaphor compares the people of God to a city that is built on a hill, it is in fully visible and its grandeur cannot be concealed from view.  God’s people, like this shining city are the “light of the world”.

And lastly, we hear another reference to “light”; “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house”.  It seems that Jesus is teaching us that in order to be righteous in the eyes of God that we must be salty and bright.  We must be properly seasoned and we should try to glow.  Well, we know that Jesus’ use of metaphor is meant to make us think more deeply about what it is he is teaching us.  It can’t be as simple as these allegories seem at first glance.

The truth is that they are intended as a call to action, to sharing the blessings that Jesus has proclaimed that we are the inheritors of.  You remember those Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount; “blessed are you” who are meek, mourning, merciful.  God promises these inheritance of the earth, comfort, and mercy.  “Blessed are you” who are poor in spirit, hungry for righteousness, pure in heart, and who strive to be peacemakers.  God promises that these will be inherit the heavenly kingdom, be filled with righteousness, will see God, and be called God’s children.  Jesus is expanding on his proclamation of these blessings which we have received by calling the “blessed” ones to action. 

Which brings us back to salt.  Jesus tells the crowd that once it has lost its ability to season, its reason for being is gone; then it no longer serves its intended purpose.  Same with the beatitudes, for they are intended for all of God’s people.  Those of us who are aware of these blessings are called to share them with others.  We are tasked with letting others know that God’s promises are for everyone.  If we don’t, Jesus tells us, we are allowing this substance which is vital to human life, to go unused.  We are commanded not to withhold this necessary nutrient from our neighbors.  This metaphoric salt, which is representative of the promises of God is to be freely sprinkled on everyone so that all may live lives that are enhanced through the awareness of heavenly blessings.

Next up, what does it mean to be the “light of the world” and how can we as mere mortals attempt to blaze as though we were a shining example such as a hilltop city, to which people would look toward in search of light?

And why would we think we would be able to let our light shine, once taken out from beneath the bushel basket where it was once hidden?  Jesus says we are the light of the world and we are to let our light shine as an example to others.  True, we have acknowledged the blessings God has bestowed on us and Jesus has commanded us to share them with the world.  But, what light do we possess that would enable us to serve as an example for others?  Is our awareness of God’s promises enough to enable us to enlighten others, to bring light to their lives?  Perhaps, but if it isn’t, we can still serve as the vessels through which the light of God may be transmitted.  The light that may emanate from us might simply be in the form of the actions we take in service to others.  And whenever we serve as the hands and feet of Christ we also glorify God; and it is God’s light that is bestowed on those whom we have sought to aid.

For it is God who provides the salt of the earth; we are God’s salt-shakers.  God is the shining city on a hill; we are the ones who ensure that it is visible to everyone who seeks its light.  God’s light shines in the darkness; we are simply those who have been called to act in accordance with our blessings, to allow the light of God to shine in the world.  We are the ones tasked with making sure the light of God isn’t kept hidden under a basket.  We have been blessed; we simply have to share those blessings, those beatitudes with others.  When we do the salt of the earth seasons their lives and the light of the world shines upon them.                     

Will you pray with me?  Good, and gracious, and holy God, you bestow your blessings upon your people.  Inspire us to live and act in ways that demonstrate our thanksgiving for your promises.  Guide us to display your light.  And we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the One who seasons and brings light to our lives.

God is good, all the time.  All the time, God is good.  Amen.