Scripture Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Sermon
This past week I was sitting in a beloved diner with a beloved friend, gazing down at a plate filled with a steaming hamburger and a pile of French fries. I tasted a fry. It was ok, but something was missing. I grabbed the saltshaker and gently applied not too much, just the right amount for me. I bit into another fry. And there it was. Not salt, but the fry, as it was meant to be, the bright flavor of hot, delicious potato.
In this morning’s passage from Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives words of encouragement and approval to a crowd. He says, “You are the salt of the earth!” to people who are not necessarily used to being complimented. But this is a compliment. What does it mean?
In Bible Study on Tuesday, we shared all the uses of salt we could think of. We talked, of course, about salt as an addition to food—to add its own flavor, yes, but also to enhance the flavor of the food itself, like that French fry. Salt makes things better. We talked about how salt can preserve and even cook food, making it easier to store and transport, and dependable in a pinch, pardon the pun. We talked about how salt is essential to the functioning of our bodies—again, not too much, but the right amount helps maintain the health and functioning of our nerves, muscles (including the heart), and fluid balance. We talked about an “old salt,” a title we give to certain people who seem to know the sea. That title means wisdom, and experience, and calm in the midst of the (sometimes literal) storm. Salt was used as currency in ancient days; people bartered with it. Salt was also used to seal agreements and covenants. Worship in the great Temple in Jerusalem included a covenant of salt. Salt was sprinkled on the offerings.
To say “You are the salt of the earth” is to say some combination of: You are trustworthy. You are wise. You have experience living in this world, and that counts for a lot. You can be the still point in the storm. You make things better.
But then Jesus says something odd. He says, “But if that salt has lost its flavor it ain’t got much in its favor…” or something like that. And, guess what? Throughout the ages, sodium chloride has proved itself a remarkably stable compound. So why would Jesus say something he probably knows will never happen?
My guess is, Jesus is being light-hearted. He is teasing, just a little bit, just enough to evoke some laughter in the crowd. He is telling them some essential things about themselves that won’t change, and they might need some help believing him, that they are so important, so essential, so good.
Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.” Again, a remarkable thing to say to a crowd of people who are living under oppression, who are largely the working poor, and who are used to being at the bottom rung of the social ladder. Surely the Emperor is the light of the world, or the king… certainly not subsistence farmers of fisherfolk?
And yet… Jesus has declared it. Not asked. Not wondered. Not issued a seven-step practice guaranteed to make a person the light of the world. Preacher and professor Karoline Lewis of Luther Seminary in St. Paul has said,
I love this moment in the Sermon on the Mount, because Jesus doesn't say, “Think about being the light.” Jesus doesn't say, “You might be the light, Consider being the light,” or even “Be the light.” It's not even a command. It is an indicative claim. You are the light of the world.
I think this declaration—You are the light of the world—is just a bit different than the first. We are the salt of the earth, no question. Jesus has said it, and it is true. But a lot of us are not quite as comfortable being light as we are being salt. Salt is humble. Salt is everyday. Salt can do good without attracting much attention. It’s salt!
But being the light is a different matter. Light shines, even, as Jesus indicates, attracts attention! Some people are perfectly comfortable being the light, and many are not. And believe me, I get it. I’ve had a lifelong case of impostor syndrome, which turns out to be fairly common among women in ministry. We all did the work, studied the languages, learned the ropes, and we’d mostly like to just get on with it. But to say, we’re the light, along with everyone else? A lot of the time it doesn’t seem to fit. A lot of the time, we’re happier out of the limelight.
If we ARE the light, we can still be inclined to hide it. To do good quietly, to not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing… as Jesus will say just a few minutes later in the Sermon on the Mount! Where’s the balance?
The balance is in allowing ourselves to be who God created us to be. To put away embarrassment. To lock up shame and throw away the key. To know that we are made in the image of God, so of COURSE we are the light. All we have to do is let is shine.
You are exactly who God made you to be. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Jesus says this to people in need of hope, and I believe that describes a lot of us these days. He says this to people who are created in God’s image, which is everybody, so, in fact, Jesus says this to US. You ARE the salt of the earth. You ARE the light of the world. Which means, you ARE trustworthy, and wise. You make things better. You, the people gathered here on this World Communion Sunday.
And, of course, this extends beyond us, to the Church Universal, to the Body of Christ, not just here, in this sanctuary, but to the Body of Christ writ large. It includes my friend Jack from Chicago, who just finished his first Camino del Santiago. It extends to the Christian family in Palestine who made the communion plate and chalice we are using this morning. It extends to the sheep farmers on Shetland Isle in Scotland, and the fisherfolk in Limbé, Cameroon, and the rancheros on the Pampas in Argentina. All over the world, everywhere people seek to follow Jesus, we find the body of Christ.
And to each of these people, including us, Jesus says, You are the light of the world. Karoline Lewis continues,
We need the light. It's not about thinking about whether or not you can be it, or whether or not to accept this command, or what things can you do to follow this command, you just ARE. You just Are by believing in Jesus, and believing in God's Good News, and justice and righteousness in the world. You ARE the light of the world.
So, wise people, trustworthy people, people who make things better, shining people! You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Shine!
Thanks be to God. Amen.