Matthew 5:13-20

All right, we are continuing our study of the Gospel of Matthew, here on the listeners commentary, and we have just begun walking through the well-known sermon on the Mount. And in this recording, we're going to be looking at Matthew chapter 5 verses 13 through 20. There's a lot here, obviously a lot more than I can say in the next 25 minutes, but we're going to give at least enough detail so we can really understand what Jesus is saying in these verses. Let's just remember the context as we get started. The sermon on the Mount opens with what we have come to call the "be attitudes." And we said in our last recording that the be attitudes function not so much as virtues to be pursued, but as proclamations or announcement of what's coming true in the Kingdom of God in Jesus, and so that they effectively throw open the door of God's Kingdom to all different kinds of people that are now gathering around Jesus, the poor and spirit. Those for whom life has been hard and therefore they mourn, the lowly and the meat, those longing for justice, all those different kinds of people, and the be attitudes announced that God's favor and good fortune is available to them. It's available to them in the Kingdom of the heavens that Jesus is ushering in. Well, in the paragraph we're going to look at in this recording, verses 13 through 20, Jesus continues what is effectively his introduction to the sermon on the Mount, and he proceeds to describe our vocation or our calling as his disciples. And this section really highlights both identity and mission, and it culminates in what I understand to be the theme or the thesis statement for the whole body of the sermon that will follow this. So let's jump into Matthew chapter 5 verse 13. Jesus says, "You are the salt of the earth." So he's speaking to this crowd of all these different kinds of people. He's got his disciples in the front row, those who have chosen to follow him, those he's called to himself, and then crowds of curiosity seekers, people that want to know more and all of that. And as he looks at his disciples and he looks at the crowds, he says, "To those who come into his Kingdom, you are the salt of the earth." But if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It's no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people. And the imagery of salt actually makes for a fairly broad metaphor. And different scholars have emphasized different uses of salt depending on how they understand what Jesus is saying here. They've emphasized it as flavoring, they've emphasized it as a preservative, some of the nature that's kind of a form of fertilizer. I think the main thing for us to focus on is not which specific aspect of salt, but the fact that salt in itself is good. Salt is valuable and necessary. In fact, if you actually look at or research the history of salt, it's quite fascinating. That trade and travel routes resulted from the need for salt. Roads were built in order to transport salt, to go find salt, cities grew up where salt was close at hand. Every animal needs it, craves it, quickly dies without it. I like salt is good, valuable and necessary. We're so used to just being able to go to the store and buy it. We don't think about where it comes from and how important it really is. In fact, one Jewish writer, Ben Syrac, in the book known as Ecclesiasticus or the wisdom of Ben Syrac, actually lists salt as one of the basic necessities of life. And he was writing shortly before the time of Jesus. It helps us really get into their mindset from that time period. Here's what Ben Syrac says. He says, "Chief of all needs for human life are water and fire, iron and salt, the heart of the wheat, milk and honey, the blood of the grape and oil and clothing." Those are like the main needs, he says, for human life. The Roman writer Pliny says that nothing is more useful than salt and sunshine. Those are the two greatest, most useful things, salt and sunshine. And that really is the point I think Jesus is making with the metaphor about salt. Salt is useful. And if it ceases to be useful, then it's good for nothing. In fact, the word translated becomes tasteless here is literally becomes foolish. The idea is that if salt becomes foolish, if it's like all of a sudden it's good for nothing. Right? That's the idea. Like foolish salt, you're good for nothing. And the point is, is that as his people, disciples are like salt for the world and they must not be foolish, useless and good for nothing. Like salt, they actually need to be good for the world. Jesus then follows that metaphor up with a second image that emphasizes the point. He says, "You are the light of the world." Just like with salt, light is necessary and good. That's why Pliny, who we quoted above, noted that nothing is more useful than salt and sunshine. You need light, right? And notice what Jesus says. He says, "You are." Not you should be. But you are, statement of fact. He said that about salt as well. You are. These are statements of identity. You are the light of the world. And one of the major themes of the entire Old Testament is