This picture is of salt, viewed very very close.
“You
are the salt of the earth!” You are
sodium chloride (NaCl). You are a
crystalline mineral that is used around the world to preserve food and keep it
from spoiling. You are processed from
salt mines or evaporated from salt water.
You
are sold in scrub form by beautiful women from Israel who stop you in the mall,
wash your hands, and gaze into your eyes until you buy at least $50 worth of
salt skincare products that you do not need (not that I have ever succumbed to
such sales practices).
You
are an essential nutrient for human health via your
role as an electrolyte and osmotic
solute. Consumption of you
may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension,
in children and adults. You have been
harvested from water in China as far back at 6,000 BC. You are salt.
And,
that, my friends, was the blandest description of salt I could have possibly
provided. After-all, the power of salt
cannot be found in a description of its chemical makeup or use. The power of salt comes from tasting it. It comes from experiencing it.
It
is a mineral with passion that invokes a dramatic reaction in the taste
buds. It completes steak, making a
savory, comfortably full feeling on the pallet that accompanies special
occasions and prepares hard workers for the next day. It is the gritty element that combines with
sugar to create the greatest candy in the world: Resee’s Peanut Butter Cups.
So,
when Jesus says that you are the salt of the world he is saying that you are
the passion of God for the whole world to experience.
Guess
what this picture is? It is a light hidden under a
bushel basket, of course. Obvious right?
This is what
people see when you hide all that God is passionate about.
This is what you see if people refuse to be
God’s light.
Do not hide it, Jesus
says. “Let your light shine before others,
so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
These
good works that you give to your neighbor have the ability to affect your neighbor in profoundly
holy ways. You are God’s salt. The fundamental elements of your life have the taste
of all that God is passionate about. Be
God’s passion to your neighbor!
You
are God’s light. You shine a light of
love and hope on all around. Do not
hide, be God’s light!
It
seems simple enough. Be the salt. Be the light.
But, there is a way that this can all go wrong.
For
example, you could be the type of person who takes pride in following God’s
laws perfectly. You might be proud that
you have never murdered. You are not as
bad as those people. However, at the
same time, you feel no remorse slinging some words toward a neighbor which mocks
them; deservedly or not.
Jesus
sees no difference between the two. Both
actions cause harm.
Being
that type of salt is being salt that has lost its saltiness. It is upholding the law as it is written,
“You shall not murder,” but forgetting the passion that God has instilled
within the law: loving your neighbor and your enemy. Show mercy to all; that is the taste of true
salt.
You
could be the person who points out the faults of other people, and how stupidly
they make their decisions in life, all the while failing to see the log of
stupidity within your own eye. How can
you lead someone to healing if you have not healed yourself? How can you be an example of God’s passionate
love for the world if you refuse to shine a light of forgiveness?
God
does not require that people to try harder in life in order to receive love and
healing. Instead, God requires that his
followers show mercy. “I desire mercy,
not sacrifice,” Jesus continually reminds us through the gospel of Matthew. Mercy is the light that breaks through the
darkness of the world.
After-all,
following Christ is not about only following the letter of the law. It is not about keeping the Sabbath Day holy
and refusing to do any work at all (and forcing others to refrain from work at
the same time) all the while watching people suffer. While we watch people suffer we do not say,
“Well, at least I did not break a commandment."
That
misses the point! The whole purpose of
the Sabbath is for God to renew life in a world that needs healing and
rest. For Christians, the Sabbath is
about Jesus raising people from the depths of death to new life; raising people
up from the grave.
In
other words, being the salt of the earth and the light of the world is about
never forgetting the purpose of God’s laws: to bring life and love and peace (Shalom)
to all of God’s people. It is NOT about blindly following the rules for the sake of following the rules. It is allowing God’s passion behind the rules
to bring new life to the world.
There
are truck loads of people in the world that can point to the rules on the wall
and point out how you are failing. Lots
of people are excellent at making you feel like you are a failure.
But,
God’s people understand that mercy and love are the passions existing behind
the rules. God’s people care about
that. God's people go above and beyond the rules.
God’s
people are the salt of the earth. God’s
people are the light of the world. God’s
people have the gift of passion in their heart.
They reserve room in their heart for all that God cares about: all that
is merciful and loving.
