“Salt of the Earth—Light of the World”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen. In today’s Gospel Reading from the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “You
are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world.” Salt,
because our world is decaying; light, because our world is in darkness. I recently visited an elderly woman who is approaching 100 years old.
She was talking about how the world has changed since her childhood, and she
wondered, what will the world be like, how will things change, in the next
hundred years? In seems that in just the past decade there have been massive, revolutionary changes in our society, not for the better, but for the worse. Changes that not so long ago would have been unthinkable; changes that go to the very fabric of human civilization; changes that threaten to wreak havoc on our nation and the lives of our children and grandchildren. Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of
the world.” Salt, because our world is decaying; light, because our world
is in darkness. It’s easy to lament over the moral decay and darkness of society at
large. But, it’s much harder to look at ourselves and admit our own moral
failures, our own sins and trespasses. We are no better than anyone else
in the world. As St. Paul says in Romans, “There is no one righteous, not
even one . . . There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God.” We are no better than anyone else in the world. We confess that
we too are sinners. But we also rejoice that all our sins are forgiven by
Jesus Christ. There’s a bumper sticker that puts it this way: “I’m
Not Perfect, Just Forgiven.” You are forgiven all your sins because Jesus
Christ earned forgiveness for you by His perfect life, by His death on the
cross, by His resurrection from the dead. To be Jesus’ disciple means, first, to trust in Him for your salvation.
And to be Jesus’ disciple means, second, to live for Him as His disciple, to
live for Him as His disciple even in the midst of what St. Paul in Philippians
already called in his day a “crooked and depraved generation.” “You are
the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world.” Salt, because
our world is decaying; light, because our world is in darkness. In ancient times, salt was one of the most precious commodities.
You can get an idea how valuable salt was when you realize that our word
“salary” actually comes from the Latin word for salt, “S-A-L,” “sal.”
That’s because in Roman times wages were often paid not with coinage but with
salt, hence the word “salary.” Why was salt so valuable in ancient times? Because of a lack of
something you take for granted—refrigeration. Before the relatively recent
invention of the refrigerator and the deep freeze, the only way to preserve meat
was with salt, like this piece of beef jerky. The Holy Land was blessed with an abundant source this precious
mineral: the Dead Sea, a great salt lake from which endless supplies of salt
could be mined. When Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth,” He was
using an illustration from the everyday lives of the people he was speaking to.
For He spoke those words along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where the main
industry was fishing, and where massive quantities of salt were used to preserve
the fish. In fact, one of the great delicacies in ancient Rome was fish
from the Sea of Galilee, preserved in salt from the Dead Sea. “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 by men.” What does Jesus mean when He says that
you and I, as His disciples, are to be the “salt of the earth”? He means
that our world is decaying all around us, and we are to have a preservative
effect on our world. The Lord is counting on us, His disciples, to help
stop the decay. But, if we acquiesce to the ways of the world, we are like
salt that has lost its saltiness. Jesus uses another illustration from the everyday lives of the people
He was talking to: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill
cannot be hidden.” The Mount of the Beatitudes, where tradition says Jesus
gave His Sermon on the Mount, is on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Off to the west, across the Sea of Galilee, there was and still is the city of
Tiberias, located up on a hill. Tiberias was the largest city in the area,
and still today the lights of Tiberias shine brightly at night across the Sea of
Galilee. While Jesus was speaking those words, “You are the light of the
world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden,” He was probably pointing up at
Tiberias. “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.” What
does Jesus mean when He says that you and I, as His disciples, are to be the
“light of the world,” like a “city on a hill”? He means that our world is
in spiritual darkness, and we are to be like a “city on a hill,” a bright
beacon, bringing the world His spiritual light. The Lord is counting on
us, His disciples, to help penetrate the darkness. But, if we acquiesce to
the ways of the world, we are like a lamp under a bowl. It’s light is not
only hidden, but will eventually be snuffed out. “You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world.”
Salt, because our world is decaying; light, because our world is in darkness. Think of it in terms of an illustration from our everyday lives: Are
you a thermometer or a thermostat? A thermometer just reacts to the
prevailing environment around it; a thermostat works to change its environment.
Jesus wants you to be a moral thermostat, not acquiescing to the prevailing
moral climate but working to change it. “You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world.”
Salt, because our world is decaying; light, because our world is in darkness.
But, what can we do? What can you do to help stop the moral decay of our
world? What can you do to help penetrate the spiritual darkness of our
world? A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; a building
is built one brick at a time. Every action you take as Jesus’ disciple to
resist the world’s ways helps to stop the decay. Every witness you make
for Jesus helps to penetrate the darkness and spread the light.
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see
your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Psalm 115 says, “Not to
us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and
faithfulness.” We live as Jesus’ disciples, not to bring glory to
ourselves, but to bring glory to our heavenly Father. We’re not perfect;
just forgiven. We live as Jesus’ disciples in gratitude for His love.
We live as Jesus’ disciples because He has given us a mission in this world, He
is counting on us to help stop the decay and help spread His light. When you read the paper or watch the news you can feel overwhelmed, you
can feel there is nothing you can do. St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians, “But
thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give
yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in
the Lord is not in vain.” Your Master has given you a mission; He is
counting on you to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world right
where you are: in your own family, your own workplace, your own neighborhood,
your own school. In your everyday life be not a thermometer but a thermostat.
Be the salt of the earth and the light of the world right where you are,
“because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” “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 by men. “You are the light of the world. A city 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 men, that they may see your good deeds and praise
your Father in heaven.” Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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