The Sermon On The Mount Pt. 2:Let Your Light So Shine
We'll continue our examination of the sermon on the mount, as we take a look at Matthew 5:13-48, the conclusion of the fifth chapter of Matthew, where Jesus details the distinct differences between those who would seek after righteousness and those who only seek their own satisfaction. Beginning at verse 13..."Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
In verse 13, Jesus tells us that we are the salt of the earth. Salt has been used as a seasoning, a preservative, and as a purifying agent for thousands of years, and each of these characteristics apply to us as Christians, as well. We are seasoned by our life experiences, and preserved by the gospel, which contains the truth that has the power to preserve the soul, and to purify it from the evil influences which would seek to destroy it. In fact, the preservation and purification of this present world is entirely dependent upon our spreading of the gospel. But, if the salt loses its savour, its power to season, preserve, and purify, what is it good for? It is no longer useful, and is good for nothing. In fact, Jesus tells us that it is to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot. A sad state, to be sure, and not one that we would seek for ourselves. So, how do we stay salty? We cannot allow the state of the world around us to pollute our minds, nor can we allow ourselves to be caught in the current, watered down, and swept away with the rest of society. We are a chosen people, and, as Jesus tells us in verse 14, we are the light of the world, a city set on a hill which cannot be hid. Jesus tells us in John 8:12..."I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." So, we, as followers of Jesus, are the light of the world, as He is the light of the world, because we are His hands, His feet, and His voice. As we are told in 1 John 4:17..."as he is, so are we in this world." Such an awesome responsibility we have to show ourselves as His ambassadors, and to lead others to Him. Verse 16 is an oft quoted and beautiful summary of the Christian life..."Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Simply put, this is the answer to the age old questions, "What is the meaning of life?", and "Why am I here?" Our goal in this life, and our purpose for being here, is to be a reflection of the light of Jesus, that others may see it, and bring glory to God. No more, no less. Jesus goes on to explain in verses 17 and 18 that the law must be fulfilled, that the prophecies must come to pass, and that He has not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. Jesus tells us in verses 21-26 that we are not to be angry without cause, because our anger will lead to resentment, and separation from God will be the end result. Verses 27-32 are a stern warning against the dangers of lust, and the lengths to which we should be willing to go in order to avoid its corrupting influence. Jesus tells us that even to look with lust is considered to be adultery, and that great care should be taken to avoid this offense. Of course, Jesus doesn't expect us to literally pluck out our eyes, or cut off our hands, but we are to consider ourselves to be dead to sin, and this would include doing anything within our power to stave off lustful desires. In verses 33-37, Jesus warns against the act of swearing by heaven, or by earth, or even by our own head, because we have no power to make one hair white or black. We cannot swear by these things, because we did not create them, they are not within our power, and we have no right to claim them as our own. We are to be a simple people, and, as such, we should have no reason to swear by anything, only to speak simply, to live honestly, and to keep ourselves unspotted from this world, and, as we are told in Romans 12:1...to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." In verses 38-48, Jesus instructs us in the way that we are to handle conflict. Rather than the law of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" that the children of Israel were subject to, Jesus tells us that we are not to seek vengeance, retaliation, or retribution for the wrongs that people do unto us. This does not mean, as some have asserted, that we are not to defend ourselves or our families, should we come under attack. Jesus is telling us here that we are not to render evil for evil, not to seek revenge, or to bear a grudge. We are not to be so enamored with material possessions that we fail to put people first. We should try to see people from an empathetic viewpoint, knowing that we are all subject to the same failings, that none of us are immune to the damaging effects and corruption of sin. Jesus expects each of us to do our best to operate from this mindset, to love people if, for no other reason, than that they are God's creation. If God saw fit to make this person, then He has love for them, and so should I. God is no respector of persons, as we are told in verse 45, He makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and the rain to fall on the just as well as on the unjust. If we only treat those who love us with respect, we are no different than anyone else, and we are called to be different. We should strive to treat all people the same way, no matter their status in life. Only in this way can we have sincere and heartfelt empathy for other people. Jesus concludes these thoughts with an inspirational, if not rather intimidating, commandment..."Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." It is our solemn duty, as followers of Jesus, to do all within our power to keep ourselves and our own desires out of the way, in order to allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us unimpeded. We should constantly strive for this perfection that only Jesus can provide. However, at the same time, we must understand that is a perpetual perfecting, an ongoing cleansing and regeneration, a continual restoration, that the precious blood of Jesus provides for us. Only through His blood are we made righteous in the eyes of God.