In
this way, God’s people exceed the righteousness of those who care only about the
rules being followed perfectly.
God’s
people primarily care about Jesus’ self-giving love that is shown on the cross.
God’s people shine the light of love because God is love.
You
are God’s passion here on earth. You are
the one who follows the commandments as God intends them to be followed, without
abandoning a single letter or punctuation.
The
Bible says that you are the salt of the earth.
The Bible does not say that you can become the salt of the earth. No!
You are the salt of the earth.
You are God’s passion here on earth.
So,
what is your passion? What part of
Jesus’ story does God use to ignite a fire within? What is the Spirit moving you to care deeply
about? You are the salt. You are the light. You are the people of God.
Take
a moment to look through the stories of Jesus’ life. Find the one that sparks a bit of passion from
God’s Spirit within. Many will not spark
anything. Do not feel bad, just read on.
The one that God draws your attention to
is the one that holds the potential for some passion. Find yourself in Jesus' story. Once you do that you will be able to see in what
way Jesus wants you to follow.
Are
you led to the feeding stories? Maybe God
wants you to provide food to the needy in some way. Maybe that is your passion.
Are
you led to the healing story of the man who cannot stand or walk? Maybe, the words of Paul that talk about running
the race have always called out to you. Perhaps,
those scriptures mold you into a runner who runs races that raise money for a cause
like the Muscular Dystrophy Association?
Take
a moment to look through the scripture and find your passion. Discover your own particular flavor of salt!
What Part of Jesus’ Story Draws You In?
Matthew
2:9-12 The Wisemen give gifts to the baby Jesus
Matthew
2:13-23 Jesus and his family are refugees from a corrupt government
Matthew
3:13-17 Jesus is baptized and named, “The Beloved”
Matthew
4:1-11 Jesus resists the devil’s temptation
Matthew
4:18-22 Jesus calls people to “Follow me”
Matthew
5:3 Blessed are the poor in Spirit
Matthew
5:4 Blessed are those who mourn
Matthew
5:5 Blessed are the meek
Matthew
5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
Matthew
5:7 Blessed are the merciful
Matthew
5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart
Matthew
5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers
Matthew
5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted
Matthew
5:16 Let your light shine before others
Matthew
5:21-26 Be reconciled to your brother or sister
Matthew
5:38-42 Turn the other cheek…Go the second mile
Matthew
5:43-48 Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
Matthew
6:1-8 Give and pray in secret
Matthew
6:9 The Lord’s Prayer
Matthew
6:19 You cannot serve God and wealth
Matthew
6:25-34 Do not worry about your life…Consider the lilies of the field
Matthew
7:1-6 Do not judge…take the log out of your own
eye
Matthew
7:7-11 Ask, and it will be given you
Matthew
7:21-27 Everyone who hears and acts of Jesus’ words are like a wise man
Matthew
8:1-4 Jesus chooses to touch and heals a leper
Matthew
8:5-13 Jesus heals a centurion’s servant
Matthew
8:14-17 Peter’s mother-in-law gets up and serves after Jesus heals her
Matthew
8:23-27 Jesus calms a storm at sea
Matthew
8:28-34 Jesus casts out demons into the pigs
Matthew
9:1-8 Jesus forgives and heals a man in front of
critics
Matthew
9:9-13 Jesus eats with sinners…I desire mercy, not sacrifice
Matthew
9:18-26 Jesus heals a little girl and a woman is healed by touching his cloak
Matthew
9:27-34 Jesus heals the blind and makes the mute to speak
Matthew
9:35-38 Jesus has compassion on the crowds…they are without a shepherd
Matthew 10:1-15 Jesus
sends disciples to cure, cleanse, raise dead - taking nothing
Matthew
12:1-13 The disciples eat and Jesus cures on the Sabbath…showing mercy
Matthew
12:22-37 Jesus is accused of being evil for doing good (casting out demons)
Matthew
12:46-50 Jesus points to his followers as being his true family
Matthew
13:1-23 Parable of the sewer of seeds
Matthew
13:31-32 Parable of the mustard seed…smallest seed creates a great bush
Matthew
