Salt & Light

How should a follower of Jesus live? The answer is found in "The Sermon on the Mount.” We begin this week with Matthew 5. This sermon's thesis statement is 5:20. If one is to be part of His Heavenly Kingdom, one's righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees. Chapter 5 contains the introduction and the first of the proofs of this thesis.

The Beatitudes begin with the word "blessed." The word in Greek refers to one who is approved of God. The Lord expects his people to be preserving salt and a light to show the way. To be approved of by God, we must follow what He says.

Jesus then gives the first proof of his thesis in a list of contrasts. He contrasts the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees with true righteousness (His righteousness). All six contrasts follow the same pattern. "You have heard" shows how the scribes and Pharisees misused the old law. "But I say unto you" shows Jesus' authority in these matters.

The Pharisees taught that you can get angry, just do not kill. Jesus teaches that we must be proactive in settling disagreements. They said you could look (lust), but do not touch (adultery). Jesus says if we look to lust, it is sin. The Pharisees proclaimed that a man could divorce all he wanted. Jesus reminded them to think of what it did to her. The Pharisee's stance was that as long as you kept your vows to God, you were okay. Jesus says we should be men of our word and mean what we say. They took a passage about compassion and made a law that encouraged revenge. Jesus wants us to show love to those who mean harm to us. Nowhere in the old law did it say to hate your enemies. The way to be like God is to love and show kindness to our enemies.

By loving others like God, we can live as the salt and light this world needs desperately. Man is not the standard of righteousness. Only the righteous God we serve can be. We must use His standard of how to treat others, prioritize our lives, and focus on the direction we walk. It is easy to twist words and laws to justify the conduct we want. We must be willing to break away from our standards and the standards of others and submit to what the Lord says about righteousness. Be salt and light in front of a world that desperately needs it.

Corey Sawyers is the preaching minister for the Martin Church of Christ and an adjunct instructor for Bear Valley Bible Institute. He is Melody's husband and Daddy to Garrett (and Bailey), Gordon (and Lauren), and Gannon. Vols Baseball is in the Regionals!