Have I Realized the Risk of Being Salt and Light?

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

Matthew 5:13-15

We are powerfully formed by the “you are” messages our parents gave us, both positively and negatively. Jesus, in this very first major public address, takes a Moses-like teaching position in a Moses-like place on a mountain and looks at those unwashed Galilean peasants and pronounces two “you are” messages to them.

Jesus has just finished the Beatitudes – his statement of “congratulations” to the kinds of people who live the values of the kingdom, like the poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemakers, and now looks at the people gathered there and says “You are…” 

Looking closely, the two “you are” statements that Jesus makes both come with two sides to them.  They are both true about who we are, but both of them also come with a clearly evident risk of failure.

“You yourselves are” Jesus says with as much emphasis as language allows, “the very salt of the earth.”  Salt is indispensable.  Being told you are indispensable starts making you feel important and worthwhile. Your life has a purpose.  You are here for something that you, yourself must do – it’s crucial to the whole earth.

In the same way, the second: “You yourselves are the very light of the world” which sounds nice, but, like an awkward introduction, says way too much.  Nevertheless, he said it.  Light, even more than salt is indispensable.  What could grow without light?  How could we manage life inside or outside without light?

But the flip side of the coin has to be considered even before we can start imagining how good it is going to be.  The side that suggests failure as a real possibility.

“You yourselves are indispensable: the very salt of the earth” Jesus tells us, but un-salty salt is as good for your body as eating gypsum.  In fact it’s the opposite of indispensable: it’s worthless.

The same with light.  “You yourselves are indispensable: the very light of the world”  Jesus says.  But on the other hand, it is possible to imagine conditions in which the most absurd and pointless thing happens: a lamp is lit, but instead of putting in on a stand to illumine the house, some fool covers it up with a basket.  How pointless would that be?

You are indispensable – that’s who you are: but it could all go wrong. When do we lose our saltiness and are not able to let our lives shine forth into this world?

The world needs people who are willing to be poor in spirit – but when we don’t recognize our mutual dependence on each other, and on God we become worthless?

The world needs people who are so hungry and thirsty for justice that they do not stop working for it until justice is done. If we don’t we become worthless.

The world needs people who mourn for every example of suffering and so, are motivated to respond with compassion and care. When we don’t we become worthless.

The world needs people who are willing to be meek instead of aggressive with each other and who are forgiving. When we don’t we become worthless.

Jesus said, You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the earth. We are those people, my dear friends whom Jesus is referring to.  We are that indispensable. Its our choice now – to choose to be indispensable or to choose to be worthless.

Dear friends, The world – starting with our families, our church, and our community, and including our planet itself – needs the light of us being good instead of making excuses.  

This Lenten Season, can we choose to be indispensable and let our light shine before others, so that they may see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven.

May the Lord help us. God Bless you