In His Sermon on the Mount, after Jesus said to His disciples that "you are the salt of the earth" He said "you are the light of the world"
Matthew 5:13-16 NIV [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. (emphasis mine).
I never saw or considered the contrast of the two images until today when I read the following devotional written by Greg Laurie Lead Pastor of Harvest Ministries, Riverside, CA.
The following is the complete devotional:
After Jesus said His followers are “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13 NLT), He said we’re also “the light of the world.” The contrast between those two images, salt and light, is interesting. Salt is hidden; light is obvious. If you’ve ever been in a movie theater when someone pulls out their phone to check messages or scroll through social media, you know how obvious light is in a dark place.
Salt works secretly; light works openly. Salt works from within; light works from without. Salt represents an indirect influence of the gospel; light represents a more direct communication. Salt and light work in harmony. If I’m salty—that is, if I’m living as I ought to live as a follower of Jesus—it effectively earns me the right to let my light shine before others.
By its very nature, light exposes darkness. Have you ever lost something in the dark? Maybe, say, a burrito in your car at night. You don’t know where it went. But when you look the next morning, you find it with no problem. A little light exposed it.
In the same way, when God’s light shines in our lives, we see things we haven’t seen before. In John 3:19, Jesus says, “And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil” (NLT). People who are evil hate the light. They avoid it, lest their evil deeds be exposed.
That’s why if you ask certain people to go to church with you, you get an emphatic no. They want nothing to do with it. Or if you try to read a Bible passage, you get an objection. Church and God’s Word shine spotlights into dark places. People don’t want to come to the light or have a conversation about Jesus because they don’t want to change their lifestyle. They’ve grown accustomed to the dark and don’t want it exposed.
Remember, though, light also shows the way out of darkness. When I’m in a hotel room, I leave a light on—usually in the bathroom—in case I need to go there in the middle of the night. When I’m navigating unfamiliar territory, I don’t want to trip. The light helps me find my way through the darkness.
In the same way, God’s light helps people navigate through the darkness of this world so that they can find their way to Him. And Jesus gives us the privilege of being that light for others.
Matthew 5:13-16 NIV [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. (emphasis mine).
I never saw or considered the contrast of the two images until today when I read the following devotional written by Greg Laurie Lead Pastor of Harvest Ministries, Riverside, CA.
The following is the complete devotional:
After Jesus said His followers are “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13 NLT), He said we’re also “the light of the world.” The contrast between those two images, salt and light, is interesting. Salt is hidden; light is obvious. If you’ve ever been in a movie theater when someone pulls out their phone to check messages or scroll through social media, you know how obvious light is in a dark place.
Salt works secretly; light works openly. Salt works from within; light works from without. Salt represents an indirect influence of the gospel; light represents a more direct communication. Salt and light work in harmony. If I’m salty—that is, if I’m living as I ought to live as a follower of Jesus—it effectively earns me the right to let my light shine before others.
By its very nature, light exposes darkness. Have you ever lost something in the dark? Maybe, say, a burrito in your car at night. You don’t know where it went. But when you look the next morning, you find it with no problem. A little light exposed it.
In the same way, when God’s light shines in our lives, we see things we haven’t seen before. In John 3:19, Jesus says, “And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil” (NLT). People who are evil hate the light. They avoid it, lest their evil deeds be exposed.
That’s why if you ask certain people to go to church with you, you get an emphatic no. They want nothing to do with it. Or if you try to read a Bible passage, you get an objection. Church and God’s Word shine spotlights into dark places. People don’t want to come to the light or have a conversation about Jesus because they don’t want to change their lifestyle. They’ve grown accustomed to the dark and don’t want it exposed.
Remember, though, light also shows the way out of darkness. When I’m in a hotel room, I leave a light on—usually in the bathroom—in case I need to go there in the middle of the night. When I’m navigating unfamiliar territory, I don’t want to trip. The light helps me find my way through the darkness.
In the same way, God’s light helps people navigate through the darkness of this world so that they can find their way to Him. And Jesus gives us the privilege of being that light for others.
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