Israel's call to be a light to the nations. But they failed to be that. You can look at, for example, Isaiah 42 and the first handful of verses 42-1, 42-4, 42-6, right? Israel's supposed to be a light to the nations. But they failed in that. And God's going to send them a great servant, the Messiah. And he will fulfill that role for Israel. That's who Jesus is. Jesus is the true light of the world. Everything Israel is supposed to be as light is now coming true in Jesus. And Jesus is forming in himself a brand new people, a new kingdom of God, who will be light to the world. And so he says, "That's who you are." He looks at these his disciples and this crowd. "You are the light of the world." And then he amplifies this with two descriptions. He first says, "A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." What's the idea about this with light? Well, visibility. Think of a city on a hill. Think of a city on the hill during a day. You can still see it during the day. Think of that same city at night. How visible would be when it's lit up with torches and all of that. And in fact, in Jesus' immediate geographical setting. Where he's literally sitting when he's speaking this sermon on the Mount, there was actually a well-known example of the very thing he's talking about. In fact, it's very possible that Jesus pointed across the sea to this well-known example, the city of Hippos, on the eastern shore of Galilee. It was a city set up on a hill. It was clearly visible even from Capernaum. And then at night, when it was all lit up, it was even more visible. That's who you are. You're a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. And then Jesus amplifies this idea of being the light of the world with a second descriptive image. He says, "Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house." In their culture, a lamp was not a floor lamp that you plug in and all that with a giant light bulb. It was a little tiny oil lamp, all of oil lamp that you'd put a wick in. But in a dark room, if you take that little lamp, you light the wick and you set it up on a lampstand. Maybe a little notch on the side wall of the house or a little shelf. That's the idea. Set it up on that where the lamp's supposed to go. And it gives light to the whole house. Again, that's the idea of this how light can penetrate and permeate a dark space. And so with those images, then Jesus drives home the point of all of this in verse 16. He says, "Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven." That's the goal. Like you are the light of the world and it needs to be visible and powerful and penetrating in a way that it's good. Again, good for the whole world. But it shines before people in such a way. Now, what is your light? What does it mean to shine before people? What are you shining? Well, he says, "Your good works." What does he mean by that? Well, the way N.T. Wright expresses it, he says, "The good works in the sense of doing things which bring God's wisdom and glory to birth in the world." That is, Jesus is inviting his disciples to be his partner in this project of bringing salt and light to this dark world, to bringing God's wisdom and God's glory and God's goodness into this dark world. And the good works that at least in the immediate context Jesus seems to have in mind is not religious activity per se. In fact, Matthew chapter 6 further on in the sermon on the Mount of Jesus is going to kind of say, "Those things should be private anyhow, religious activity." But here in chapter 5, when you look at the following context of what Jesus says here, it seems to be just down to earth spirituality if I could call it that. It's getting rid of anger and contempt and blame. It's being sexually pure and whole. It's being faithful to your spouse and your marriage vows. It's living with integrity so that your yeses, yes, your no is no. It's loving people who are difficult and hard and even mean to us praying for them, willing their good and actively showing kindness to them. it's trusting God to care for our needs and not living anxiously and stressed out and fretting all the time in the world. That's at least the stuff in the immediate following context. And so those are certainly some of the things that good works would entail in context. And that's how we show Jesus' kingdom as salt and light as good for the world. This then leads right into the final few sentences of the introduction to the sermon on the Mount. It's the well-known words about Jesus not coming to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Look what Jesus says in verse 17. Do not presume that I came to abolish the law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. Now how does this connect with everything that is preceded? Well, in order to answer that question, I think we just need to pause and think through again the immediate setting of Jesus' ministry, the immediate setting of the sermon on the Mount, and what Jesus already said. So Jesus got this crowd of people, all these different kinds of people, people even from Gentile regions all around them. And he's speaking to them. And