Matthew 5: 13-16 Salt & Light

[hotcoffee]

Salt and Light

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. 15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

There are a multitude of web sites about salt. It's a pretty fascinating read. Here's one that offered a new perspective for me.

When I was in Sunday School as a child, I was taught that salt was thrown on the ground when it lost it's flavor. Someone even told me that the Romans would make roads out of the old salt. It would make more sense that the roads paved in salt were probably transport routes.

Salt was also part of the ritual of sacrifice in the ancient temple. All of the animal and vegetable offerings had to be salted

Leviticus 2:13

New International Version (NIV)


13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

Salt was used as a trade commodity back then. It was also used to preserve food. The human body requires salt to survive.

One interesting quote I read was "salt will always be salt, even after it looses it's flavor". There's a thought for a sermon in there if you think of it along side verse 13....

Light on the other hand is simpler for us to understand in a world when we are told to cut down on the salt in our diets. In the days when Jesus was walking and teaching around Galilee, lighting a lamp was not as easy as it is today.

According to this link, you'll get a glimpse of how difficult it was to light a room back in those days. The oil to burn in the lamps had to be made from animals and plants. According to this article, some of the lamps could be quite stinky. I guess the sweetest smelling oils would be made from plants as described in the Old Testament.

So was Jesus simply telling people that they should be careful not to loose the flavor and brightness of being a new follower? Was He layering on even more meaning in these four simple verses?

Was He also telling His followers just how important they were? Was He telling the people on that mountainside that day that they should show their value to the world? If He was talking to the people who displayed the majority of the characteristics of the beatitudes, it seems to me that Jesus was telling His followers just how wonderful they were.

It also seems that when I read these verses, He might have been hinting at the great commandment. Surely seeing the value in others around you makes it a whole lot easier to love one another.

Being a lamp to others might begin with realizing their value and shedding some light on it.

When I started to post this thread I figured it would be a quick one. After all, it's only a few verses. Turns out, I learned a few things and I'm grateful for the opportunity to "shed a little light" on them thanks to the WWW.

[Radiant1]

[13-16] By their deeds the disciples are to influence the world for good. They can no more escape notice than a city set on a mountain. If they fail in good works, they are as useless as flavorless salt or as a lamp whose light is concealed.

[13] The unusual supposition of salt losing its flavor has led some to suppose that the saying refers to the salt of the Dead Sea that, because chemically impure, could lose its taste.

New American Bible Copyright © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

[Radiant1]

Originally Posted by hotcoffee

Salt and Light

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. 15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

There are a multitude of web sites about salt. It's a pretty fascinating read. Here's one that offered a new perspective for me.

When I was in Sunday School as a child, I was taught that salt was thrown on the ground when it lost it's flavor. Someone even told me that the Romans would make roads out of the old salt. It would make more sense that the roads paved in salt were probably transport routes.

Salt was also part of the ritual of sacrifice in the ancient temple. All of the animal and vegetable offerings had to be salted

Leviticus 2:13

New International Version (NIV)


13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

Salt was used as a trade commodity back then. It was also used to preserve food. The human body requires salt to survive.

One interesting quote I read was "salt will always be salt, even after it looses it's flavor". There's a thought for a sermon in there if you think of it along side verse 13....

Light on the other hand is simpler for us to understand in a world when we are told to cut down on the salt in our diets. In the days when Jesus was walking and teaching around Galilee, lighting a lamp was not as easy as it is today.

According to this link, you'll get a glimpse of how difficult it was to light a room back in those days. The oil to burn in the lamps had to be made from animals and plants. According to this article, some of the lamps could be quite stinky. I guess the sweetest smelling oils would be made from plants as described in the Old Testament.

So was Jesus simply telling people that they should be careful not to loose the flavor and brightness of being a new follower? Was He layering on even more meaning in these four simple verses?

Was He also telling His followers just how important they were? Was He telling the people on that mountainside that day that they should show their value to the world? If He was talking to the people who displayed the majority of the characteristics of the beatitudes, it seems to me that Jesus was telling His followers just how wonderful they were.

It also seems that when I read these verses, He might have been hinting at the great commandment. Surely seeing the value in others around you makes it a whole lot easier to love one another.

Being a lamp to others might begin with realizing their value and shedding some light on it.

When I started to post this thread I figured it would be a quick one. After all, it's only a few verses. Turns out, I learned a few things and I'm grateful for the opportunity to "shed a little light" on them thanks to the WWW.

Nothing for me to add!