SALT AND LIGHT
"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost
its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for
anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. "You
are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor
do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it
gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine
before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to
your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16 ESV
¶Jesus's teaching is steeped in images from the Torah. They match up with ways God had already spoken to His people.
God
describes His covenant with man as a covenant of salt (Numbers 18:19).
It is self-preserving. It does not deteriorate over time. If we are the
salt of the earth, then as we follow Jesus, the promises are preserved.
Within
the temple's Holy of Holies, light was appointed to shine from lamps
upon seven lamp stands (Exodus 25:37), but the light was hidden behind a
heavy veil. In Jesus, God is now taking His place within us to be His
holy temple, and made us His lamp stands. That light is actually His
glory, to be shed abroad. This is no small thing. How do we let the
light of God's glory shine?
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