A Sermon preached on Feb. 9, 2020 at Christ
the King, Frankfurt
Isaiah 58:1-9a, 1
Corinthians 2:1-12, Matthew 5:13-20
In the gospel reading from Matthew, we hear Jesus compare his followers
with salt, “You are the salt of the earth,” (Matt. 5:13) and with light, "You
are the light of the world." (5:14) Why those two comparisons, and what do
they mean for how we live as followers of Christ?
According to Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer and contemporary of Jesus:
"Nothing is more useful than salt or sunshine."[1]
Why are they so important?
Salt, as a seasoning, brings out the flavor in food. At my weekly Bible
study one person said it is salt that makes an egg taste of egg: used properly
it enhances the existing flavor. Salt also preserves food and was indispensable
in all cultures for this purpose before the introduction of refrigeration. Salt
was also extremely valuable. The word 'salary' comes from the Latin for salt as
Roman soldiers were paid at least in part in salt. And, even though Pliny didn’t
know that, on the cellular level in the human body, salt is indispensable for
life, since it holds water, without which cells would dehydrate and die.
What about sunshine? The light of the sun makes vision possible and it
brings out color. Plant life depends on light for photosynthesis. Light – with water
and minerals – makes plants grow. And because light reveals, it is a biblical symbol
of revelation – one reason we hear so much about light during the season of
Epiphany. The OT often also uses light as a symbol of the shining forth of justice
and truth, just as we heard in Isaiah: “Then your light shall break forth like
the dawn.” (Isaiah 58:7).
So, there are plenty of precedents for Jesus’s use of salt and light as
examples. But he is not just saying that his followers are important, or valuable,
although you are, but that we have a particular role to play. Let’s start with
salt. We bring out flavor in people, and the flavor we are called to bring out is
their full humanity, best expressed in a life lived in relationship of love with
God and with one another. In today’s gospel passage Jesus also refers to the
law and the prophets, “whoever does them and teaches them,” he says, “will
be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19) Much later in Matthew’s
Gospel (22:36-40), Jesus teaches that all the law and the prophets can be
summed up in the two commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “You shall love
your neighbor as yourself.” As “salt of the earth” we are called to model this relationship.
The other use of salt is as a preservative, it stops things going bad. That
too is very much part of our calling as baptized Christians, to preserve what is
good, to stop rot. We must do all we can - personally, in prayer, in action, also
politically – to stop bad and evil things. Isaiah tells us what God wants: “To
loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the
oppressed go free, and to break every yoke.” (Isaiah 58:6) This was one of the promises
we made at our baptism too, “to renounce the evil powers of this world which
corrupt and destroy and to renounce all sinful desires that draw us from the
love of God.”[2] Salt cannot really lose
its taste, but it can be contaminated and would then be thrown out as no longer
kosher. It is that contamination of ourselves and the world through the powers
of evil, expressed as greed, abuse of
power, hate, fear and separation that we must avoid if we are to be salt of the
earth and, as we also promised in one of the components of the Baptismal Covenant,
to strive for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being.”[3]
What about light then? Last Sunday at Candlemas, Jesus was welcomed by
Simeon as a light to lighten the Gentiles – as the light of the world. This
Sunday, in the reading from Matthew, Jesus said to his followers: "You are
the light of the world." Jesus is passing the baton - or perhaps better
beacon - on to those who follow him: you and me. What does it mean to be the
light of the world? Well for one thing, it should not be hidden: "No one
after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the
lampstand." (Matt. 5:15) Just as it makes no sense to hide a light, so we
should not be hiding that light that is our faith in God through Jesus. As a
beacon it needs to be visible, drawing people in. That is not something we
should be keeping secret. We are called to proclaim and preach the Good News,
to take the light that we have been given, and to bring it into the world – it is
the light of eternal life.
For another, being the light of the world means living out that faith.
Jesus goes on to say: "In the same way, let your light shine before
others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in
heaven." (Matt. 5:16) What might those good works be? The reading from
Isaiah once more gives us some clues: "Is not this the fast that I choose…. Is it not to share your bread with the
hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to
cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?" (Isaiah 58:7) You
will find the same good works described used later in Matthew (25) in what is
called the parable of the sheep and the goats or the judgment of the nations: feeding
the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and
those in prison are all signs of the righteous. But that’s not why we do them,
to be righteous or for a reward. These works are all simply good in themselves,
and worth doing in any case. But they are also good because they point to the
God of love, peace, and justice whom we believe in and in whose image we are
made.
Following me, Jesus says, means taking these valuable gifts and employing
them, making them visible, using them as pointers to God. Followers of Jesus
are always outward looking and active in the world. It is good that we come
together in our church buildings for worship, for formation, for fellowship,
and yes even for fun. But that is not our primary purpose. Just as salt needs
to come out of the salt cellar, if it is to bring flavor, so we must come out
of churches. And a lantern that is covered, with closed shutters will not show
us and others the way. Where does the world need salt and light right now? That’s
the question we have to answer.
Light as an image for God and as an image for what is good has been a theme
all through the season of Epiphany. To be the light of the world means letting
God's light shine within and through you. Go and shine!
Amen.
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