INSTRUCTIONS:
REVIEW THE BELOW ARTICLE ON SALT AND LIGHT
Write a 2 to 3 page paper in response to the following:
- Discuss what this analogy means to you in relation to the community and world-changing possibilities.
- How does Jesus' analogy of salt and light expand your understanding of how an individual or organization can significantly impact the world?
SALT AND LIGHT
In an age when the concept of self-gratification and "looking out for number one" have become pervasive, we are beginning to see the value of necessity of reaching out to others. A generation ago, politicians in Washington championed social programs funded by the government that would solve human needs. We have discovered that such a social state is ineffective and very costly. Both presidential candidates called upon private individuals and corporations to assume responsibility for the needs in their community. Whatever your opinion of the former first lady's politics, she was on target in her book, It Takes A Village.
The Christian community has always recognized the importance of showing concern for the needs of others. In the book of Acts, the church provided special care for the widows and orphans. The Apostle Paul in his travels collected funds for the starving believers in Palestine. Today the Mennonite Church has a national reputation for its emergency relief funds. The Wesleyan Church has established a new organization, "World Hope", designed to move beyond the walls of the church.
In his teachings Jesus gives us a simple but profound picture of our role in the community...we are to be salt and light.
Observation One
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matthew 5:13-14
In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus told his followers that they were the salt of the earth (Mat. 5:13). A few sentences later he tells them they were the light of the world (Mat. 5:14). At first we might think he is saying the same thing in two different ways...but there are two different ideas here. Salt and light serve different purposes. And to stress the difference, Jesus uses two different words to describe the arena where they operate...Salt of the earth...light of the world.
If you look at these two words as they are used in the Bible, you will discover that the earth generally refers to God's creation...and when he was finished creating the earth, God declared that it was good. Earth suggests all that is inherently good in the world-natural and human-that God had created.
In the New Testament, the word "world" has a negative tinge to it. The world refers to God's creation after the sin of Adam and Eve..., which means the entrance of evil into the equation. Now it is a broken world that acts in opposition to the creator. If you have time, look up these verses:
- Romans 12:2 (Be not conformed to the world)
- John 2:17 (The world and its desires fade away)
Observation Two
Salt makes what is good even better!
Salt makes good food taste better! Salt improves the quality of what is good. (Please disregard all those non-biblical analogies to salt conveying electricity, preserving, stinging wounds, etc. The passage is pretty clear about what quality of salt Jesus is referring to!) Jesus says we have the ability to move out into our society and enhance the quality of what is inherently good. What are inherently good aspects of God's creation that become even better when Christians enter those areas.
Observation Three
Four basic attributes (principles) of salt:
1. To accomplish its goal it must get out of the salt shaker.
2. You talk about salt only when there is too little or too much of it.
a. Think of organizations that lack a Christian influence.
b. Think of organizations that are dominated and controlled by Christians to the exclusion of others.
3. Salt rarely gets complimented for being salt. (You don't tell the cook you love her salt; you praise her for the food that salt made taste good.)
4. Putting salt on garbage doesn't make garbage taste good. (Sprinkling "Christianity" on evil activities or programs doesn't make them good. One cannot be a "Christian porn star!"
Light functions in a different way. Light opposes darkness. When Jesus talks about light He usually contrasts it with its opposite.
Observation Four
Light drives away darkness.
Light is not designed to make darkness better---it is intended to drive it away. I will use a candle or flashlight to illustrate the point. I will ask my technician to darken the room and then show how one small light makes a difference. There are situations where Christians must let their light shine by opposing what is morally or politically corrupt. Ask for examples:
Abortion on demand, racial prejudice, oppression of the poor etc.
Observation Five
Three points about light:
- Darkness and light cannot co-exist in the same situation. When the light goes on thedarkness is driven back.
- When the light departs, darkness returns. (I will ask if they ever remember trying hitting the light switch and trying to get in bed before it got dark?
- A little light can overcome a lot of darkness. (e.g. Lighthouses on the coast)
Final point of this section: Blessed is the person who knows when to be salt and when to be light.
Where should we be salt and light? Again Jesus gives good advice. In the final moments of his stay on earth, he told his disciples to be witnesses (salt and light) and told them where to do it.
Observation Six
[Jesus] said to them:..."You will receive power...and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:8 (New International Version)
These places that Jesus mentioned are all a part of the disciples' world, but we can apply them to our world as well.
- Jerusalem---That was the community where they were located when Jesus was talking. Most of them came from a region (Galilee) about 60 miles away. But Jesus did not start with hometowns; he said be a witness where you are right now. (I used to have a poster with a daisy blooming right in the middle of a clod of cow manure. The heading on it was "Bloom where you are planted!"
- Judea---Jesus widened the circle to include the region surrounding Jerusalem. He is suggesting that we need to push out the borders of our witness...Don't make your circle of influence too small...always be looking to expand the circle.
- Samaria---This was a tough one. Jesus specifically mentions a place of resistance and threat. Samaritans and Jews were ethnic enemies. Jesus expects us to be salt and light in places where it might be uncomfortable to do so.
- The uttermost parts of the earth. (Here is world changing at its highest...a global perspective on our impact.) (You can take that one on your own.)