13:53-58 Jesus is not accepted in his hometown
Matthew
14:13-21 Jesus feeds the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish
Matthew
14:22-33 Jesus walks on water and saves Peter after he fails to walk
Matthew
15:1-11 Jesus teaches that what comes out of the mouth is what defiles
Matthew
15:21-28 A gentile woman opens Jesus up to ministering to the gentiles
Matthew
15:29-39 Jesus heals many and feeds the 4,000
Matthew
16:13-20 Peter declares Jesus as the Messiah, Son of the living God
Matthew
16:21-28 Jesus tells his followers to deny themselves and take up the cross
Matthew
17:1-9 Jesus is transfigured…revealing his divinity
Matthew
17:14-21 Jesus heals an epileptic boy who the disciples could not heal
Matthew
18:1-6 Jesus takes a child and teaches us to be humble like the child
Matthew
18:7-14 Jesus warns to not cause others to stumble, none should be lost
Matthew
18:15-35 Jesus teaches about forgiveness…forgive even 77 times
Matthew
19:3-12 The two shall become one flesh…let no one separate
Matthew
19:13-15 Let the little children come to me, do not stop them
Matthew
19:16-22 Sell your possessions…give the money to the poor…follow me
Matthew
19:23-30 The first will be last and the last will be first
Matthew
20:1-16 The gracious employer who pays the last the same as the first
Matthew
21:1-11 Jesus rides on a donkey and is praised
Matthew
21:12-17 Jesus removes sellers…“My house shall be a house of prayer!”
Matthew
21:33-46 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone
Matthew
22:1-14 Everyone on the streets are invited to the wedding banquet
Matthew
22:15-22 Give to God the things that are God’s
Matthew
22:34-40 Love God and love the neighbor - the greatest commandments
Matthew
23:1-12 All who humble themselves will be exalted
Matthew
23:37-49 Jesus desires to gather all under his wings like a mother hen
Matthew
26:6-13 A woman anoints Jesus for his burial with costly ointment
Matthew
26:17-30 “Take, eat; this is my body…”
Matthew
26:36-46 “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
Matthew
26:47-56 “All who take the sword will perish by the sword.”
Matthew
26:69-27:10 Peter denies Jesus and Judas is ashamed of his betrayal
Matthew 27:11-25 The
crowds call for Jesus crucifixion in front of Pilate
Matthew 27:32 Simon
carries Jesus’ cross
Matthew 27:33-56 Jesus
is mocked; dies - the temple curtain tears & dead are raised
Matthew
27:57-61 Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalene, and Mary bury Jesus
Matthew
28:1-10 Jesus is raised from the dead and greets the women who tell
Matthew
28:16-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…I am with you
Luke
1:39-56 Mary sings of the Lord raising the lowly and filling the hungry
Luke
2:8-20 Lowly shepherds are chosen to bear witness
to the birth of Jesus
Luke
2:25-40 Simeon and Anna, great in age, bless & prophesy about the Jesus
Luke
5:17-26 Friends break through a roof so that their friend might be healed
Luke 6:20 “Blessed are the poor”
Luke
10:25-37 Parable of an unlikely person helping (the
Good Samaritan)
Luke
15:1-32 The lost are found (sheep, coins, sons)
Luke
16:19-31 A rich man ignores Lazarus who was poor at his
doorstep
Luke
19:1-10 A short tax collector commits to giving to the poor
Luke
21:1-4 Jesus commends the generosity of a poor,
widow
Luke 23:42 Jesus forgive a thief on the cross who confesses
John 1 The word was with God and the word was God
John
2:1-11 Jesus blesses a wedding feast with wine
John
3:16-17 For God so loved the world…that the world might be saved…
John 4:1-42 Jesus has a theological discussion with a Samaritan woman by a well
John
5:1-16 Jesus heals an ill man on the Sabbath
John 6:35 “I am the bread of life. Whoever
comes to me will never be hungry.”
John 8:1-11 Jesus defends a woman. “Who is without sin...throw a
stone”
John 10:11 “I am the good Shepherd. The good
shepherd lays down his life…”
John
11:1-57 Jesus weeps and raises Lazarus from the dead
John
15:9-17 “Love one another as I have loved you.”
Acts
16:11-15 Lydia, a seller of fine cloth, supports the ministry of the Apostles
Acts
9:36-42 Peter raises Tabitha; beloved; sewed for
others and gave to the poor
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