THE SALT OF THE EARTH … YE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, A CITY THAT IS SET ON A HILL

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord is setting out the princi­ples of His kingdom as the politician lays out his ideas in a manifesto. What makes the difference in the words of the Lord is the focus upon the change wrought in people to bring the princi­ples of the kingdom to life.

In verses 1-12the Lord expounds the characteristics of those who form a part of His kingdom. What a profound difference there is between those of the world and those who are Christ’s! Similarly, with the first metaphor ‘the salt of the earth’, v. 13, one of the distinctive features of the believer is revealed. Salt is a pre­servative, retarding the rate of decay of that which is dead and heading for corruption. The absence of spiritual life not only renders the individual dead to God, Eph. 2. 1, but decaying, morally and spiritually. The life of the Christian should stand in marked contrast to that of the world. As salt, the believer is to act as a preservative, arresting the downward pathway of men and women and stemming the tide of corruption. The true extent of decline in the world will be seen when the saints of God have been raptured to heaven, 2 Thess. 2. 8-12.

The second metaphor is that of ‘light’, v. 14. For any light to be effective it requires a prominent position in the area it is intended to illuminate. To cover the light is to make it ineffectual or to extinguish it. Equally, the believer’s life should be as a light in the midst of a dark world. It should illumine the place where it is found and should dispel the darkness that was present before its arrival.

It is interesting that both metaphors signify silent aspects in the life of the believer - the testimony of the daily life rather than the verbal witness. They emphasize the need for a Christian to be different, for their lives to manifest the characteristics of salt and light. Without those distinctive features, what we say will be of little value as a testimony to the truth! The concluding verse of our reading is a stark contrast with verse 13. May our lives make a difference, bringing glory to the Father rather than ‘to be trod­den under foot of men’, v. 13.