One of our elders has an encouragement for us every time he makes announcements. At the end of his announcements he says, “As you go out into the world this week, be salt and light.” He is telling us to be a good example everywhere we go and to whomever we come in contact.
We hear that phrase, “salt and light,” but I wonder if we know what it means. It’s easy to say it, but how easy is it to live it?
Taken from Jesus’ sermon on the mount, we can read the full context of “salt and light”. “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall it 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).
To understand the meaning of these verses, we need to understand the two basic elements about which Jesus is speaking—salt and light. We understand that salt has preservation properties and adds flavor. We enjoy the taste it gives our food, but it can lose its flavor.
In Palestine, the salt is obtained from marshes along the seashore or salt lakes. If it comes in contact with the ground or is exposed to rain and sun, it becomes insipid and useless. When this happens, the only thing to be done with it is to throw it out. If it is thrown carelessly onto the ground, it will destroy the fertility of the ground on which it falls.
Jesus wanted His disciples to have “preservation properties” and to add something good to the lives of those with whom they came in contact. He wanted them to give off a good flavor (attitude), not become useless or destructive. He wanted them to maintain the distinctive qualities of good; otherwise, they would be good for nothing.
Light is a source of illumination. It can be natural or artificial. Light reflects. It allows things to be seen. Light represents holiness, goodness, knowledge, and wisdom, while darkness has been associated with sin and evil. Light represents all that is good, while darkness represents all that is bad.
Light was the first thing God created. He made that distinction between day and night, giving us special lights for both. Light was important from the beginning, and it continues to be important to us today.
Jesus is saying in these verses in Matthew that the Christian influence must first be felt where we live, in our own neighborhood. It is the church fulfilling its mission, because we are the church. Wherever we go, our influence goes with us. Jesus says, “But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him” (John 11:10). Once again, night (or darkness) is associated with stumbling.
Here we have two statements proclaimed by our Lord that we are salt and light in the world. Based on what we know about each of these, we need to show the presence of God in our lives. As salt preserves food and contributes to the taste, we need to preserve God’s Word in our hearts and show it in our lives. As light illuminates, our lives need to light up the paths we travel every day.
Being salt and light has to become part of who we are and what we do each day. Being salt and light will determine the way we act in every situation. It will be apparent in our dress, our speech, and our actions. When our elder tells us to be salt and light in the world, I know he wants us to show God’s Word in our lives, preserve the godliness our Lord wants us to exhibit, and be an example of what a Christian should be. May that be the aim of every Christian every day.
Sandra Oliver