In verse 13, Jesus tells us that we are the salt of the earth. Salt has been used as a seasoning, a preservative, and as a purifying agent for thousands of years, and each of these characteristics apply to us as Christians, as well. We are seasoned by our life experiences, and preserved by the gospel, which contains the truth that has the power to preserve the soul, and to purify it from the evil influences which would seek to destroy it. In fact, the preservation and purification of this present world is entirely dependent upon our spreading of the gospel. But, if the salt loses its savour, its power to season, preserve, and purify, what is it good for? It is no longer useful, and is good for nothing. In fact, Jesus tells us that it is to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot. A sad state, to be sure, and not one that we would seek for ourselves. So, how do we stay salty? We cannot allow the state of the world around us to pollute our minds, nor can we allow ourselves to be caught in the current, watered down, and swept away with the rest of society. We are a chosen people, and, as Jesus tells us in verse 14, we are the light of the world, a city set on a hill which cannot be hid. Jesus tells us in John 8:12..."I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." So, we, as followers of Jesus, are the light of the world, as He is the light of the world, because we are His hands, His feet, and His voice. As we are told in 1 John 4:17..."as he is, so are we in this world." Such an awesome responsibility we have to show ourselves as His ambassadors, and to lead others to Him. Verse 16 is an oft quoted and beautiful summary of the Christian life..."Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Simply put, this is the answer to the age old questions, "What is the meaning of life?", and "Why am I here?" Our goal in this life, and our purpose for being here, is to be a reflection of the light of Jesus, that others may see it, and bring glory to God. No more, no less. Jesus goes on to explain in verses 17 and 18 that the law must be fulfilled, that the prophecies must come to pass, and that He has not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. Jesus tells us in verses 21-26 that we are not to be angry without cause, because our anger will lead to resentment, and separation from God will be the end result. Verses 27-32 are a stern warning against the dangers of lust, and the lengths to which we should be willing to go in order to avoid its corrupting influence. Jesus tells us that even to look with lust is considered to be adultery, and that great care should be taken to avoid this offense. Of course, Jesus doesn't expect us to literally pluck out our eyes, or cut off our hands, but we are to consider ourselves to be dead to sin, and this would include doing anything within our power to stave off lustful desires. In verses 33-37, Jesus warns against the act of swearing by heaven, or by earth, or even by our own head, because we have no power to make one hair white or black. We cannot swear by these things, because we did not create them, they are not within our power, and we have no right to claim them as our own. We are to be a simple people, and, as such, we should have no reason to swear by anything, only to speak simply, to live honestly, and to keep ourselves unspotted from this world, and, as we are told in Romans 12:1...to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." In verses 38-48, Jesus instructs us in the way that we are to handle conflict. Rather than the law of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" that the children of Israel were subject to, Jesus tells us that we are not to seek vengeance, retaliation, or retribution for the wrongs that people do unto us. This does not mean, as some have asserted, that we are not to defend ourselves or our families, should we come under attack. Jesus is telling us here that we are not to render evil for evil, not to seek revenge, or to bear a grudge. We are not to be so enamored with material possessions that we fail to put people first. We should try to see people from an empathetic viewpoint, knowing that we are all subject to the same failings, that none of us are immune to the damaging effects and corruption of sin. Jesus expects each of us to do our best to operate from this mindset, to love people if, for no other reason, than that they are God's creation. If God saw fit to make this person, then He has love for them, and so should I. God is no respector of persons, as we are told in verse 45, He makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and the rain to fall on the just as well as on the unjust. If we only treat those who love us with respect, we are no different than anyone else, and we are called to be different. We should strive to treat all people the same way, no matter their status in life. Only in this way can we have sincere and heartfelt empathy for other people. Jesus concludes these thoughts with an inspirational, if not rather intimidating, commandment..."Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." It is our solemn duty, as followers of Jesus, to do all within our power to keep ourselves and our own desires out of the way, in order to allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us unimpeded. We should constantly strive for this perfection that only Jesus can provide. However, at the same time, we must understand that is a perpetual perfecting, an ongoing cleansing and regeneration, a continual restoration, that the precious blood of Jesus provides for us. Only through His blood are we made righteous in the eyes of God.
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