“You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:13a &14a ESV1
Read Matthew 5:13-16, Mark 4:21-25, Luke 8:16-17 & 11:33-36
I was first introduced to contemporary Christian music in the late 1980s when a friend gave me Amy Grant’s album, The Collection.2 I was so excited to have “cool” music that glorified God I listened to that tape over and over again until I had all the words to all of the songs memorized. On that album was the song, “Father’s Eyes.” The chorus to that song contained these words: “She’s got her Father’s eyes, her Father’s eyes; Eyes that find the good in things, when good is not around; Eyes that find the source of help, when help just can’t be found; Eyes full of compassion, seeing every pain; Knowing what you’re going through and feeling it the same. Just like my Father’s eyes.”3
I was so touched by those words I prayed that God would help me emulate His character by making me a woman who had her Father’s eyes. I remember exactly where I was when I prayed that prayer because it was one of those times when I felt like God answered me with, “Yes! That I will do.” At the time, if I had known through how much darkness I would need to walk to encourage others that there is hope on the horizon; how much struggle I would be required to endure to meaningfully help others; or how much hurt I would have to experience to identify with others in pain, I am not sure I would have prayed that prayer.
Recently, when I was studying the following passages, I was reminded of the prayer I made for my Father’s eyes all those years ago. These passages contain the words Jesus spoke to His committed followers about using their faith to be influential in the world around them. In these passages, Jesus compared His disciples to salt and light.
Jesus taught, “‘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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven’” (Matthew 5:13-16).
“And [Jesus] said to [His followers], ‘Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand’” (Mark 4:21)? “‘So that those who enter may see the light’” (Luke 8:16b). “‘For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. And He said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away’” (Mark 4:22-25).
And Jesus further explained, “‘No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore, be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.’” (Luke 11:33-36).
Jesus didn’t compare His disciples to two random objects. He had a purpose in choosing salt and light.
Reasoning by using a seasoning:
Salt is essential for the proper function of the human body. “Sodium [aids] in nerve and muscle function and is involved in the regulation of fluids in the body. Sodium also plays a role in the body’s control of blood pressure and volume.”3 Jesus’ disciples would have been familiar with salt being used for medical purposes, for food preservation, in temple sacrifices (see Leviticus 2:13), and in the making of covenants (see 2 Chronicles 13:5). They would also have been aware of the economic importance of salt. “The expression ‘not worth his salt’ stems from the practice of trading slaves for salt in ancient Greece. Special salt rations given to early Roman soldiers were known as ‘salarium argentum,’ the forerunner of the English word ‘salary.’”4
When Jesus told His disciples, “‘You are the salt of the earth’” (Matthew 5:13a), they would have begun to realize their potential in His Kingdom. When Jesus warned, “‘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’” (Matthew 5:13b), they wouldn’t have taken it lightly. They may have continued to ponder the idea for some time. Later, Peter, one of the disciples who sat listening to Jesus that day, wrote in one of his letters. “For whatever overcomes a person, to that, he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them” (2 Peter 2:19b-21).
Shining the light on illumination:
We are all probably familiar with how it only takes a single lighted match to illuminate a very dark area. (If not that, we likely have experienced how an incoming notification on a smartphone or a disturbed fitness tracker watch can light up a room in the middle of the night). Jesus encouraged His followers with, “‘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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven’” (Matthew 5:13-16).
If they were the lights He intended, others would be affected and God would be glorified. But Jesus warned His disciples their lights could easily be blocked if they didn’t keep their eyes and ears focus on Him. “‘Be careful lest the light in you be darkness’” (Luke 11:35). “‘Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light … If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.’” (Luke 11:34 & 36).5 “‘Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away’” (Mark 4:24-25).6
As was the case with the religious leaders in Jesus’ day, good deeds don’t always glorify God; they can glorify the doer. In that case, the light which is intended to draw the attention of others to the greatness of God is blocked. Perhaps Jesus’ comment, “‘For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light’” (Luke 8:17) had a dual meaning. Not only will the actions of evil be apparent in the light but the heart motives of the seemingly righteous will also be revealed.
Salt and light may be common, everyday objects but they have the power to change and affect their surroundings. Though the disciples were ordinary people, they had the power to affect extraordinary change in their environments.
Pulling it all together:
I evaluated myself and the influence of my faith concerning the encouragements and exhortations of Jesus in these passages. Pondering them naturally brought me to prayer. It was when I found myself praying that I would be the kind of salt and light that God intended that I was reminded of my prayer from all those years ago to be my Father’s eyes. Somehow, I immediately knew my prayer to be salt and light would also be answered in the affirmative.
It was then that I was struck with some uneasiness. Difficulty was what had created maturity in me and had made me of value in encouraging, helping, and comforting others. But valiantly navigating through hardships when they present themselves is vastly different than signing up for potential difficulty. And that is exactly what I had felt I had just done. People are rarely resistant to others who want to uplift, aid, and console them. But I know full well that I live in a world that is largely spiritually salt-intolerant and which is filled with people who like having spiritual black-out blinds on their eyes. What would the answer to my prayer to be salt and light entail?
Yes, I had been to others as one who had her Father’s eyes, but I was reminded of something. I had been able to love others because Jesus first loved me (see 1 John 4:19). I was able to comfort others because God had first comforted me (see 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). I was able to help others because the Holy Spirit first helped me (see John 14:26). I had never been alone; as Jesus promised, He never left or forsook me (see Hebrews 13:5).
Confidently, I can conclude that Jesus “will be with me, always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b); He will help me be salt and light in the world around me come what may. Indeed, one can’t be the salt of the earth unless he/she is in the Bread of Life. One can’t be a light on the hill without the Light of the World shining through him/her! I am not some kind of Super Christian; in my own power, I am a spiritual weakling. It is only in His power that I am more than a conqueror (see Romans 8:37) and through Him, that I “have all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).
Notice Jesus’ words recorded by Matthew. They aren’t, “Desire to be salt and light,” “You will someday be salt and light”, or “Work hard to be salt and light.” No, Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth [and] … You are the light of the world’” (Matthew 5:13-14). Salt can’t help but affect the taste of that to which it is added. Light can’t help but pierce the darkness. If you and I are in Christ, and Christ is in us, we are the salt of the earth and lights on hills; we can’t help it because “it is God who works in [us] both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
We have the physical characteristics of our earthy parents because we share their genetic makeup. We have the spiritual characteristics of our Heavenly Father’s because we have been gifted His spiritual genetics through the Holy Spirit. We are being transformed into His image (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). Spiritually and practically speaking, we have eyes like His, hands like His, feet like His, hearts like His, and more. We are salt and light because He is the Source of Salt and Light. May we prove our spiritual genetics by reflecting and remind others of our Heavenly Father as we use our faith to influence the world for His glory.
1 Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.
2 Amy Grant. The Collection, A & M Records, 1986.
3 https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/amygrant/fatherseyes.html
5 https://seasalt.com/salt-101/about-salt/history-of-salt
6 For more on this topic check out: https://blueturtletrails.com/the-healthy-eye/
7 For more on this topic check out: https://blueturtletrails.com/i-hear-you/