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Politicians love to cite the “Sermon on the Mount” when put on the spot about what Bible passage they like best. Reality: it is far and away the most difficult teaching ever given, in terms of our inability to attain to it.
Across history, various rabbis have been known for their particular teaching; notable perhaps for emphasis on a particular aspect of Torah or focus on a specific attribute God’s nature, or a unique interpretation on an historical event. Disciples are supposed to be able to articulate their rabbi’s particular teaching. More than that; their lives are supposed toreflect that teaching.
Yeshua, too, has a specific body of teaching attributed to Him. The essentials of it are contained in what we commonly call ‘The Sermon on the Mount’. Understand that Yeshua gave these dicta far more than just one time. On multiple occasions He would have taught one or a few of them as a particular situation called for it. But at one point Matthew records that Yeshua gave a much longer sermon – the essentials of His teaching.
Overview of the seven-part series:
I. Blessed are they… (The Beatitudes, part 1) (5:1-9)
II. Blessed are YOU… (The Beatitudes, part 2) (5:10-12)
III. Who we are and who we aren’t (5:13-20)
IV. You have heard… But I say (Yeshua’s Torah) (5:21-48)
V. When you… (give, pray, fast) (6:1-18)
VI. The futility of materialism (6:19-34)
VII. Things that could keep you out of Heaven (hypocrisy, following the crowd, false teachers, refusal to act on Yeshua’s teaching) (7:1-29)
Who we are and who we aren’t (5:13-20)
Verse 13
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”
How many of you like to use salt on your food? But how many of you struggle with hypertension? Well, I’ve got great news for you. After all these years of hearing that salt contributed to hypertension; medical researchers just recently announced that as a result of more careful and thorough study, it’s been determined that salt does not contribute to hypertension. Can you say, “Hello, salt bagels!”? (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/).
Salt, or sodium chloride as its chemical composition is known, is a substance with a long and fascinating history! In the modern world it’s primarily used as a flavor enhancer, and also has wide application in cosmetics, since it has beneficial properties for the skin. But salt played a prominent role in the ancient world. Before such things as refrigeration, salt was used as a preservative for meat. You know how dangerous it is when meat goes bad. Salt helped prevent death and disease. It was so valuable that Roman soldiers were paid, in part, with supplies of salt, from which ultimately we get the word “salary” and the expression “worth his salt”. In the Middle Ages, salt was so costly that it was sometimes called “white gold”. In fact, as recently as the early 1900’s, one-pound bars of salt were a form of currency in Ethiopia!
When you’re making soup, or cooking some savory dish, and you ask someone to sample it, and it’s a little bland, what do they say, “Oh, it probably just needs a dash of salt.” Salt adds flavor to what might otherwise be dull and tasteless. Epsom salt in a hot bath is remarkable for its healing properties. Salt is so useful, so accessible and, in the modern world, so affordable. But to the ancients it was precious and costly!
And Yeshua says to us: “You are the salt of the earth…” If our lives truly reflect His teaching, and are consistent with our claim to be His followers, we should have a corresponding effect on this world. We should be slowing its decay, and we should be adding flavor and life, making the world a little better; a little more palatable. It is related to the concept oftikkun – helping to repair this broken world a little at a time, one person at a time.
You and I, as Yeshua’s followers, are supposed to be of such benefit to the world that our presence keeps things from completely degenerating. This is why there is a direct correlation between our own ineffectiveness and the moral decay of society. When Christians and Messianic Jews cease to sound that clarion call to repentance and warning of the judgment to come, but rather attempt to “get along” by not confronting sin when we see it; by our imitating the pattern of worldly success; when we water down our message and capitulate to the prevailing culture, that decay speeds up.
But we are warned that salt that has lost its flavor is useless. If we simply go along with the rest of society because we lack the will to say “No” to its vulgarities; if we are unwilling to endure a measure of insult or disapproval for the sake of taking a moral stand, we will be as useless to the Kingdom of Heaven as used up salt. Nothing is more frightful and pathetic than someone who knows in their heart what is right, but is so afraid of what other people think of them, that they just follow the crowd. Like a chameleon, they blend with their surroundings. If their buddies are cussing, so are they. If their buddies are smoking and drinking, so do they. If their buddies mock and ridicule the righteous, they may not laugh, but they won’t say anything, either. Perhaps deep down they detest their own lack of courage.
