SALT
& LIGHT
Part
1
Just
over eleven years ago the world was shaken by the deliberate
attacks
made on the United States as four large planes were hijacked.
Two
of them crashed into the World Trade Center, one into a part of the
Pentagon
and the other one was overtaken by passengers who managed to
seize
control of the plane before it could cause any damage but crashed
in
rural Pennsylvania. The impact of this violation of human innocence
is
keenly felt every time we travel and every year at this time we are
reminded
through photographic and video images we relive those tragic
events.
In
the past month in the countries of Egypt and Libya and news from
other
Northern African nations are reverberating with the violent
reaction
to a low grade film that insulted the Muslim faith and their
historical
founder, Mohammed.
The
world we live in is complex; its full of problems and humanity
attempts
to explain them by perspectives that are colored by sincere
faith,
religion, history and ethnicity. If we listen carefully we will
hear
interesting ideas, some make perfect sense while others are
motivated
by hatred, insensitivity or just plain ignorance. Of course I
have
my own ideas which are formed from the information I receive but I
have
to stop and think; how do we navigate through these troubled times
from
a christian believer’s point of view?
As
a Christian, our guidance and wisdom are based in biblical fact.
There
are two things that I wish to bring out regarding the things that
the
Lord Jesus Christ stated. In Luke 19:10 it says that Christ came “to
seek
and save the lost”. This is a fundamental truth.
The
other thing is that Christ also came to challenge the hypocritical
religious
environment that had been created in Israel. Those two issues
are
still prevalent today, many people are still spiritually lost and
religious
hypocrisy goes beyond the borders of Israel and affects all
nations
and affects all kinds of religions. The thing that is still
prevalent
today though is that JESUS IS THE ANSWER to these two
pervading
problems. So as we live out the truth of Christ in our lives
we
find in Matthew 5 the beginning of that insightful sermon which Jesus
delivered
from a mountain top; and so its titled the “Sermon on the
Mount”.
What
is required of us to live out those truths and adopt those
attitudes
that are found in Matthew 5? The bulk of Matthew 5 right up to
chapter
7 gives us many instructions in how to encounter life and react
to
the uncomfortable situations that present themselves. In Matthew
5:13-16
we read of a declaration Jesus makes to his hearers. The first
11
verses deal with what we know as the Beatitudes and culminate with
what
we read in verses 11 and 12 where the Lord states that persecution
for
our faith will come. He wants His followers to understand that while
they
are truly blessed by God, the world will resist them and persecute
them
as it resists and persecutes the kingdom. While Jesus, the Light,
was
not overcome by the darkness of this world, He was persecuted by it.
So
then, you might be wondering at this point in Jesus' sermon on the
mount,
what is our relationship with the world? Why are we still here if
we
are resisted and persecuted? Why can't we just immediately go and
live
fully and only in the kingdom of God? I think Jesus begins to
answer
these questions in this passage of Matthew 5:13-16. Jesus tells
His
followers who they are in relation to the world where they live.
There
are two images He presents to them. They are the salt of the earth
and
the light of the world. Notice that these are both statements of
fact.
Jesus is not telling them what He wants them to strive hard to
become.
He is not commanding them. He is telling them what is true
already.
As those who are blessed by God, they have a special
relationship
with this world.
(To
be continued....)
David
Jones with excerpts from CD