in that context, he throws open the door of the kingdom wide to anybody and everybody and says in this kingdom, you can be blessed. That's one of the points of the Beatitudes. And it's a defining feature of Jesus' ministry, right? That Jesus welcomes tax collectors and sinners, people who are poor in spirit, people who are down and out, and who normally aren't invited into the kingdom of God and who aren't looked at as people who are blessed, Jesus welcoming them into his kingdom, right? So you have all of that going on. And then he also just deemed those who have chosen to follow him as salt and light. He's placed upon them this huge status and identity. You are the salt of the world. You are the light of the world, right? He's placed this identity upon them that was supposed to be for Israel and Israel failed at that. And so to those who look on Jesus with suspicion for welcoming any and everybody into his kingdom, Jesus' words here affirm that in welcoming such people, he's not abolishing his law. His aim is actually to bring about the fulfillment of the law. And so in that sense, it's to deal with those who. they're just not so sure about this Jesus character. To those who are coming into his kingdom, to those who are gathering around and say they want to follow him, these words here about abolishing the law and fulfilling the law, those words here to that group of people, these new disciples, they're a reminder that all are welcome and yet Jesus intends to make them into a people who actually fulfills the purpose and the goal of the law and the purpose of Israel to be salt and light. And so being salt and light and being good for the world entails fulfilling the law. And so for both groups, I think these words are very important and connect very clearly to the mission of Jesus' kingdom and the point of the sermon on the Mount. Now, in what way does Jesus not abolish the law but fulfill it? Well, I think there are really two main ways that that's the case. The first way that Jesus fulfills the law rather than abolishes it is for his disciples, he intends to form them into a kind of people who live out the very intent of the law and do so from the inside out. That is, you've got this crowd of people, but you've also got disciples all around them and Jesus is going to teach them very shortly that they don't just avoid the physical act of adultery, they need to be pure and faithful to the level of desire as well. He's going to show them that it's not enough just to avoid murder, that we also want to avoid anger and contempt. And so Jesus, here's the first way, Jesus fulfills the law by forming a people who live out the law's deepest aims. The Apostle Paul actually makes the exact same point in Galatians chapter 5, verse 16 and following, where he says that the fruit of the Spirit, there's no law against that. The law is actually going to stand there and applaud those who are full of love and joy and peace and patience and kindness. That's what the law was aiming at. So the first way that Jesus fulfills the law is by forming a people who can live out its deepest aims and intents. The second way that Jesus fulfills the law rather than abolishes it is that he is the climax or the culmination of the old covenant. When thinking about this idea of Jesus fulfilling the law in light of how Jesus apostles understood the new covenant that Jesus formed, fulfilling the law also means that Jesus is sort of like the culmination. He is everything the law kind of was intended to bring about. You see that in all sorts of places in the writings of the Apostles. For example, Galatians chapter 3, Paul expresses how the law was sort of like a temporary tutor and schoolmaster to lead people to Messiah. And now that Messiah's come, the law's job is done. Or in Corinthians, Paul says that all of God's promises are yes in him. They've reached their focal culmination point. Or even more clearly in Romans chapter 10 verse 4, Paul says that Jesus is the tell us. That is the goal and the finish line of the law in Romans 10 4. And so he is the culmination of it. And so Jesus brought the law at this is really important. He brought the law as a covenant to its goal and thus its end point. This doesn't abolish the law, fulfills it, right? Like childbirth ends pregnancy, but it doesn't abolish it. It fulfills it. Pregnancy culminates in childbirth. Well, the law culminates in the coming of Messiah Jesus. And now God's people are formed in him, not formed in Torah. And so Jesus fulfills the law in both those two senses. And being the one who is going to be the true and proper interpreter of it and show people how to truly live it out. And also brings its role as the covenant in which God's people are formed to its end point. And so in bringing people into his kingdom and informing them through discipleship to himself, Jesus is fulfilling everything that the law was aiming at. And thus he continues in verse 18 and says, "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass away from the law until everything is accomplished," right? Like he's thinking of the Hebrew alphabet and a little