Stay Salty, My Friends

Matthew 5: The Beatitudes

Verses 12 and 13 are separate in our Bibles, but I would like to look at it as part of the same conversation:
1- Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
2- and he began to teach them. He said,
3- “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4- Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5- Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8- Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10- Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
11- Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12- Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13- “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14- “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:1-14)

You Are the Salt/Light!

Do you notice something different in verses 10 and 11? There’s a change of focus – it becomes more personal: ‘Blessed are those’ becomes ‘blessed are you’. Then again in verse 13, it reads, “You are the salt/light!” as if to say, “Don’t you know that!?”

Matthew’s Target Audience Were Jewish Christians

Jesus’ Target Audience: God’s people (The Jews); Matthew’s Target Audience were Jewish Christians. God’s people were not living as they should have been, so Jesus corrected them with the Law, since they were following it wrong. They thought they were still following the law, but they had allowed the world’s culture and society to alter its meaning to the point where it had lost its identity with God.

But You’re the Light Of the World!

Jesus: ‘You’re losing your saltiness…you’re not standing out to the sandy world. When that happens, you become as the sand, regular, no longer unique. But you’re the light of the world! What’s a light’s purpose? To SHINE! God called you out of the darkness to be a light in the darkness! Stop being like the darkness and shine!’

Preach Is Rejected

But following God is HARD! I mean, it’s not easy living with a high spirit all the time! Things don’t always go right or as we’d like. And such are the characteristics of those who belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. Following God is hard work, especially when what we teach/preach is rejected, for when you’re rejected, people try to push/scare you away, they insult you, try to ruin your reputation by making false accusations against/about you, and sometimes, they’ll even abuse you physically.

Shut Us Up

There are people who don’t want to hear what we have to say, and they will do whatever they can to try and shut us up. Jesus reminds us that such even happened to His prophets before you…and every missionary, pastor, evangelist, Christian, before you. But when they do attempt this, rejoice! Because in the same way, they treated God’s prophets (people of God, serving God, getting out His messages, preaching, teaching, etc.) And Jesus says that when all this happens, you’ll still remain in His blessings, and blessed are you when this happens.

Are They Seeing You As Sand

When people are watching you, what are they seeing? Are they seeing you as sand? (you’re just like everybody else), or are they seeing you as residents of the Kingdom of Heaven? In other words, are you standing out?

So Stay Salty

Remember…you are the salt of the earth, so stay salty. You are the light of the world, so don’t hide your light, but keep shining for everyone to see. And chances are, you will be persecuted, insulted, and falsely accused because of it…just like everybody before you. But instead of exacting revenge, rejoice, for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven!

Stay salty, my friends.