Day 5: Salt, Light, and the Law
Reading: Matthew 5:13-20
13“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.
14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In 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.
17“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. 18For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore whoever relaxes 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 does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:13–20 (ESV)
What They Had Heard
TODO — what a first-century hearer already had in their head when Jesus said this: the commandment itself, and the tradition of the elders built on top of it. What ruling was this teaching aimed at?
The Other Witness
34“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Luke 14:34–35 (ESV)
33“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Luke 11:33 (ESV)
33“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Luke 11:33 (ESV)
TODO — where Luke has this saying, and what is different in his wording, his placement, or his audience. Quote both and let the difference stand.
The Older Word
TODO — the Old Testament text underneath the teaching. Not a proof text: the passage Jesus is reaching back to, and what the Law actually said before the case law grew over it.
He Did It
TODO — where Jesus personally demonstrated this, usually later in the Gospels. If there is no scene — only a claim — say that instead of forcing one.
They Did It
TODO — the apostles, both halves. Where they taught this in the letters, and where they lived it in Acts.
Now Us
TODO — the payoff. Not “try harder”: what this looks like on an ordinary Tuesday, for a reader who has just watched three generations do it.
Reflection Questions
- TODO
Prayer
TODO