tiny like yode. He's just a small little letter or a little tiny little tail on a letter, right? The smallest stroke of a letter that makes distinguishes that letter from other letters. His point is that the law is powerful and it's important. And the law actually still remains. It may not be God's covenant for us, but it still remains as God's word for us and thus teaches us God's wisdom. And the law finds its full and final expression and fulfillment in Jesus and in the new covenant that he brings in and thus in his teaching. And that's why Paul can refer to the law of Christ. Like you want to really understand what the law was aiming at. You really want to understand the wisdom the law was providing, but look at Jesus and listen to his teaching. And he's going to bring all of that about in his kingdom and in his people. And so verse 19 says, "Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever keeps and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." And what Jesus is going to go on to do in the sermon on the mount is he's going to go on to show how he himself is the preeminent or the ultimate or the consummate interpreter of the law and teacher of the law and a plier of the law. And so we learn from Jesus what it means to teach and keep these commands. And so as we read the rest of the sermon on the mount, particularly the rest of chapter 5 where Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said, but I say to you what we're seeing is," Jesus is saying, "Here's what the law is actually saying and here's what it really means to be faithful to it." And we see him teaching and then we watch him in life keeping the very commands of the law. And we want to imitate him as his disciples. And so Jesus welcomes all kinds of people, including tax collectors like Matthew, one of the disciples sitting in the crowd and sinners and others. And he's going to teach them to live out the law as it was always intended to be understood and lived. And that then brings us to the thesis statement or the theme of the sermon on the mount in verse 20 where Jesus says, "For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Notice that it begins with four. Jesus is explaining what he just said. That for those who are part of his kingdom, they're going to learn surpassing righteousness. And he says, "Far surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees." We've talked some about who those people are. The scribes are the ones who would write down the law, interpret the law, and then the Pharisee, some of the most important, religious teachers of the day. So Jesus is saying, your righteous actually has to go beyond the people you look up to as the best teachers of and understanders of and livers of the law that you know. It's gonna go beyond that. Jesus' disciples must embody a kind of righteousness that goes well beyond the kind of righteous they see in people they think of as keeping the law. And so that really sets the theme or the thesis of the rest of the sermon on the Mount. And so in the rest of chapter five, Jesus will give examples of surpassing righteousness. And then beginning in chapter six, he gives barriers to surpassing righteousness. All of this is to help his disciples understand. Here's what it looks like to live in my kingdom. Here's what it looks like to really embody and fulfill the kind of righteousness the law wanted you to have. Here's what it looks like to be salt and light and thus good for the world. And so as we kind of wrap up this section, let me just offer this little encouragement. There's a lot more that we're gonna be able to say as we look at some of these examples and what comes. But here in this section, just notice what Jesus says about our identity and the consequent mission or vocation it gives us. We are salt and light. That's who we are. Not should be, we are salt. We are light. That's our identity. We have been called into Jesus' kingdom to be this. And so by virtue of coming into Jesus' kingdom, we are now that. As salt and light. And hopefully we're not foolish salt. Hopefully we're not covered up light. And so now, since that's who we are, we must learn to live out that identity, to live out our identity as salt and light and fulfill our vocation, therefore, to be good for the world. And we do that by letting Jesus teach us how to live out surpassing righteousness. And we're gonna get some examples of that and what follows in the sermon on the Mount. All right, thanks for tuning into this session of the listeners commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. The listeners commentary is a listener supported, crowd-funded, Bible teaching ministry that is made possible by the generosity of a number of folks just like you. So if you are one of those who makes this ministry possible financially, thanks a ton for your generosity. If you've been impacted by this ministry in some way, could I invite you just to perfectly consider supporting this ministry and giving to this ministry? And if you decide to do that, you can go to listenerscommentary.com. 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