#DailyDevotion Jesus’ Disciples Are The Salt & Light Of The World

Matt. 5¹³“You are the salt of the world. If salt loses its taste, how will it be made salty again? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by people. ¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A town can’t be hidden when it’s built on a hill. ¹⁵And you don’t light a lamp and put it under a bucket but on the lampstand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶So let your light shine before people that they may see the good you do and praise your Father in heaven.”

Jesus describes his disciples in two different terms here in his Sermon on the Mount. One is salt and the other is light. Chances are typical Hebrew parallel language is being used here. One phrase describes the other and vice versa. So what we are seeing are two things that relate to one another. So if you’re not quite sure what Jesus is getting at with the salt, look to the light parallel.

So what is the light here? Jesus says, “¹⁶So let your light shine before people that they may see the good you do and praise your Father in heaven.” The light lets people see the good you do and as result people praise our Father in heaven. So salt and light have to do with what Jesus’ disciples do. What do Jesus’ disciples do? Well certainly and foremost, they will exemplify those attributes of those who are blessed in verses 1-12. They will be poor in spirit, meek, mourn, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, peace-makers, persecuted for righteousness sake and for the sake of Jesus. They will be disciples of Jesus, preach, teach and praise what Jesus has done for them.

Secondly, their lives will be ones who righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees. Jesus in the rest of this sermon will rightly teach us the Law as it was given to Moses. In the Law he gives us here, indeed, he shows us how he wants his disciples to live. It’s some pretty difficult stuff in and of ourselves. Indeed, by our own power and strength we cannot do it. But we are Jesus’ disciples. He has baptized us into his body. He has given us the Holy Spirit who has made us new creations in Christ. He has given us a new mind, new affections, new desires, new thoughts, he has made us wholly other new people who are no longer slaves to sin or to the fear of death.

So we are to let these new lives, our discipleship of Jesus shine in our lives. We are to speak of Jesus and we are to live Jesus. We will walk by the Spirit, i.e. our lives, hearts and minds will be one of always focusing on what Jesus has done for us by his innocent suffering, death and resurrection. Our hearts, minds and spirits will be ones that are repentant, that is, turning from trusting our old way of life and its supports which are bust shifting sand and trusting Jesus as our standing before God our Father. Such lives give praise and glory to God the Father in heaven. If people curse you it is because you belong to Jesus and praise him alone with your lips and your lives, not because you have sinned against them. Yes, live your lives in Christ Jesus, trusting in him for everything we think, say and do and as such we are the salt of the earth and the light shining on a hill.

Heavenly Father, always grant us your Holy Spirit, that our lives may be as disciples of your Son Jesus Christ living his life through ours so we may be the salt of the earth and the light to men. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.