When Jesus delivered His famous Sermon on the Mount, He instructed us in Matthew 5:13-16 to be salt and light. Specifically, He told us to be “salt of the earth” and “light of the world”. Jesus was using these illustrations, so we could relate to them even today. You may wonder, what does it mean to be salt and light in today’s world?
Certain things don’t change much. Mankind still needs salt and light. You put little bit of salt in your food (unless you are on a strict low sodium diet) to make it taste better, and you get (hopefully) exposed to some kind of light, so you could see things around you, on a daily basis. This means that you and me, being a people of this modern era, should be able to easily interpret Jesus’ analogy that was presented to us over two thousand years ago.
Being salt and light is relevant even today
Jesus knew, that understanding of what He was preaching about salt and light, carried significance not only to the people around Him at that time, but also to you and me today.
Powerful effects of salt and light
Think of how salt and light effect their surroundings. Just a pinch of salt can enhance your meal’s flavor or a small light bulb, when turned on, will transform a pitch black cell into a bright room. In the same way the early church, despite being so small, has enhanced the flavor of the entire world to such an extent, that we can see its effects until this day. We, as Christians, are still called by Jesus Christ to have influence on our surroundings, which is our family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and the rest of the society,
How can I be the “light of the world”?
A small local church can make a big difference in their local community, but even you, as an individual Christian, can become someone’s light in their dark life. Spreading the Gospel on a large scale and on an individual basis is the main premise of Christianity, but the bridge between us and the rest of the world needs to be built on our actions.
Such actions may include charity, humanitarian relief, or education on a larger scale, but also individually, we need to be examples of living godly lives, showing kindness and forgivingness, put others’ needs above our own. When we present ourselves in a light we can be the light.
Simply put, practice what you preach and others will follow.
How to be the “salt of the earth” without getting obnoxious
On the other hand, too much salt will ruin your lunch. First, you will take a bite, then spit it out and end up throwing it all away, even if you are hungry. Same goes for the light. Too much light would blind you. When someone beams a high-output light strobe directly in your line of sight, you have no choice but to shut your eyes. The immmediate effect is that you see nothing. If you try to walk away you will probably stumble over a power cord. What follows next is a fall.
You can be someone’s “salt of the earth” without ruining their lunch and “light of the world” without blinding them.
The key is tact and moderation.
How to have “salt and light” effect on people
Have you ever been around a holy-roller who spoke to you only in Bible verses like a pre-programmed answering system? Or someone so self-righteous that condemnation of others was seeping through their pores like sweat from an endurance athlete? That is a big turn off. God gave us common sense, which includes ability to maintain social interactions with the rest of the world. Instead of being repulsive, weird and overwhelming, we can be just human. We are not perfect people, we are just forgiven people, and others need to sense that aura of the Holy Spirit around us.
No matter whether you are a big deal in your community or not, you have influence on other people. Use it for God’s Kingdom in a wise manner.
Where does our influence come from?
But the influence of Christianity on this world is possible not because of our own wisdom, intelligence or hard work. Not even because of our good intensions or zeal. We are able to turn someone’s blant tasting life into a life that is rich in flavor, and the current darkness of this world into a bright future, only because of the power of God.
