Salt flavors the rest. It is not the main course, but preserves and makes the main course more palatable. If it does not affect the main body, of what good is it?
Light eliminates darkness or beckons one through it to the light. If light does not shine in the darkness, it may as well not be light.
We are salt and light, according to Jesus.
We will flavor the body around us or we will be good for nothing.
We guide others through the darkness and eliminate the darkness by what we DO, or we are not light at all.
Jesus came to fulfill the Law: Love God will all that you have; love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus came not to abolish it, but to give us its essence, meaning and application in the world - in Jesus' time as in our time, under the darkness of empire.
Those who actually follow Jesus will never be the main course. Many are called but few are chosen.
Many will claim the name of Jesus while giving their devotion to the things of empire.
Many will claim the twisted, legalistic and punitive use of the law for their own gain.
Many will kill the prophets' messages with the false teachings of those who are devoted to empire.
Many will walk away from the faith altogether, rather than follow Jesus' Way.
Jesus' Way is the new, old way.
It is the Way of God in covenant.
It is the Way of loving God and neighbor.
It is the Way of learning from the prophets of God.
It is not an easy way.
Being the salt is a challenge, for it is easy to be swallowed up by the whole without flavoring it, just blending in with it without affecting it.
Being the light is a challenge, for the light is exposed, stands out in the darkness as being different, and is not always welcomed by those who are accustomed to and comfortable with the darkness.
The Scribes and Pharisees, the whole Temple Cult leadership, had lost their flavor and had blended in with the whole of empire in order to gain what empire had to offer, a different value from God.
They were not light, but part of the darkness, and helped others to be accustomed to the darkness as if it was the normative way of children of God, comfortable and cozy with empire and its perks.
They did not flavor the body. They did not beckon beyond the darkness or shed light on it.
Their righteousness was not righteousness. They were not right with God.
The religious leaders who have normalized the greed, lust for power and desire for status that are empire values, have not been salt or light and have not led the children of God to be salt or light. They have ignored the command to love God and neighbor. They have given their devotion to self alone, and have seen their connection with others as only a means toward getting them what they want, instead of what God wants. They, as a part of empire, have exploited, manipulated, oppressed and abused others with their twisted use of the law and prophets, even of the Gospel of Jesus. It is darkness and not light. It is a body of tasteless, putrid mass of decay with no flavor or hope of preservation.
Jesus calls His followers to be the salt of the earth and light of the world.
Jesus, fulfiller of Law and Prophets, gives the Good News of new life and hope in the living of Agape Love and Grace, even in the face of empire's destruction, hopelessness, hatred, apathy and self-serving greed, lust for power and desire for status.
Jesus calls us to be different than the rest and to affect the world by living His Way of Kingdom of God values in this part of the Kingdom, here and now.
So, we can flavor the world by being different from it.
We can be the beacon that leads people out of the darkness, exposes the darkness and eliminates it.
Or, we can be of no use to God or God's children.
Does our righteousness exceed that of corrupt religious leaders, politicians and elites, or does it reflect their righteousness, which is likened to unrighteousness to God?
Jesus, who is Fulfiller of Law and Prophets, Savior and Lord gives us a better way for the world.
It only becomes that when we are willing to be His Salt and Light for the world.
We cannot serve two masters. It renders us as useless as flavorless salt or hidden light.
That is not faithfulness to God.
We are called to fulfill the Law and Prophets by loving God and Neighbor as Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us in the Gospels.
That is faithfulness to God.
Pastor Jamie
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