Salt and light....a responsibility

Matthew 5:13-16:     Salt and Light 

A Responsibility

The Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beatitudes. It tells us that those who are poor, those who are hungry, those who weep, those whose hearts are pure, those who work to establish peace, those who suffer for the cause of justice -- they are all blessed in the kingdom of God.

Then the Sermon on the Mount speaks of the necessary response of the blessed. What is our responsibility? Jesus says: 'You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world'. All who are blessed are called to be responsible. To be Christian, to be in the kingdom of God, is a great responsibility. 

After the Beatitudes, Jesus tells the disciples of their responsibility in society, in the world. The focus of God’s action is the world -- not simply the Church or Christians. 'Let your light shine before people that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven.' It is about our deeds in the world.

The Kingdom of God is about this world, and about our life and witness in the world.  It is about politics, about economics and about culture.  It is about our environment. It is about peace.  How are we to fulfil our responsibility in the society in which we live?  Jesus said: You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world.

First, Christians are to be the salt of the earth. When we want to stress a person’s worth we often say that he or she is 'the salt of the earth'. In the ancient world, salt was highly valued. The Greeks called salt divine. Salt performs two important functions. It is the commonest of all preservatives. It keeps things from going bad. For millions of people in the world, salt still has this purpose. In the second place, salt gives taste and flavour to food. Food without salt is bland.

Our task is to be the salt of society:  preserving, reconciling, adding taste, giving meaning where there is no meaning, giving hope where there is no hope. It is about the quality of life.

To be the salt of society means that we are deeply concerned with its well-being. We preserve cultural values and moral principles and make a contribution to the development of cultural and social life. We add taste and flavour to the common life. Because there are Christians in a city or in a village, its people should be able to praise God for the harmony and fellowship, joy and happiness which Christians bring to the common life.

We are also called to be the light of the world. The New English Bible translates: ‘You are the light for all the world’. It means we are to be light in all aspects of the world’s life. It also means we are to be light for all the people of the world. It takes us out of our preoccupation with the welfare of the Christian community alone.

Prophesizing about the Messiah, Isaiah says:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

those who dwell in a land of deep darkness,

on them the light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus said: 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'. (John 8:12) Again he said: 'While I am in the world, I am the light of the world'. 

Jesus Christ is the true light of all the world.  He has lighted a light in the life of each one of his followers. We are called to rise and shine.

We are to be torch bearers in a dark world. Don't try to hide the light which God has lit in our lives. Rather' we should shine so that others may see our good deeds and see God.  Shining does not mean self-propaganda, self-publicity, self-glorification, but bearing fruit in our life, bringing life and light to others. It is about our deeds in society -- in politics, in culture and in social life.

The Bible does not give us a programme for political action, but it gives us a picture of God and his purposes for his creation.  In the Beatitudes we see a God who comforts those who mourn, a God who satisfies the needs of the poor and the hungry. To be a light is to follow this God, struggling to bring about social justice in our society, to safeguard human rights and to work for peace and reconciliation.

RESOURCES:

Salt and Light by T. V. Philip http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1528

 http://www.loopkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/EL-2-13-11.pdf