Matthew 5:13-16
I’ve been asked why I seem to be very much on about living like Jesus. Am I a special sort of person that I can do this? The answer to that question is here in today’s reading.
The passage we read from Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life is part of what we call the sermon on the mount. From the beginning of his teaching Jesus wanted his disciples to know who they are and what this means. The sermon on the mount outlines how people in the kingdom of God will live and it establishes their identity.
Jesus said to his followers, “You are the children of God. You are my friends. You are like God and it will show. People will see what God is like from observing you. You will represent God and his plans for the whole world to the people around you.”
This was not a new idea; it was God’s plan from the beginning. When God called Abraham, and later Jacob, and all their descendants, he set them apart, made them special, so that they would represent God on earth. They were not to be different for the sake of being different, they were to show the world what God is like and show them God’s plan for the whole world. Jesus took this to the next level with his followers.
That’s why I’m on about being like Jesus; about living like Jesus. It’s because this is what following Jesus is about.
Salt and light
So when Jesus announces that these disciples of the kingdom are salt and light, he is urging them to see themselves differently. To everyone looking on, they might have appeared so ordinary. To Jesus they are the ones through whom the love of God will be shared with the world. They act as salt in places that are missing a vital ingredient, and as light in places that are dark.
Salt was used for many purposes – as a preservative to stop food rotting, in food as a flavour-enhancer, as fertiliser to enable fruitfulness. Light is a metaphor that highlights the fact that in dark places, not only does light reveal what is there, but also offers a new perspective for everyone.
In this passage light is related to actions – the everyday actions that demonstrated that these people had a different view of life and a different way of life (5:16). Jesus suggests that people would see these actions and realise that there must be some other source for these lives. We have people around us who are trying to live good, ‘Christian’-type lives without Jesus. They will generally admit that it’s hard for them to do (and assume that it is hard for Jesus’ followers too). But the way Jesus puts it, it doesn’t sound as though you need to work hard to live like this – it has the feel of it flowing naturally from your identity as God’s people and the power of the Spirit of God within. And so it is.
Culture is our context
This life we have received is lived out in the midst of a culture that has decided it wants to live a different way, a culture that largely lives without any reference to God. How do you live in such a culture? How do you live alongside people who may think that belonging to church and believing in Jesus are quaint activities, good for some, but not for them? How do you work for organisations whose practices may leave so much to be desired: using people, wasting resources, fearful of change, arrogant ruthless leadership?
How do we take what we know of the good news of Jesus and use it to help bring change around us? How do we act as the flavouring of our society – as people whose creative reactions to situations change the experience of many? Or as light – offering new perspectives for others?
Culture and counter-culture
A good definition of culture is: ‘the way we do things round here’. Every family has a culture, every community, every workplace, every team, every church, every home group, every frontline – a way of doing things around here. Some of it is good, some of it not so good, some of it downright destructive. Each culture’s way of doing things expresses that culture’s values and beliefs. Values and beliefs shape actions, whether we are aware of it or not. We may not even realise what value or what belief is causing us to do a certain thing. Jesus wants us to realise who we are, and what we believe and value, and let those determine our actions.
We made some very salty soup this week by using very salty stock. We made it palatable by adding more and more ingredients until the salt was diluted to an acceptable level. I think our culture does this too. It can’t do without the goodness of God but keeps it at a level it can tolerate by taking on what it can cope with and avoiding what it can’t, especially the source of the goodness: our relationship with God in Jesus the Christ. But, as I’ve said, rejecting Jesus makes good living that much harder.
We are being shaped by our culture without us noticing. We pick up ideas from many sources, often without checking the source or the validity of the idea or whether Jesus agrees with it. For example, if you think evolution is scientific and creation is not, rest assured you have been shaped by your culture. Are you praying for those in your family who don’t know Jesus that they’ll come to know him? If not, I’d say you have been shaped by your culture. If you believe the Treaty of Waitangi was mistranslated by ignorant missionaries, you’ve been shaped by your culture. It’s easy to be shaped by our culture; but it is possible to shape the culture by our influence.
I’ve noticed that Kathrine, Duchess of Cambridge, has quite an influence on a number of cultures. She is not alone. Many others are also in what we call ‘positions of influence’. But one doesn’t have to be in a particular position to influence culture. Ordinary people can shape their cultures. We can all influence the people around us. In fact we do it all the time. The question is in what way are we influencing our culture? What values and beliefs are we living by?
Today’s video features Walter who realised he was being influenced by his culture in a most unhelpful way. Walter woke up to himself, reassessed his values and changed the way he did things for the better. Watch. His work now expresses his values.
Jesus suggests that our godly action will result from our identity being rooted in our relationship with God our Father and His Spirit working within us. What might be possible when this is the case?
Let each of us answer these questions:
What do you particularly like or dislike about the culture of your frontline?
What initiative, however small, might you make to make it better?
Ask God to show you. Then do it.
Repeat.