Salt on open wounds really hurts, hence the expression. But in point of fact, salt on a wound is beneficial, because it helps to create an antibacterial environment which then allows the wound to heal faster. To be the salt of the earth means we will inevitably cause some discomfort in those around us, because we represent righteousness, and their sin is like that open wound.
This is why Rabbi Paul could say, “For we are to God the aroma of Messiah among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)”
Being the salt of the earth has always been a difficult calling. As was said in this morning’s parasha, his confronting the unbelief of a nation that refused to trust God and wanted to return to Egypt didn’t exactly win Joshua any popularity points. It almost got him killed by an angry Israeli mob! Confronting Herod over his adultery with his brother’s wife didn’t exactly endear John the Baptist to the sinful ruler and his adulteress. It landed him in jail, and eventually he was beheaded.
In these Last Days, when people refuse to endure sound doctrine (as the Spirit expressly revealed to Paul), and the Bible verse most often quoted (out of context, I might add) is “judge not!” if we would be the salt of the earth, we will inevitably be thought hateful and our motives impugned, even by those who identify as Christians or Messianic Jews. It is already happening on a wide scale. But I’d rather walk in the path of the Joshuas, the John the Baptists, and the prophets who were not afraid to proclaim unpopular truths. Remember, Messiah Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount is all about the values of the Kingdom of God. God’s kingdom and the kingdom of this world are in opposition to one another. We are called upon to determine which is our priority, and act accordingly.
Verses 14-16
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Considering that Yeshua referred to Himself (John 8:12 and 9:5) as “the light of the world” it is truly astonishing that He should say that of us! The difference is that in His case, He really is the eternal light that came into the world. Messiah left the glory of His eternal home and revealed the truth of God to fallen, desperate humanity. In our case, it is reflected light. We are called to display Him in our lives in the eyes of others.
Our lives should be characterized by honesty, integrity and compassion. We should be aware of the needs and concerns of others, and not merely look after our own interests. We are light-bearers in that we are those who have had their eyes opened; but we are supposed to be light-givers, extending God’s message of salvation, and extending God’s love through kindness. Did you notice that Yeshua didn’t say that we’re supposed to become salt and light. He says that it is what we are. The question for each of us is, “Am I fulfilling that responsibility or failing it?”
Disciples of great rabbis in Israel’s history often referred to their masters by titles such as this. Rabbi Yochanan b. Zakkai’s talmidim called him “lamp of the universe”. You have to wonder if there were some eminent rabbis in that massive crowd who had come to hear Yeshua teach, and how they might have felt to hear him tell His disciples, a group of decidedly ordinary men, that they were the light of the world.
What light has in common with salt is the way it distinguishes things. Just as salt prevents decay and gives flavor to what was tasteless, light dispels darkness and reveals reality. Pastor David Guzik says this:
“Salt is needed because the world is rotting and decaying, and if our Christianity is also rotting and decaying, it won’t be any good. Light is needed because the world is in darkness, and if our Christianity imitates the darkness, we have nothing to show the world. To be effective we must seek and display the Christian distinctive. We can never affect the world for Jesus by becoming like the world.”
By using the analogy of a city on a hilltop or a lamp on a table, Yeshua is saying, in effect, that it would be ludicrous to attempt to hide who we are. There should be no such thing as a “secret” believer. Quite to the contrary, we should look for opportunities to shine. It isn’t that we are trying to get people to like us or pay us compliments, but rather to show the difference that Messiah Yeshua has made in our lives. If you are drawing close to Him through consistent prayer and fellowship and the study of the Scriptures, things which daily transform us, you will quite naturally shine. It isn’t something you have to think about. Just get close to the light and stay close to it, and you will naturally reflect that light.
But make no mistake about it – the quality of your life makes an impact. You may, at any given moment, be drawing people or repelling people by means of your conduct. Yeshua says, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” As I said, if you are drawing near to Adonai and remaining near to Him, you will naturally reflect His character, and people will take notice and be drawn themselves. The goal is that they, too, will surrender their lives to Messiah, and have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and begin to shine for Him. In that sense, the light in the world is supposed to increase as more and more people turn to the Lord.
