The Salt of the earth is what followers of Jesus are called to be in Matthew's Gospel.
Salt preserves, purifies and seasons. In the context of Matthew's Gospel, under the occupation, oppression and exploitation of Rome, the Temple Cult leaders and Herod, Jesus claims that it is NOT the elites of empire who flavor in the Kingdom, but the common people who do. What the people under these abuses of power cannot do is be the bulk of substance in their society, nor perhaps should they. Instead, it is enough to flavor the rest and change the nature of it from within as those who follow Jesus occupy in their own right. To compromise in the face of power renders the salt flavorless and useless. When that happens, salt that is thrown on the ground renders the soil unable to yield fruit. That is NOT what followers of Jesus are to do. Sticking our heads in the spiritual sand only to "pray about" the abuses of power that hurt others in the world renders us tasteless salt to God, and it prevents us from being fertile soil out of which grows the Agape Love and Justice that bring about Shalom (well-being, completeness and wholeness) for all.
The Light of the world is what followers of Jesus are called to be in Matthew's Gospel.
This is the furtherance of the promise to Abraham in being the light to the nations. It is about being the city on the hill (not a reference to the "exceptionalism" statements regarding American Civil Religion). It is about living God's Way of Light in Agape Love, instead of the ways of darkness associated with imperialism. It is about being a beacon of love for the whole world, letting our light shine so that the impact of our actions in Agape Love will be seen. If we hide that light with bigotry, intolerance and self-serving Greed, we are of no good to others, which is the Will of God and a Kingdom value. Our mission is not, as followers of Jesus, to participate in the darkness or create our own darkness with our intolerance of people of other faiths, ethnicities, sexual orientations or any other differences. It is not, as followers of Jesus, a mission to subjugate others, coerce them or force them to submit to our beliefs. We dare not let our light be darkness to others (Matthew 6:22, 23). It is rather about putting light out there so that it positively affects their lives and they will thus see God's hand in the good things that we do out of Agape Love.
Jesus came to fulfill the Law and Prophets. Jesus is the fulfillment of them.
Jesus introduces HIS fulfillment in Matthew 5:21 - 7:29 by getting the readers' attention regarding how important what He is to share is to be for them. Jesus then shares in the following verses on how we are to live the will of God. The Scribes and Pharisees in His time ignored the spirit of the law and literalized small portions of the Law so they could twist it to reflect their own ideologies, bigotries and self-serving agendas. Jesus wants those who follow Him to not get lost in the "letter of the law" fundamentalist ways that lead to a path of corruption through collusion with worldly empire, but rather to live the Law as God intended, and as Jesus fulfills in His command to live Agape Love (self-sacrificing, unconditional active commitment on behalf of the other, even "the least", stranger and enemy), which fulfills all the Law and Prophets (Matthew 7:12; 22:34-40). Not living what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us on how to live as His followers in the world has serious consequences. "Pay attention to what follows" is what this introduction to His fulfillment of the Law screams. This is what God wants for us to live.
It is increasingly clear that this Gospel speaks directly and loudly to our current situation in America. Will we as people who claim Jesus, follow Him and live Kingdom of Heaven values, or walk away from Him because we want to live worldly empire values? Will we be the Salt of the earth that flavors how the world around us lives out of Agape Love, or as people who claim to be "Christian" adopt the intolerance, false sense of superiority, desire to serve self above all and forceful coercion of others to conform to our ways and beliefs that worldly empire values would dictate, and therefore render this unfertile ground for growth? Will we be Light to the world that eliminates darkness and is a beacon for a better Agape Love way, or will we contribute to the darkness through intolerance, bigotry, greed and even violent hurtfulness toward others? We cannot serve two masters. What values will we live under the oppressive occupation of empire? If we adopt worldly empire values, we are not followers of Jesus, for we are not then living His Law of Agape Love in the world around us. If we live God's Kingdom values, we are following Jesus, perhaps even to the Cross, and we are seasoning and preserving those around us and being light in their darkness.
If you believe in Jesus, do you believe in His Good News as a better way for the world?
Do you believe in that Good News of Jesus, the Law of Agape Love enough to live it in the world around you?
Pastor Jamie
No comments:
Post a Comment