In the last chapter, we briefly left the sermon on the mount study we have been doing. We had reached the end of the beatitudes, and I felt the time was right to introduce the big picture. God's Kingdom is all we need to see of the big picture. It is a simple reality of having ourselves, and everything entrusted to us put under His Kingdom, and in so doing, we expand His Kingdom for Him. By our surrender, His Kingdom grows. This book though is about surrender, and that's why I find myself in the sermon on the mount. Originally when I set out to write this, I wasn't planning to study the sermon, but, it's such a beautiful sermon, and it gives so much opportunity to explore the ramifications of surrender in all facets of life that, I've decided to revisit it again now.
Ok, so, salt and light. As Kingdom disciples, that's what we are. Remember, at the start, before preaching this message, Jesus left the multitude and deliberately made his audience smaller. He went up the mount, and then once the people who were his disciples also made it there, He began to teach. So, when He spoke these words, he was speaking to the disciples. So, what does it mean to be salt and light? Let's find out.
Salt: In his article about meat rubs here Meathead explains that he doesn't put salt in his rubs, why? Because salt is special. It enhances the flavor of the meat itself and actually penetrates the meat, it goes down below the surface a little bit if given enough time. The other spices such as pepper, paprika, garlic, etc tend to just flavor the surface and introduce a different flavor to the meat, they don't penetrate much. His contention is that salt is a stand-alone specialty that should be added to just about any meat to improve the meat quality, not so much a surface flavoring that adds a complementary flavor. So, do you want to be salt? Well, ok then, but you don't get to be paprika or garlic. It's no longer about you and what you bring. It's about infiltrating the world around you and improving the lives of those around you now. In other words, it's about surrendering and being a positive contributor, not the star of the show.
Light: Whenever it enters a room it brings visibility, and clarity to those in the room. The default state of things is darkness. Darkness is the absence of visibility and clarity. In a room, people rarely look at the light, yet they benefit from the light by being able to clearly examine whatever thing they might be working on. As a spiritual light, you bring moral visibility and clarity to the world around you. Now, the world might never pay attention to you. Is that ok with you? If so, immerse yourself in Christ, in the words of God in scripture, and receive all of the Holy Spirit the Lord wills you to have. In so doing, your lenses are clean, pure, and clear. The world around you benefits even if they don't notice you.
To fully function as salt and light, you must be surrendered into discipleship with Christ. If that's not ok with you, as salt you can blend into the world by just carving out your own space as a person given to their own kingdom and mission, and so you become part of the landscape, to be stepped on, or otherwise used by the world in the same way the world uses it's own, essentially you become just another spice on the world's shelf. As light, you can get cloudy, dim, and eventually go after some carnal pursuits that are removed from Christ so completely that you cover your light, and now, just like the world, you do stuff with the light shared with you. In this way, you become a taker of light and not a giver of light. It is up to you. Christ has a way of teaching us all truth and then leaving the ultimate choice of how much or how well we apply it up to us.
This has been chapter 15 of Surrender!? To Who?
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