You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
The disciples of Jesus are meant to be the salt of the earth, both insofar as they act as preservatives for life, and insofar as their unique flavor is meant to help accent and bring out the many good but subtle aspects of flavor that are present but often hidden in creation.
How can disciples most embody this role as salt? It is only by embracing that which is distinctively Christian and not shying away from the flavor which such a life possesses. For it is only an authentic witness of a Christian where one's life and words are a harmonious whole based on the teachings of Jesus and the Scriptures that can be the source of life for others. This sort of saltiness not only preserves souls for eternity but also helps keep the culture around us alive as well. Without the unique contributions of Christians media and entertainment appear to devolve into the sort of gladiatorial combat popular in ancient Rome. Without Christians in political office society quickly begins to neglect the lowest and the least, the most invisible and marginalized members of society, and to instead gives care and protection only to the strong and the popular.
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
We can see that Christians who have lost this distinctive saltiness are ineffective, as their are many examples in the headlines. They engage in the discourse of the world on the level of the world rather than holding themselves to the higher standards of the Gospel. If the world lies then they feel that they must as well in order to compete. If the world espouses violence then so too, they think must they. Yet this seems to describe to some degree the vast majority of Christians in the public square. But it isn't really that surprising when we consider the genuine radicality of the true Christian witness. The saltiness is noticeable, and people instead seek acceptance under the guise of the familiar. Lest we be too quick to judge, we ourselves are often among those who join in the disordered games of the world. We too conceal our witness out of the desire for acceptance, but by doing so potentially deprive the world of what it needs to enjoy genuine life. At the very least this often results in the flavor of the dish being diminished into the watered down sludge we often experience.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Christians are sometimes afraid to let their lights shine because they worry that if they do they will begin to grow in pride. They rightly want to avoid becoming like the Pharisees who blow trumpets to mark their good deeds and instead want to hide from their right hand what their left hand is doing. It is true that we aren't meant to merely radiate light in order to be admired. And honestly, as with the Pharisees, such attempts don't go very far to actually transform our world. But if we can instead get our minds off of ourselves and set about the good works prepared for us in advance we may hope to be the lights of the world with becoming to preoccupied about it ourselves. The trick is to be present in the world as servants focused on others, able to be noticed, but not seeking that recognition as our chief reward.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
If we hide our light one of two scenarios is likely. The first is that we might smother it entirely. But the second, the one which we may hope for, is that the bushel itself may catch fire and escape our attempts to hide or control it. There are times when our pride wants to show off our goodness to others, and such times as these we can resist and avoid. But there are times when we know that we should be stepping out into the world as agents of the light but find ourselves afraid to do so. These times when things are beyond our control are not the sort that satisfy our pride or vanity. But they are the ones from which the Father is often the most glorified, since it becomes all the more obvious that it is he himself at work.
For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him;
therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.
That we as Christians can be the light of the world is just one of the many promises of God in Scriptures. Like all of them, this is one that cannot be embraced by our own strength or skill. It requires us to stand on faith, of committing our own "yes" to the absolute "Yes" given by Jesus himself to the Father. As such we are called to get off the fence and stop wavering at "maybe". Instead, we are called to more completely trust the one whose "Yes" was unwavering. This trust will unlock the power of his promises in our own lives, promises which work precisely when our faith is firm.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind (see James 1:6).
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