Epiphany 5A
Matthew 5:13-20
Today we
continue hearing from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which is probably his most
famous sermon, and the part of it that we hear today is one of the most famous
parts. In fact, it is one of those parts of the Bible that has made it into
everyday language without people necessarily even knowing that it comes from
the Bible. We talk about people as being real “salt of the earth” sort of
folks. And what kid hasn’t heard the song, “This Little Light of Mine”? These
images of salt and light that Jesus uses today are earthy, well-loved, and
well-known.
But even as
well known as they are, these two metaphors have much to offer us each and
every time we hear them. So let’s dig into these metaphors today and think
about what they might mean for the Christian life.
The first
thing to notice is that these statements – you are the salt of the earth, and
you are the light of the world – they are not commandments, but statements
about how it already is. We are so tempted to hear them as, “you should be like
salt of the earth,” or, “Be more like the light of the world,” but that is not
what Jesus says. He says, “You ARE.” Already! So… what are we?
Let’s start
with salt. What do we know about it? Our most common use for salt is for
eating, usually as a seasoning. Those
of you who are bakers know that salt is an essential part of the chemistry of
baking. In cooking, what does salt do? It brings out of the flavor and makes it
taste better. So when we are being “salty Christians,” we bring a certain
liveliness and joy to the world – we bring out its flavor. But, keep in mind, this
is not true in isolation. No one eats salt by itself – salt is best when it
interacts with other flavors. In that sense, Christians exists not for themselves,
but for the world – to love and serve and learn from and grow in the world.
When we engage in the world, life becomes more flavorful.
Another
common use for salt is as a preservative.
Before refrigeration was available, the best way to preserve meat was to salt
it. Though we do generally refrigerate meat now, we still see salted meats –
beef jerky comes to mind. I’m sure those of you who have done some backpacking
are very familiar with how important salted meat is for getting needed protein
on a long hike! So when Jesus calls us “salt,” he is telling us that we as
Christians keep the world from spoiling, from going bad. Salty Christians seek
to preserve life.
Salt is also
commonly used as a cleanser or healer. How many of you wear contact lenses?
And what do you use to clean them? Saline solution. How many of you have ever
had a sore throat or a canker sore, and have swished or gargled warm salt water
to heal it? It works! But salt as a healer is not always very pleasant. That’s
where the phrase, “salt in the wound” comes from – because salt as a healer can
be a negative, painful experience. My mom tells a story about when she was a
kid and her dog had fleas and she had bites all over her legs, which she had
scratched raw. Then her family took a trip to the ocean and when she ran those
little legs into the water – oh, did it burn! But I’ll tell ya what, her legs
didn’t itch again after that! The reason salt hurts our wounds is that it is
healing. And sometimes that, too, describes the life of a Christian. Christ
calls us to recognize when there is a problem – perhaps an impurity in our
hearts, or a need for forgiveness – and then to do what needs to be done for
healing – like having a difficult conversation or admitting you were wrong. Or
even the confession we practice every Sunday at the start of worship. Steps
like these can be like salt in a wound: painful in the moment, but ultimately
healing.
And of
course, who can live in Upstate NY and not think about salt on winter roads! We
use it, of course, because it helps ice to melt. This is not unlike the role of
salt as a healer – so often our relationships with others turn icy and cold,
but salty Christians melt that iciness with love and prayer, and instead seeking
forgiveness and reconciliation.
One more
thought on salt, and that is as a currency.
Back in the day, salt was used as money, literally worth its weight in gold,
and though today it is the cheapest of spices, it used to be that only the
richest in the world were able to add salt to their meals. So when Jesus says
we are the salt of the earth, he’s not saying, “You’re common and cheap,” but
rather, “You are valuable, even precious!”
It’s quite a
dense metaphor, salt! So how about light? At first, this one seems more
straightforward. We are the light of the world, so we should let our light and
our gifts shine, right? But this one actually confuses me a bit, because you
remember back at Christmas when we all stood around with lit candles and heard from
John’s Gospel about how Jesus is the light of the world, shining in the
darkness? But now here in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus is saying that we are the light of the world. So which
is it – Jesus, or us?
I think both
can be true. When it comes down to it, Christ is our light, shining in the
darkness. But we are what God uses to shine that light into the world. We are
the lamp, or the flashlight, or the candle, shining the light of Christ upon
all whom we encounter. So then when Jesus says, “Don’t put that light under a
bushel,” he is saying, “Don’t hide me from your neighbors!” As Christians, we
let the light of Christ burst out into the world unabashedly. Often, this
becomes apparent through our good works, as Jesus says. It is in our good deeds
and our service to others. It is in our kindness. It is in our willingness to pray
with and for one another, even outside of Sunday morning. It is in our
generosity, and our seeking reconciliation and forgiveness and all those other
things we already talked about that “salty” Christians do. And in all of these
works, all of these ways of living, we can be confident that these are not for
our own glory, but for the glory of God. As Jesus says, “Let your light so
shine before others so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
This all
sounds well and good. But even though I began this sermon by pointing out that
these words from Jesus are blessing and not commandment, declaring what we
already are and not what we should be, I still find myself thinking, “Gosh,
that’s an awful lot that Jesus is expecting of me.” Preserve the faith, keep
the world from spoiling, bring out life’s flavors, melt the iciness of hearts, seek
healing and reconciliation even when it hurts… These are hard things! How can
Jesus be so sure when he says, “You already are the salt of the earth and the
light of the world”? I’m certainly not sure!
But look at
whom Jesus is talking to – do you remember the Beatitudes from last week?
Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who
mourn… That’s whom Jesus is talking to – to them, and to us. You see, even when
you don’t feel much like salt or light – when you feel instead like grieving,
or when you feel weak, or poor in spirit – Jesus tells us that we still are
salt of the earth and light of the world.
And we are,
because God made us that way. God created us in our mother’s wombs and created
us good. Then in our baptism God claims us as the salty, light-filled children
of God that we are. In fact, we often quote this passage at baptisms, telling
the newly baptized and reminding all those present of what God can do in us,
through us, and for us. Brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter how
ill-equipped, unqualified, sad or unloved you may feel, know that you are the
salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Thanks be to God.
Let us pray…
Lord of Light, you have loved us and
filled us with so many good things. Help us to live into the identity that you
have claimed for us, to be the salty, light-filled children of God you created
us to be. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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