Rev. Jeffrey T.
Howard
Pitts Creek and
Beaver Dam Churches
Sermon
Matthew 5: 13-20 You Are Salt and Light
February 9, 2014
Throughout this
season of Epiphany we have been following Jesus as he began his
ministry. Last week we were with him as he climbed to the top of a
hill to speak to his disciples and the people of Capernaum. He sat
down to teach as any rabbi would. And he explained how they would be
blessed as the kingdom of heaven became manifest on earth. As the
kingdom of heaven arrives there will be conflict between it and the
kingdoms of the earth. Specifically the people needed to know how
they should practice their faith given the Roman occupation they
lived under. How could they obey God when the empire demanded total
obedience to Caesar? We will get to this, but first let's pray.
God,
open my eyes to see the world through your compassion. Open my mind
to understand the world through your wisdom. Open my heart to
receive the world through your love. Amen.1
In
Jesus' day the people of God lived under Roman occupation. This was
nothing new. For hundreds of years one empire or another controlled
the Middle East. The people continued to live in their ancestral
homelands. This was the land promised to the children of Israel as a
perpetual inheritance. But now the people worked the land and fished
its lakes not for themselves but to feed a vast empire. And they
wondered how to practice their faith within the context of a hostile
government. There were three responses.
The
first came from the Zealots. The Zealot said that the people of God
would never be able to worship freely until the Romans were gone. So
they took up arms and began a violent revolution.
The
second response came from the Sadducees. They said that the people
of God could only practice their faith if they cooperated with the
Roman authorities. If the law of God was in conflict with the law of
Rome the people had to obey Rome. They had to compromise their
faith. The Sadducees became religious leaders by being puppets of
Roman government.
And
the third response came from the Pharisees. Unlike the Zealots the
Pharisees did not advocate a violent response to Roman occupation.
And unlike the Sadducees they did not advocate compromising God's
law. They told the people to practice their faith privately. Go
inside and draw the drapes. There you can keep the Sabbath, obey
dietary laws, pray and fast without the Roman authorities knowing
what was going on.
So
which of these responses would Jesus adopt? Or would Jesus advocate
a different way? Let's listen in.
Matthew
5: 9-12 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children
of God. Blessed of those who are persecuted for righteousness sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people
revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you
falsely on my account.
13 “You
are the salt of the earth. 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.
15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that
they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For
truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest
letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear
from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone
who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others
accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but
whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in
the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your
righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the
law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus did not agree
with the Zealots. They argued for violence. But Jesus said that the
peacemakers would be blessed in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus did not
agree with the Sadducees. They wanted the people to compromise the
laws of God. But Jesus said that he had come not to abolish the
law, but to fulfill it. And Jesus did not agree with the Pharisees.
They told the people of God to practice their faith privately. But
Jesus warned them about covering the light of their faith with a
basket. Jesus wanted the people of God, nonviolently, to follow
God's commands publicly for everyone to see.
But Jesus, wouldn't
put us in conflict with our increasingly atheistic culture? Wouldn't
we get into trouble by publicly following our God? Well … yes, it
would. John the baptist got in trouble for publicly practicing his
faith. So too did Jesus. And so too will we. We are called to obey
God's law even if it makes us unpopular. We are to obey God's law
even if the culture calls it foolishness. We are to obey God's law
even if we are arrested and punished for our beliefs. And there is
to be no violence, or compromise, or hiding in fear.
Jesus explained all
of this with two parables. In the first one Jesus said, “You are
the salt of the earth”. Salt is necessary for life. We would die
if we didn't have enough salt in our diets. Salt enhances the flavor
of food. And it allows us to store food for long periods of time.
So too with faith. Faith is necessary for life. We would die a
spiritual death were it not for the faith we are given by God. Faith
enhances the flavor of our lives. We find greater satisfaction
living a life of faith. And a faith extends our lives to eternity.
If we are the salt of the earth then we are required to bring our
faith to the world. Bringing people to faith is necessary for their
lives. Faith will season their lives with blessing. And faith will
lead them to eternal life. So season the world you live in by
sharing your faith. Be the salt the world needs.
In his second
parable Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” You have
been brought from the darkness of unbelief into the light of faith.
You are not to leave this light behind when you leave church today.
Rather the light of your faith is to shine in your lives. Live your
lives in the joy of obedience to God. People will see your faith at
work. Give them the gift of faith bringing them from the darkness of
unbelief into the light.
There is an old
story about a man who was certainly the salt of the earth and light
of the world. Former President Woodrow Wilson told this story about
being in a barbershop when someone with an enormous personality
entered the room and sat in the next barber chair. He listen as this
person talked to the barber. And he was impressed with the
compassion this person had for the barber and his family. As the man
spoke to the barber, Wilson had the impression that he was in a
worship service of some kind. So who was it that had this powerful
effect on the man who would be president of the United States?
Woodrow Wilson found out who it was. And it was none other the
Dwight L. Moody, evangelist, missionary, preacher, teacher and
president of Moody Bible Institute.2
Moody was empowered by God to be salt and light for the world. And
this is our calling. We are to season and enlighten the world by the
publicly following our God. Let us pray.
Father in heaven,
enable us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Give us the gift of faith which will shine in our live bring others
to the saving faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.
1Kimberly
Long, Feasting
On the Word Worship Companion (Louisville:
Westminster John Knox Press, 2013), 64.
2http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biomoody6.html
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