Salt and Light Between Sundays

In Matthew 5:13–16, Jesus tells the audience during the Sermon on the Mount – and by extension us – that they are salt and light.  What does that mean?  The light portion of that illustration is a fairly easy concept to grasp – perhaps because light is visible, and the difference between darkness and light in a room is immediately apparent.  But what does Jesus mean when He tells us we are salt?

Because salt dissolves in liquids or blends into food, we do not really notice it unless we intentionally look for it.  Yet we know whether it is present or absent based on the outcome.  From that perspective, light represents things that are easily visible and noticeable – our actions that others can clearly see.  Salt, then, would represent influences that are not easily noticed by others but that nonetheless have a real impact – particularly what we allow into our minds, shaping our thinking, attitudes, and perspective.

Salt is a preservative – it prevents things from decaying.  In a similar way, what we choose to allow into our minds can help preserve our spiritual health.  Over time, that inward influence will translate into outward action – ideally into the kind of light others can see.  As Jesus says, “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden… In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16).

These thoughts call to mind Between Sundays, a book written by a member of the church, Steve Miller, which focuses on how we live as Christians in our daily lives, outside the walls of the church building.  That book calls to my mind Jesus’ teaching about being salt and light.  The light our lives shine into the world is closely connected to what we choose to take into our minds.

Resolve daily to be the light.  One way to begin is by carefully considering what we allow into our minds each day.  Ultimately, that should help us be the city set on a hill that cannot be hidden rather than salt that has lost its usefulness and is trampled underfoot (paraphrasing Matthew 5:13–14).  Tangible ways we reflect that light include how we speak, the diligence with which we approach work, school, or other tasks, and in how we handle conflict.  But those are outputs.  Let’s not neglect the salt – or input – side:  filtering what we allow into our minds through the lens of Scripture – taking in those things that are honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8).