Salt and Light: Matthew 5:13-16

You are the salt of the earth.

Salt. Essential for preservation in a world without refrigeration. Essential for flavor in a world of bland food. Essential for covenant rituals—salt sealed agreements.

You are salt. Not "you should try to be salty" but a statement of identity. If you follow me, this is what you are.

"But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Salt that doesn't taste like salt is useless. Worse than useless—it's garbage, fit only for the road where feet crush it into nothing. The warning was sharp: be what you are, or become nothing.

"You are the light of the world.

Light. The world sits in darkness—not just ignorance but moral blindness. And into that darkness, Jesus said, you shine.

"A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

Picture a village at night, houses lit with oil lamps, visible for miles across the Galilean hills. No camouflage possible. No anonymity available.

"Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

Oil lamps were precious—oil cost money, light was valuable. No one would waste it by hiding the flame. The lamp went on the stand, elevated, maximizing its reach.

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Good deeds visible. Not for your glory—the Father receives the praise. The watching world should see kindness, integrity, love—and think of God.

Salt and light. Preserving and illuminating. Hidden infiltration and visible shining. Both images demand presence in the world, not retreat from it.

The disciples sat on that hillside and heard Jesus redefine their purpose. You are not observers of the kingdom; you are agents of it. Your existence should make a difference. Your absence should be noticed.

Salt that isn't salty. Light hidden under bowls. These are the failures Jesus wanted them to avoid.

Be what you are. Let the world taste and see.