The Power and Purpose of Our Witness to the World

Matthew 5:13-16

Main Idea: Jesus calls his disciples to faithfully witness to his transforming power through holy living and worldwide proclamation.

1. Be Salt to a World in Decay (5:13).
   1. Don’t lose your purity.
   2. Don’t lose your usefulness.
2. Be Light to a World in Darkness (5:14-16).
   1. Learn from the example of light on a hill (5:14).
   2. Learn from the example of light in a house (5:15-16).

John Stott said at the Cape Town Lausanne Conference, “The greatest hindrance to the advance of the gospel worldwide is the failure of the lives of God’s people” (Newell, Expect Great Things, 27). An anonymous author adds, “The reason some folks don’t believe in missions is that the brand of religion they have isn’t worth propagating.” In this context I want us to carefully reflect on King Jesus’s reminder that he redeemed us and brought us into his kingdom to be “the salt of the earth” (5:13) and “the light of the world” (5:14). You see, our brand of religion is worth propagating.

Matthew 5:13-16 flows naturally out of the Beatitudes of 5:1-12. Taking on and exhibiting the character of the Beatitudes is what makes it possible for us to be salt and light on the earth, in the world, among the nations. In fact, there is an important and eternal truth we must never forget: those who love and follow King Jesus are the only real salt this world will ever taste and the only authentic light it will ever see! Jesus’s words in these verses take it as an undeniable truth that we live in a decadent, decaying, dark world. Where there is decay, we need salt. Where there is darkness, we need light. We, the citizens of the kingdom of heaven (5:10), are God’s plan to stop death and stamp out darkness. This plan finds its crescendo in the last words of the last chapter in this Gospel with what we call “the Great Commission” (28:18-20). To the nations we go as salt and light.

These verses are easy to outline. Verse 13 is about Christians being the salt of the earth to a decaying world. Verses 14-16 are about Christians being light to a world in darkness. Keith Green said, “This generation is responsible for this generation of souls on the earth” (Newell, Expect Great Things, 255). We are to be salt and light right now, today, during the lives God gives us, on the earth and to the world.

Be Salt to a World in Decay

Matthew 5:13

Verses 13-16 should be read in the context of verses 11-12. Citizens of the kingdom are to be witnesses to the world. We should expect that this “witness gives rise to persecution” (Carson, Sermon, 29). Taking a stand for Jesus and his righteousness will not always be applauded. We expect to be reviled and persecuted just like the “prophets who were before” us. We should “be glad and rejoice.” We stand in good company and have a great reward awaiting us in heaven. Is taking a stand and being a witness for Jesus worth it? Our Lord has a clear and resounding answer: “Yes, it is!”

In contrast to those who oppose the work of Christ in the world, God calls kingdom citizens to be two things: salt that purifies and preserves and light that shines and vanquishes the darkness. I like what Robert Mounce says:

If the Beatitudes leave the impression that life in the kingdom is somewhat passive, the metaphors of salt and light correct such a misunderstanding. Salt permeates and performs its vital function in society. Light illumines the darkness and points people to the one who is the source of all light and life. (Matthew, 42–43)

What does Jesus tell us about being salt scattered across the earth?

Don’t Lose Your Purity

Jesus declares of his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” “You” is emphatic in the original text. The idea is, “You, and no one else, are the salt of the earth” (Quarles, Sermon, 80). He does not say, “You will be” or “You can be.” You are the salt of the earth. Today, right now, you are salt.

Salt had at least five functions in the ancient world: (1) purity, (2) preservation, (3) flavor, (4) healing, and (5) creation of thirst. Followers of Jesus can and should be all of these, but it seems that the primary ideas are of purifying and preserving. Chuck Quarles notes,

The use of salt as a purifying agent overlaps somewhat with the use of salt as a preservative. Salt preserved because it first purified. . . . Nevertheless, the use of salt as a purifying agent is primary in 5:13. (Sermon, 80)

Scattered out among the nations on the earth, Christians are to bear faithful witness to the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ by the lives we live. Our talk and our walk match up! A pure life brings power to our proclamation. Because we are “pure in heart” (5:8), we are pure in life.

Perhaps no one exhibited this more than China missionary Eric Liddell during his last years in a Japanese P.O.W. camp in Weihsein, China during World War II. Fellow missionary David Mitchell said Liddell’s “faithful and cheerful support made the difference for many in the camp. Otherwise, they would not have survived.” Mitchell asked himself, “What was his secret?” His conclusion:

He unreservedly committed his life to Jesus Christ as his Saviour and Lord. That friendship meant everything to him. By the flickering light of a peanut-oil lamp, early each morning he and a roommate in the men’s cramped dormitory studied the Bible and talked with God for an hour. As a Christian, Eric Liddell’s desire was to know God more deeply, and as a missionary, to make him known more fully. And this he did both in life and death. (Akin, 10, 134–35)

Don’t Lose Your Usefulness

Salt is good as long as it maintains its integrity. However, salt in the ancient world was susceptible to becoming contaminated and impure (Carson, “Matthew,” 169). It could “lose its taste,” and its saltiness could not be restored. I like people’s feet.” Luke 14:34-35 provides a parallel to this verse where we read, “Now, salt is good, but if salt should lose its taste, how will it be made salty? It isn’t fit for the soil or for the manure pile; they throw it out. Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

Compromise is a deadly cancer to our witness to the world. When we are seduced by the sirens of materialism, political expediency, irresponsible rhetoric, moral laxity, or foolish actions, the attractiveness and beauty of the Christian life is lost. However, if we maintain our commitments and convictions to Christ with grace and humility, people will inevitably take notice. They will be drawn to us. I have seen this repeatedly on the mission field and here in America by the way a follower of Christ as a husband loves and serves his wife. It stands out because it is so different from the norm. It adds a wonderful flavor. There is a unique quality. It is useful to the kingdom.