Be encouraged – it doesn’t take a lot of light to dispel darkness. You don’t have to be a high-profile celebrity type to accomplish God’s purposes. In fact, as this world spirals more and more quickly into godlessness and darkness, your little light will stand in all the more contrast, and you will shine. Love the Lord your God, and love those around you, and He will use you to lead others to righteousness. Then you’ll get to shine, as the prophet Daniel declared, like the stars forever!
Verses 17-20
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Torah until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Yeshua was accused, falsely, on multiple occasions, of claiming to want to abolish the Torah. Considering that He is the second Person of the triune God, the giver of the Torah, it was a ridiculous accusation.
But since the issue of Torah observance has become somewhat divisive for the Messianic movement, I’d like to point out a few things. First, notice what Yeshua did NOT say: He didn’t say “I have not come to abolish them, I came that you should fulfill them.” The Torah is altogether good, since it was given us by God; but you and I don’t fulfill the Torah. It isn’t the basis of salvation, nor even of sanctification. It was never meant to be. The Torah was meant to be a constitution by which Israel could thrive among all the nations, and it was meant to show us our need of the Redeemer Himself.
Salvation and sanctification are the work of God accomplished by Him in us. The Scriptures are very clear on this. If you are attempting to be sanctified by Sinai Covenant law-keeping, you are not only missing the point, but you are treating the once-for-all-time sacrifice of Messiah Yeshua dismissively.
Secondly, notice that Yeshua didn’t only say that He came to fulfill the Law. He said He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. The point of it is that all the Scriptures are meant to point us to Messiah, who Himself is the very fulfillment of them. That is precisely why not the “least stroke of a pen” (and the differences between letters like dalet and resh, or a samech and a mem sofit can be subtle, but if you misread one for the other, the meaning of the word changes dramatically. The Scriptures had to find their fulfillment in Messiah, and the point of it is – they did!
Yeshua said none of it would disappear until all was accomplished. There are a few ways you can look at the “all”. It could mean that when Messiah spoke His dying words, “It is finished” that the work of atonement and redemption was forever accomplished. It could mean that upon His resurrection, ascension and then the giving of the Holy Spirit on that Shavuot all was accomplished. It could refer to Messiah’s return to earth and the establishing of God’s Kingdom. What it doesn’t mean is that you are the one who does the accomplishing.
He warned that if we treat the Torah and the Prophets with disdain, and violate the Word, and influence others to do likewise, we may not forfeit salvation, but we will be terribly diminished in the kingdom. But since the Torah and the Prophets are used in tandem here, I don’t think He is telling us that we are obligated to be Torah-observant. It would put this passage in conflict with a host of other Scriptures that affirm salvation as a gift of God by means of grace through faith, and Scripture isn’t self-contradictory.
And since our righteousness needs to exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, who were extremely strict in their Torah observance, and since we are unlikely ever to exceed their level of observance, in light of all that Scripture teaches, it is evident that the righteousness we need is the righteousness that only God Himself, in the person of Yeshua, can provide.
But none of this excuses lawless living. If the Torah and the Prophets are summed up in the two great commandments to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves, then we are not at liberty to live any old way we please.
There’s obviously so much more that needs to be said about the relationship of the believer to the Torah and the Prophets, and we certainly can’t do that in one sermon. But for our purposes this morning, putting this together with the verses that went before them, we are learning from Messiah Yeshua our Master who we are and who we aren’t. We are the salt of the earth; we are the light of the world; we aren’t the ones who fulfill the Torah and the Prophets. Messiah Yeshua alone is the One who fulfills these, and if we are in Him, we are credited with His righteousness. That’s very good news!
This has been part three of My Master’s Instruction. God willing, we will continue studying the Sermon on the Mount in the weeks ahead. The life of a disciple of Messiah Yeshua isn’t easy. It is a high and at times very difficult calling. G. K. Chesterton observed, “Christianity hasn’t been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and not tried.” But my friends, for the sake of the joy of being a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, it is worth it!