The "You Are's" (Matthew 5:13-16)

"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 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 5:13-16).

Jesus begins his most famous teaching by blessing his hearers (The "Blessed Are You's" of Matthew 5:2-12). He then begins to define the purpose for which his hearers have received the blessing. Jesus uses two very accessible and powerful metaphors to inform the church about who they are and what they are about. In identifying the church as both salt and light he ordains the church to world-wide service as his corporate body on earth: the church is Jesus’ great missionary means!

You are the salt of the earth. Jesus tells us who we are before he tells us what to do. You and I are salt. Jesus does not say that we will become salt or that we ought to be salt. As the salt of the earth, Jesus has set the church apart as the most significant people on the planet.

    •    Salt does not exist for itself; it exists to penetrate food. Jesus reminds us that we do not exist for ourselves; we should penetrate the earth with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As salt exists for food, so disciples exist for the world.

    •    Stay ‘salty’. Jesus warns us as well. If salt loses its tang it will be thrown out and trampled under foot. Jesus is warning us to stay salty! To negate our Gospel purpose is the way to disaster. Uselessness invites disaster! “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And, behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age”(Matthew 28:19-20).

You are the light of the world. In John 9:5 Jesus identifies himself as the light of the world: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Knowing he would return to the Father after his resurrection Jesus identifies his disciples as light. You and I are the light. He is calling us to be like him.

    •    Your light is supposed to be seen. The radiant shine of the Christian comes from the presence of Christ within the heart. The outward expression of our inward reality should be visible to those around us. ‘In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’ (John 1:4-5).

    •    A light is a guide. “… and it gives light to all in the house.” We must make the way clear for others. Like John the Baptist we are ‘to bear witness about the light, that all might believe…’(John 1:7).

    •    A shining light will do things that cause God to be glorified by others. If the light is in us then our light will shine in the form of edifying speech and outward actions pointing to the goodness of our Father. We're to be about Christ-like deeds in a Christ-like manner (meek, humble, poor in spirit, etc.) differentiating us from the world. And this is about him! We want others to be impressed with Jesus not his disciples! Jesus promises that the brilliant light of the church WILL draw others to glorify God the Father, thus giving every disciple of Jesus his or her life-purpose: to remove the veil from the Father’s face and to display something of God’s glory to the world.