Matthew 5:13–16

Salt and light

Jesus described some responsibilities of those who follow him.

Read verses 10–12. Here, Jesus explained something. It was about the people who do not believe. They will always have a certain reaction. They have this reaction to real disciples of Jesus.

Now read verses 13–16. Here, Jesus spoke about believers. He explained their reaction. This reaction would be to the people who do not want God in their lives. Jesus used two word pictures. First, he used salt (verse 13). Then, he used light (verses 14–16).

Think about salt. The main use of salt is to stop things from going bad. Jesus has something to teach us here. It is about people who do not believe. They tend to do more evil. Jesus said that the people of God are like ‘salt’. People will get morally worse without this ‘salt’. The world’s history shows that this is true. There has been a big change in nations and peoples. This has been when real believers have been most noticeable.

When you rub salt into something, you cannot see it. But it still stops things from going bad. You cannot see it, but it still works. Jesus taught that steady disciples can prevent the growth of sin. They can have a powerful effect, even if people cannot see it.

There should be nothing in salt to spoil it. If there is, the salt will not be useful. Real disciples should be like salt in this way. They will keep away from anything that would spoil. Believers will want only what God wants. They will desire only God’s honour in everything. This does not mean that there would be no contact with non-Christians. Disciples can only be like salt if they are with non-Christians!

• Salt stops things from going bad, as we saw above.
• Salt gives flavour. Steady disciples will have a good quality of life. Other people will not have it. They will see that these disciples enjoy good pleasures. They will wish that they could do the same.
• Salt prevents the growth of things that cause disease. Real disciples will try to be pure in every part of their lives.

There is something else to consider. If something spoils salt, it cannot be useful. It even has bad results. If salt gets into the ground, it will stop growth. So, disciples like this are a bad example to other people.

Then, there was a most serious matter. Read Matthew 5:13. Jesus’ words mean that bad salt cannot become salty again. These words teach us. They teach that a real disciple’s life is always of some use. Perhaps they also teach something about a person who is like bad salt. He or she must receive God’s punishment. God must send that person away. So, we should be like good salt.

Then, Jesus spoke about light. He said, ‘You are the light of the world.’ Real disciples cannot hide that fact. It will show in the way that they live. It is not just their words. It is not just their ‘good deeds’. It is the way in which they do these actions. It is the way in which they say these words. Their lives should be right. They should be beautiful and attractive. They should give honour to God only.

Questions

1. Here, Jesus described the life of a real believer. This life shows people about God. It cannot avoid doing that. How much do you think that this is true of you? How might you improve?
2. Should people in churches today practise ‘good deeds’? In what ways do you think that they should do this? If they do too much social work, what dangers are there?
3. ‘Good deeds’ cannot save people from their sins. How can we tell people this fact?