Salt and Light – Matthew 5:13-16

Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What to do with this educator’s commentary

This commentary invites you as a teacher to engage with and interpret the passage. Allow the text to speak first. The commentary suggests that you ask yourself various questions that will aid your interpretation. They will help you answer for yourself the question in the last words of the text: ‘what does this mean?’

This educator’s commentary is not a ‘finished package’. It is for your engagement with the text. You then go on to plan how you enable your students to work with the text.

Both you and your students are the agents of interpretation. The ‘Worlds of the Text’ offer a structure, a conversation between the worlds of the author and the setting of the text; the world of the text; and the world of the reader. In your personal reflection and in your teaching all three worlds should be integrated as they rely on each other.

In your teaching you are encouraged to ask your students to engage with the text in a dialogical way, to explore and interpret it, to share their own interpretation and to listen to that of others before they engage with the way the text might relate to a topic or unit of work being studied.

Structure of the commentary:

The World Behind the Text

See general introduction to Matthew.

The World of the Text

Text and Textual features

This story (Mt 5:13-16) is part of a large section of Matthew’s Gospel which is concerned with the ministry of Jesus to Israel (Mt 4:8 – 13:38). In particular, this story is part of a series of speeches (Mt 5:1-7:29) where Jesus sets out what it means to be a disciple and the attitudes and actions necessary to bring about the Kingdom of God.

This passage (Mt 5:13-16) has a focus on good works. The disciples are called to animate the world through their community life and good works. It is later in the Gospel of Matthew that the disciples will be commissioned to preach (Mt 10:7) and teach (Mt 28:20).

Jesus lived and preached God’s Kingdom. Immediately prior to this story is Matthew’s account of the Beatitudes or the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:1-12). The Beatitudes set out Jesus’ teaching on discipleship. The Beatitudes are not an exhaustive list of what a disciple must do but rather they illustrate the kind of approach to living that is required of a disciple to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven both in the present and the future. 

Following this story is a section on Jesus and the Law (Mt 5:17-20). The author of Matthew’s Gospel is highlighting for the community that Jesus came to fulfill the law and not replace it. The author is attempting to show that Jesus is reinterpreting the law in terms of the Kingdom of God.

This passage of Salt and Light flows directly from the Beatitudes. This section from Matthew (5:13-16) consists of two small parables. They are:

1. Parable of Salt 5: 13

This parable is found in all three synoptic gospels, Matthew 5:13, Mark 9:50 and Luke 14:34-35. All three versions are slightly different.

2 Parable of Light 5:14-16

This parable also appears in all three synoptic gospels Matthew 5:14-16, Mark 4:21 and Luke 8:16 and 11:33.

A parable is a made up story intended to etach but its strangeness. The listener has to work out what the parable means. Parables use contrast, figurative language and metaphor to carry their message – we sometimes say they tease the mind into action!

Characters and Setting

Crowd: This passage refers to ‘the crowd’ either side of these two parables. The crowd is mentioned at the beginning (Mt 5:1) and at the end (Mt 7:28) of this section of speeches. It is quite reasonable to assume that crowds of people were interested in Jesus, whle only a smaller number came to ‘follow’. Jesus’ teachings are meant for both groups though, those who has chosen to follow Jesus (the disciples) and for others who may have been curious – even potential disciples. in him (the crowd). The crowd is amazed at Jesus’ teaching as he is concerned with principles and attitudes rather than prescriptive laws.

Ideas/Phrases/Concepts

This passage includes three important images – Salt, Light and City on a Hill. These three images are based firmly in Jewish Scriptures. These three images are used to help define the identity of a follower of Jesus.

Salt:

Salt has a variety of functions. In first century Palestine, it was used as a purifying agent, preserving food, giving taste to food (Job 6:6) and it was also used on the sacrifices offered in the Temple (Lev 2:13). According to the Jewish Rabbis, salt signified wisdom. Therefore, a ‘salted disciple’ signified a wise disciple.

As a ‘salt of the earth’ the disciple is meant to season the community with compassion, justice and mercy by actively living the teachings of Jesus.

 

Light:

The ‘light of the world’ image comes from the prophet Isaiah (Isa 42:6) where the Israelites, as a covenantal people, are called to be a light to the world. This concept was illustrated when, during feasts, the Temple would be illuminated for all to see. This would especially be true at night.

The good works of the disciples must function as a lamp bringing light to the world. These good works are not meant to bring personal accolades or praise but rather they are to reveal God in the present and lead others to God.

City on a Hill:

The city of Jerusalem is located on a high ridge. Someone travelling to Jerusalem had to ‘go up’ to enter the city. The city would have been noticed from the surrounding valleys. The phrase ‘city on a hill’ alluded to a new Jerusalem, a community following and actively living the teachings of Jesus.

You: In the Greek translations of this passage from Matthew, the plural form of the word ‘you’ is used. This is emphasizing that discipleship has both a personal and a communal/social commitment. Disciples should be working together for the Kingdom of God.

Questions for the teacher:

World in Front of the Text

Questions for the teacher:

Meaning for today/challenges

The author of Matthew’s Gospel used this passage to set out what it means to be a disciple and the attitudes and actions necessary to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven both in the present and in the future. This passage is still relevant for the followers of Jesus today as disciples still have a responsibility to share the Kingdom with the world. Discipleship is not meant to be a private belief but rather disciples should be acting in such a way that their influence is felt in the world.  

The mission that disciples have today is the same mission that Jesus had over 2000 years ago. The focus in this passage is on ‘good works’ as they are the practical expressions of the Kingdom. Now as they did then, disciples have a mission to show in their lives, both individually and as a community, the possibilities of the Kingdom.

The three images of salt, light and city on a hill still speak to the world today. A quality of discipleship is to be outward looking and it is through living the beatitudes that disciples become the salt and light of the world. The value in salt is found when it is applied to other things. Similarly, it is through how they live their lives, disciples have a life-giving effect on others. Just as the light cannot be hidden away, Christians are not to retreat from the world but rather they are to be part of the world demonstrating through their lives, the possibilities of the Kingdom of God. Finally, like the city built on a hill, disciples will be noticed as they give witness to the teachings of Jesus through their good works.  

Church interpretation and usage

TIn the liturgical calendar, this section of Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 5:13-16) is used in both the Sunday Cycle and the Weekday Cycles of readings.

Sunday Gospel – Year A: 5^th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Weekday Cycle: Gospel for Tuesday of the 10^th Week of Ordinary Time.