Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13-16)

Let's jump right into it. :D

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 by men.

¹⁴"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither 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. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

matthew5:13-16

There are two main concepts in this passage. Salt. and Light. We are ALL Salt and Light of the world if we believe and have recieved Salvation. There is NO OPTION.

Salt.

Why did Jesus use SALT as a metaphor? Well, [according to a previous devotion by Dr. Michael Youssef] in the past, Salt was extremely valuable. Salt had many many uses in the past. For flavoring and storage. Some say that the whiteness of the salt is to represent our belief and the purity of it. It can also mean that we as christians should be adding "flavor" to the world. As most of us should know, Salt preserves meat or different foods. So when Jesus says that we are the Salt of the World, we need to stop the moral decay in our sin infected world.

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 by men.

matthew5:13

In the second half of the verse, Jesus talks about losing our "saltiness." Our saltiness is NOT our salvation. Usually, if salt is contained for a long period of time, it becomes poisonous and cannot be used. So if we do not "use" ourselves, we will become useless and will be "thrown away". So how can we be restored? Literally, I think salt cannot be restored with saltiness, but in our Christian lives, it can be. How? Through the forgiveness and grace of God. If we confess and ask God for forgiveness, he will restore us and make us new salt so we can live out our purpose.

Light.

Before I get in Dr. Michael Youseff's interpretation, I think I should state what I think this means. In verses 14-16, Jesus talks to us about being the Light of the World. Let's dive in.

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither 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. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

matthew5:14-16

Light. What does it do? Have you ever been a dark place and lit a match, or turned on a flashlight? What happens? The light filled the whole room although it is such a small source. Like Jesus says, "A City on a Hill cannot be Hidden". So light, cannot be hidden in the dark. Also, if you were to light up a room, you wouldnt hide your candle in a cup would you? We need to allow the light to shine and spread its light and glory all over. Not to keep it contained and in one spot. We are LIGHT. Let us, like the rays of the sun, radiate our goodness and worship and praise to your God, our father in heaven. So everyone can see and be influenced.

Now, back to Dr. Michael Youseff's interpretation. Salt means to conteract the pwer of sin. Light on the other hand is to make use seen and known. Our lives should be Christ-reflective. We have to worship and praise God with pure hearts so we can spread the light. But we must remember, who's light are we shining? OURS? or GOD'S?

¹⁵ so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

philippians2:15

We must learn to emit our goodness for God and radiate our worship and praise to our father in heaven. We are surrounded by sin and darkness. Have you been radiating light for our God?

⁵The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

john1:5

Many pieces of this post taken from Dr. Michael Youseff's Devotional. Take a look!

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [be the salt and light of the world. John 8:12]
God Bless You ♥