Matthew
5:13-20[1]
You are the salt
of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is
then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
“You are the
light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they
light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light
to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may
see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
“Do not think
that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but
to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one
jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches
men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and
teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to
you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
A
Little Background
The
Sermon on the Mount opened with Matthew 5:1 telling us that Jesus went to a
level place, sat down with his disciples
and began to teach them. It closes with Matthew 7:28, 29 telling us that the people were astonished at His
teachings. It seems as though Jesus chose the location to sit down with the
intent, first of all, to teach His disciples, but knowing also that He would
attract a larger audience.
Jesus’
teachings are specifically targeted to those who will follow Him: those who
will be believers. We who are readers of the 21st century have the
advantage of knowing the rest of the story. We know that ultimately Jesus will
go to the cross, taking the punishment of our sin on to Himself, and then rise
from the dead. However, even after 3 ½ years of teaching, His disciples did not
understand when Jesus foretold His death. Certainly the crowd would not be able
to comprehend His future sacrificial atonement. We can look at the entire
context and understand that salvation through faith in Jesus’ cross work is the
entrance into God’s Kingdom. The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ description of
how life will be in His kingdom. It is a spiritual kingdom in which Jesus
Christ reigns as king in the hearts of believers[2].
Some
Explanation
In
the last post we saw that Jesus opened His sermon with the Beatitudes, or eight
blessing statements. These were unusual “blessings”—to be poor in spirit, to be
meek, to be persecuted, etc. The Beatitudes stand at the entrance of this
Kingdom message pointing to the heart change that is necessary for Kingdom
life. We must first recognize our own spiritual poverty. It is no wonder that
the people declared that Jesus taught as one having authority unlike the scribes
and Pharisees. In fact, Jesus very quickly challenged the Pharisees’ teachings.
Observations
and Insights
“You are the salt of the earth...” In ancient
times salt was so valuable that Roman soldiers were often paid with salt[3].
Before industrialization there was no source or process for purifying salt;
salt was harvested out of rock and other minerals containing many impurities.
The salt would lose its moisture and turn to powder. When salt “lost its savor”
it was no longer useful. Salt poured onto soil could damage the soil;
therefore, the only “safe” place to toss spent salt was in a road way.
George
W. Wright notes, “Salt is used to season
food. It can be irritating to a wound[4],
or it can create thirst in a person. It is also used as a preservative.
Christian believers are called to be all of these things.” Jesus warns us
that it is possible to lose the strength of our testimony.
“You are the light of the world...” The “Bible”
that people had in Jesus’ day was the Torah, or Law of Moses. The Law is God’s
revelation of Himself to mankind. Since the Pharisees kept and interpreted the
Law, various noted Rabbis were called “the light of the world”[5].
But now Jesus is calling these fishermen, tax collectors, and other common
people the light of the world! The Greek word for light here is phos,[6]
and it is used here in the singular spoken to a group of people. Jesus is not
saying that each person has his own divine spark or light. John identified Jesus as the light, and later
Jesus said, “I am the light of the
world.” The picture here is like the sun and the moon. The moon gives light
at night, but it has no source of light in itself. It reflects the light of the
sun. We have no true light in ourselves. John the apostle said of John the
baptizer, that he was not “that Light.”[7]
He also said that mankind hated the light because their deeds were evil.
The
two pictures of salt and light are reminders that our lives are to be an active
and effective witness for Jesus in the world. If Jesus had not rankled the
Pharisees yet, what He said next would surely strike hard. Indeed, the context of the Sermon on the
Mount, stands in bold opposition to the Pharisees religious system.
 |
| http://www.hebrew4christians.com/ Grammar/Introduction/ Why_Hebrew_/why_hebrew_.html |
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law
or the Prophets...” Jesus declared that He would fulfill the Law and the
Prophets. The emphasis here is on the law, which Jesus will continue to expound
on. A jot and tittle were the little letters and serifs on Hebrew letters. In
Jesus’ day, the Word of God was so revered that extreme, meticulous care was
taken to copy it so that there were no errors in transcription. Jesus was
emphasizing that He Himself would fulfill even the smallest detail. If Jesus,
the Word of God made flesh, is the fulfillment of even the slightest detail of
Scripture, shall I take a Scripture out of context and lead others into
misunderstanding, “...Whoever therefore
breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so...”? How can I take any Scripture lightly?
Neglecting God’s Word in light of Jesus’ statements here is like neglecting
Jesus Himself.
“...unless your righteousness exceeds the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees...” Perhaps Jesus gave at least
some commendation to the Pharisees here for their adherence to the Law, but
that is not His point. The Pharisees’ righteousness was their own personal
effort to keep the details of the law, not because of their love for God, but
for their own gain and boasting. The apostle Paul was himself a Pharisee of the
Pharisees. He said that in regards to keeping the law he was blameless, but he
had no righteousness in himself.
...concerning the law, a
Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness
which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have
counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the
excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the
loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be
found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that
which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of
His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to
the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:5b-10
We
have no righteousness apart from Jesus’ righteousness. We receive that through
faith in His cross work for us. Do we want to know the power of His
resurrection? Then we must also be made conformable to His death, and know the
fellowship of His suffering. He set aside His own power, authority and glory. Denying
Himself he received our sin as His own. He took the punishment of death in our
place and God received His sacrifice by raising Him from the dead. If He did
that for me, then how can I cling to any so-called inherent goodness in my “self”?
If I cling to my self-esteem, my personal rights, or my own identity, how then
can I receive the righteousness of Christ? His cross work is the faith that that I stand
upon. That is not only my power for living, but unless I receive it, I cannot
enter the kingdom of heaven.
[1]
Note:
Much of the Harmony readings will be pieced together like a puzzle putting the
four Gospels together into one narrative. I am copying the order or format from
A Simplified Harmony of the Gospels,
George W. Wright, Holman Bible Publishers, 2001. However, I am using the New
King James rather than the HCSB. This order is from the research of Wright and
is open to discussion. Of course, you can also read the passages side by side
separately if you prefer.
[2]
This
describes the Kingdom of God as we know it now. Ultimately, Jesus will return
to earth and establish an eternal kingdom in which He will reign over all the
earth.
[3]
A
soldier was said to be “worth his salt” when he performed his duties well. The
word salary comes from the word salt.
[7]
John
1:4, 5;6-9;, 3:19
