I know someone who’s the salt of the earth. Someone who shines in all they do. You do, too. You’ve probably used those expressions at some point, or at least heard them. Maybe you’ve heard someone say it about you.
Jesus did. Salt and light. These are the images Jesus uses near the beginning of the collection of sayings we know as The Sermon On The Mount. "You are salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" (Matt. 5:13 and 14) are the familiar phrases we know so well.
He begins this “sermon” by telling everyone they’re blessed. Not in the usual way, though, and we know those sayings as the Beatitudes. If you’re not familiar, you should look them up because you are blessed. (Matt. 5:1-12)
Yes, you are. You re blessed. And he goes on to say you are salt and light. Yes, you are. So what will you do with that?
There's lots one could explore about salt and light. The scientist and/or historian could tell you how important salt and light are. They're valuable and necessary to life.
But they're not much by themselves, are they? Each needs to act on something to express its value.
Salt flavours. It creates a variety of chemical reactions. It's necessary for good health, it preserves, around here it melts a lot of ice. It's used in water conditioning and manufacturing. It was so valuable in the past that it was used as currency and wars were fought over it.
But you can overdo it and too much isn't good. It can overpower other flavours rather than enhance them, it's damaging and destructive.
Light is "seen" in what it reveals. Without anything to act on, refract through or reflect from, it, by itself, is unseen. In the right proportion, it overcomes darkness and shadow to show visually what is around us.
Too much light, though, overwhelms our sight and distorts images. It can even be blinding.
That's all pretty obvious, the kind of obvious that we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about. But it’s a powerful image when we apply it to ourselves. We can flavour the world and bring zest to life, we can influence the world around us and create "chemical reactions" that produce amazing things. We can also enlighten others, help to illuminate their path and inspire their journey. We can also smother and overwhelm. We can also distort and blind. How will we find the right measure?
We are salt and light. Jesus doesn't suggest that we could be, he points out that we are. The real question is what will you do with the power you have? What Jesus begins to teach in the words of his "sermon," and teach as a living example, is how we find the right measure in our lives and build wholeness, in ourselves and our relationships. That’s in us, too.
See, it’s not just the practice or the behaviour that’s needed, it’s about what’s in our hearts. How often does Jesus remind us that it’s not the letter of the law or the literal word that’s important, it’s the purpose that’s at its heart. Season with love and enlighten with grace. Preserve with compassion and shine with hope. These are the most fundamental gifts of our being.
