Salt and Light (Matthew 5:11-16)
It is no coincidence that Jesus goes right from talking about persecution into the messenger role of the citizens of heaven. And it is not a case of His switching topics in the sermon here either.
Jesus transitions from the list of blessings of the Kingdom to addressing His disciples by applying the last blessing—that given to the persecuted—to them. “Blessed are you…” When they (and we) suffer hatred, rejection, and persecution for our faith, we are to see that as a sign of blessing. It is because it is the sort of reception all the true people of faith have gotten in the world. If we are singled out for our righteousness, we are on the right track.
But Jesus goes right from there into talking about our role in this world. The citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven are not just biding time awaiting that Kingdom’s full fruition. We have a job in the here and now.
We are salt in a bland reality. We are light shining in a dark place. This difference is why we are singled out, but it is also essential to who we are. If we try to blend in with the world to avoid hardship, we fail in our task. We are to exercise our “heavenliness” in order to attract attention that points to God. The aim is for others to see Him and turn to Him.
And what that saltiness, light, and heavenliness looks like is what Jesus is going to talk about for the rest of this sermon…
Jesus transitions from the list of blessings of the Kingdom to addressing His disciples by applying the last blessing—that given to the persecuted—to them. “Blessed are you…” When they (and we) suffer hatred, rejection, and persecution for our faith, we are to see that as a sign of blessing. It is because it is the sort of reception all the true people of faith have gotten in the world. If we are singled out for our righteousness, we are on the right track.
But Jesus goes right from there into talking about our role in this world. The citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven are not just biding time awaiting that Kingdom’s full fruition. We have a job in the here and now.
We are salt in a bland reality. We are light shining in a dark place. This difference is why we are singled out, but it is also essential to who we are. If we try to blend in with the world to avoid hardship, we fail in our task. We are to exercise our “heavenliness” in order to attract attention that points to God. The aim is for others to see Him and turn to Him.
And what that saltiness, light, and heavenliness looks like is what Jesus is going to talk about for the rest of this sermon…
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