Being salt and light for the world is more than a nice idea. Being salt and light is a necessity.
Unlike Bob the bloodhound, who can smell his way through a lot of darkness, we humans need light. And much like Bob, salt makes a lot of food better. Although Bob and I will eat most anything without salt, it sure is better going down when there’s some flavor to it.
There is a world of people, in our sphere of influence, who need to see that Christianity is real and that it works. For the sake and the life of the world, we need to be salt and light.
The way this happens, for Christians, is through living the Beatitudes of Jesus. The Beatitudes cause followers of Christ to stand-out in the world. Persecution is the effect of the world upon the Christian. Conversely, being salt and light is the Christian’s effect upon the world.
Jesus used the two metaphors of salt and light to help his followers understand their role in society and their effect on the world. Here is what he said….
Matthew 5:13-16
“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening-up to others, you’ll prompt people to open-up with God, this generous Father in heaven. (The Message)
Salt
In the ancient world, there was no refrigeration. So, salt was used to preserve food, with the added result that it brought some flavor when the food was eaten. Christians, therefore, are meant to be a preservative in the culture. Without folks who embody the Beatitudes of Jesus, the world decays and rots.
Salt Is a Preservative
If you feel the temptation to complain about eroding morals in our world, sad situations in public institutions, or the declining value of religion among people, remember that we are the ones who can remedy the situation. Being salt in the world preserves the world.
Jesus says if we lose our saltiness, if we are no longer impacting society, we are useless to our surrounding culture. We then might just as well be thrown out into the street. Two-thousand years ago, there were no garbage dumps. The street served as the place where everyone tossed their garbage. The traffic of both people and animals trampled the waste into the ground.
The church does not exist solely for itself. Christians are on this earth to be the continuing presence of Christ in the world. We are meant to be a blessing wherever we are, and with whomever is around us. Believers have far too much going for them to be useless in this old fallen world.
Salt Is Flavorful
Jesus isn’t exhorting us to be salt because we already are salt. Rather, it’s a matter of allowing the world to taste us and find us flavorful. It is okay to have some flavor in everything you do. A bland monotone person isn’t very appealing. Being salty and flavorful leads us to respond to circumstances differently, to view the world with compassion, not indifference or hate.
There was once a church that discovered a new housing project was going up behind their property. The bland and flavorless person said, “We need to build a fence so the kids won’t wander over into our property.” But the salty person, full of flavor, said, “Cool! Do we have enough money to build a sidewalk so the kids will wander over here?”
To drive his point home even deeper, Jesus used a second metaphor to describe what our relation to the world is to be like….
Light
In the ancient world, there were no artificial lights. So, when it was night, it was black. I grew up in the rural Midwest, far from any city lights. If you didn’t have a flashlight at night, you’d likely fall into a ditch, or something worse. In the pitch black, any light makes a real difference.
You might mistakenly think your life does not make that much of a difference. Yet, it does! Being characterized by the Beatitudes of Jesus causes a person, and a church, to be visible. It shows the world who Jesus is, and what he is like. The issue is not being perfect in everything we do and say. Instead, it’s much more about being real, genuine, and authentic. We let our light shine, which means not trying to hide our flaws and imperfections.
Letting Our Light Shine
How can we let our light shine in this world? What are some tangible ways to express the Beatitudes of Jesus? The following are what the church has always done throughout its history:
- Taking in unwanted children. Infanticide was a reality in the ancient Greco-Roman world. And there have always been orphans and abandoned children. Foster care and adoption were first practiced by Christians wanting to be salt and light in the world.
- Ministering to the sick and dying. During times of plague and disease, most villagers and townsfolk fled to avoid the epidemic. Christians, however, stayed. They cared for people. The afflicted did not die alone.
- Visiting those in prison. For most of history, prisons did not provide anything to prisoners, including food. Prisoners were dependent on family members to bring them meals. So, Christians began providing food and companionship to those who did not have families. Otherwise, they would starve and die.
- Extending help and kindness to the poor. The church was attentive to the immigrant, the stranger, and the widow, when no one else gave such persons the time of day.
It is important to take a proactive approach to being salt and light in the world. Simply having a reactive policy of waiting for needy people to come to us will not do. Rather, the light searches for lost people, identifies them, and meets their needs.
Letting My Light Shine
What can you and I do as individuals? Here are just a few things Bob and I have done:
- Using my giftedness, what I am good at, to do good works for others (all spiritual gifts in the Bible are either speaking gifts or serving gifts). Some examples: giving a book to young married couples who just had children; helping college students move in and out of dorms; spending time with the elderly; offering car and/or home repairs; or running errands.
- Developing new relationships and friendships. Join a virtual class or club. Do prayer walks around the neighborhood at the same time every day. I sometimes ask these questions of people: What do you think is the greatest need of this neighborhood? Why do you think most people stay away from church? If you were looking for a church, what would you look for? What advice can you give to someone who really wants to be helpful to people?
- Sharing my God story. Let others know what God has done for you, and what your life is like with Jesus. Be curious about another’s spirituality. Be judgment free.
In my experience, Christianity works. It is a cohesive and genuine way of living, that is, if we let it be that. Christians are meant to taste good to the culture, and be a gracious light, shining the love of Christ for others to see.
May we be salt and light for the life of the world. May it be so to the glory of God.
See you on the trail!