Salt and Light
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 58:6–10; 1 Corinthians 2:1–5; Matthew 5:13–16
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
I remember that when I was a child I would sometimes visit my cousin’s grandmother’s house, that is the late Lissa Codling that some of you may have known, and have afternoon tea there. Because I was still a child I hadn’t acquired the taste for the bitter English breakfast black tea so I really enjoyed mine with plenty of milk and sugar. I have of course matured from that time and have my tea black with no sugar. In any case one day I had made tea with my cousin Kim and decided that I needed much more sugar. And so I ventured into the kitchen and saw a large tub filled with that white crystal like powder. I took it down and started shovelling two, three four big spoonfuls of it into my tea. “This is going to be the best cup of tea I’ve ever had,” I thought. Then I raised the glass of tea to my lips and took the first very large sip. My face wrinkled, my tongue shot out of my mouth as the horrid and overwhelming taste of the now ruined tea filled my whole mouth. I had in fact put salt not sugar into my tea and had successfully made the worst cup of tea I have ever made in my life.
The power that just even a little pinch of salt would have in my tea would have been noticeable, maybe even slightly improving the taste as salt brings out the other flavours of whatever it is seasoning. So noticeable in fact that as much as a few spoonfuls of it in any meal is enough to overpower everything else. A testament to the impact that salt can make in the environment it is in. Not only that but in a pre-industrial age in the ancient roman empire salt was also a highly valuable resource that often wages could have been paid in salt hence the origin of our word salary. Its use for preserving meats and different food made it essential for storing and stockpiling goods. Its antibacterial properties made it good for medical procedures, disinfecting wounds and cleaning other items. Salt was indeed powerful, valuable and medicinal.
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Thus when Jesus in the Gospel in his sermon on the mount declares “You are the salt of the earth” he is saying something meaningful about the role we have as his followers in the world. As salt we ought to make life more powerfully full of flavour, like the right amount of salt sprinkled on to our meal, our lives and interactions with others ought to bring value by the way we treat them, by the way we demonstrate that they are worthy of our time and attention. In a certain measure I think it is also a call for us to be full of a joire de vivre, to enjoy and make life enjoyable despite the circumstances, instead of the blandness of apathy or resigned disinterest. We also ought to be aware of our value, all of us as creatures of God made in God’s image should know and believe in our own value, that our talents, personality and backgrounds all bring value to those around us. A correct self-esteem actually brings about a better ability to love others as well, as the author of Ephesians says “For we are [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” Finally our presence should be medicinal, instead of hindering our hurting people on their journey through life we should be bringing a healing touch or compassionate embrace to those around us we see are suffering or in pain. To be Salt of the earth means to follow Jesus in an authentic way imitating the way in which he in his ministry treated and interacted with others, as equals, as siblings as friends. Jesus’warning here is that if the salt however loses its saltiness, that is its most essential properties, it becomes as worthless as gravel better to be used for a road or walkway rather than nourishment or medicine. The question for us this morning is, “Are we salt that is still salty?”
One could liken the gospel to a multifaceted salt crystal, different angles will diffract or refract the light in unique ways, similarly to the truth of the gospel which is always presenting something new as we look at it from different perspectives. So our presence in the world is likened also to the light of a lamp or candle that illuminates a house. No one lights a candle to then put it under a bowl, they instead put it high up where the light can reach all of those in the house. In other words the gospel is not simply a message to be shared but a calling to be lived out, and thus the changing of our world is necessary for the gospel to be truly preached. In the same way that light reaches far into the darkest corners of the room so must our lives and deeds affect the experiences of others positively. The preaching of the gospel message is empty if it in itself has no call for change for the wider world like a lamp under a bowl. The gospel calls for change both personal and societal.
This is actually the main thrust of the reading in Isaiah as the prophet questions his listeners about their piety asking them a provocative question. Do they really think that their fasting is worth something when those in their own land and their brothers and sisters are oppressed, hungry, homeless and naked. Jesus quotes this very passage by Isaiah in his parable of the sheep and the goats in chapter 25 to say “whatever you did for the least of these my brethren you did for me.” Church tradition later would solidify this list into the works of mercy, a list of the seven acts that mark the authentic ministry of Jesus’ followers. To feed the hungry, To give water to the thirsty
To clothe the naked, To shelter the homeless, To visit the sick, To visit the imprisoned, or ransom the captive, and To bury the dead.
We spread light the furthest and brightest when we change the world around us for the better. Furthermore the purpose of our good deeds is ultimately the glorification of God and not ourselves. As Jesus says “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Vanity and pride are pitfalls that darken the light we spread. If our ego gets in the way of working for the betterment of our world it obfuscates the source of the light within us. We all are vessels for shining the light whose origin is the divine glory and radiance itself. As Saint Paul so wonderfully expresses in our reading from the letter to the people in Corinth. The manner in which he came to the people in that Greek city was not with “superior speech or wisdom…[but] in weakness,” and “fear and trembling” he says. St. Paul is clear to make apostolic authority not dependent on the conventions of the educated elite of his day. While the graeco-roman orators would come with “lofty words, plausible words, demonstration, power” (all of which were technical terms from Greek rhetoric), to convince and prove the power of their message, Paul relied on the Spirit of Christ and the apparent foolishness of a crucified messiah to work in the hearts of his hearers. Paul’s insistence on Christ and him being crucified is a provocation to the elites of his day since the shame of the cross was considered vulgar and dishonourable, the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world he says elsewhere. We could say that the apostle relied on being salt and light in humbly proclaiming the gospel to reach those in Corinth.
In imitation of our forebears in the faith our mission in being followers of Christ is imitating him, not only in speaking or church attendance but in acts of unexpected kindness, forgiveness and charity that help change the world in small ways around us. I thank God for all the work he is doing through the community here through the creches and missions our community supports. I pray that it will continue to shine out ever clearer. To be as our saviour has commanded Salt and Light of the earth.
Watch it here.