As the Savior’s salt we are to infiltrate the earth with the seasoning of godliness, fairness, holiness, justice, and righteousness. God’s people should be known for their courage and convictions but also for their compassion, grace, humility, and love toward others. David Dockery is right: “Salt is only useful when it gives of itself” (Dockery and Garland, Seeking the Kingdom, 36).

Be Light to a World in Darkness

Matthew 5:14-16

Amy Carmichael (1867–1951), famous and faithful missionary to India, wrote in her journal after hearing Hudson Taylor describe the massive lostness of the world: “Does it not stir our hearts to go forth and help them, does it not make us long to leave our luxury, our exceeding light, and go to them that sit in darkness?” (“History of Mission”).

Jesus tells his disciples, “You are the light of the world.” There is a rich background to this idea in the Old Testament. It stood for revelation, instruction, hope, joy, righteousness, salvation, and “the radiance of divine presence” (Quarles, doing so point others to him. What a privilege! What a responsibility. I love how Chuck Quarles puts it so clearly: “The shining light is a metaphor of the Messiah and His people fulfilling the missionary purpose of manifesting the glory of God among the nations” (Sermon, 84). Lest we be unsure of what this means for us, Jesus provides two examples for our instruction.

Learn from the Example of Light on a Hill (5:14)

Charles Spurgeon said, “Christ has lighted us that we might enlighten the world. . . . God intends his grace to be as conspicuous as a city built on the mountain’s brow” (Exposition, 41). God did not redeem us and call us into his kingdom to hide us. He did not save us to be silent saints. The pronoun of 5:14 is emphatic: We are—and no one else is—the light of the world. We are to be the bright light for all to see when the clouds obscure the stars and moon and the darkness is so thick you can cut it with a knife and feel it in your bones. This light is to have a global impact among the nations. We manifest and put on display among the nations the goodness, greatness, and glory of God. Such brilliant light against the backdrop of the darkness of sin “is not able to be hidden” (Quarles, Sermon, 88). In what we say and how we live, we will reflect the light of him who is the Light of the World.

Therefore, we must guard our tongues and give attention to our actions. God gives us an influential position, like a light on a hill that guides people safely home. This light is not for a few; it is for the world. It should attract. It should give direction. It should stand out near and far. John Calvin put it like this:

Seeing that God has given us such a treasure and so inestimable a thing as his word we must employ ourselves to it as much as we can that it may be kept safely and sound and not perish. And let every man be sure to lock it securely in his own heart. But it is not enough to have an eye for his own salvation, but the knowledge of God must shine generally through the whole world. (Timmis, Multiplying Churches, 73–74)

My mother, Emma Lou Akin, was such a light. How do I know? When people were hurting where she worked, they asked Emma to pray for them. When they needed advice, they sought Emma’s counsel. Sometimes they made fun of her and her Christian ways, but when they were in trouble, they sought her out. She was a light on a hill for all to see!

Learn from the Example of Light in a House (5:15-16)

David Brainerd, missionary to the American Indians, died at the age of twenty-nine. Reflecting on his life and calling from God, he said,

Here I am, Lord, send me; send me to the ends of the earth; send me to the rough, the savage pagans of the wilderness; send me from all that is called comfort on earth! send me even to death itself, if it be but in thy service, and to promote thy kingdom. (Edwards, Life of David Brainerd, 224)

The word “light” occurs four times in Verses 14-16. In verse 14 it is put on a hill for the whole world to see. In verses 15-16 it is put on a stand in the house to illuminate the entire home. No one would ever think to light an oil lamp and then hide it under “a basket” (NIV, “bowl”), a clay container. That is nonsense, even comical. I can imagine the disciples chuckling at such an idea. No, the purpose of a lamp is to give light. The purpose of a disciple of Jesus is to provide light. By a holy life and a bold witness, you will shine bright and far, impacting more people than you might imagine.

A little light makes a big impact in a dark place. Jesus says that when your light shines before others, they will see your good works (think of the Beatitudes of 5:3-12). A righteous life and bold witness is a powerful combination! You cannot ignore it. Again, some will revile you and persecute you (5:11) just as they did the prophets (5:12). Others, however, will be mesmerized by your witness and “give glory to your Father in heaven.” Significantly, they glorify the Father, not us. They attribute to God what they see in the life of the faithful Christian. Followers of Jesus are not the source or origin of these good works but only the conduit, the channel. God gets the glory through my transformed life. My faithful witness to the work of his grace in my life brings him praise. The spotlight is not on us. The spotlight is where it should be: on him.

As you seek to be a light in a dark place, consider the following questions:

1. Does fear of man keep you from shining brightly for Jesus among the nations?
2. Does pride keep you from shining brightly for Jesus among the nations?
3. Does sin keep you from shining brightly for Jesus among the nations?
4. Does comfort keep you from shining brightly for Jesus among the nations?
5. Does peer pressure keep you from shining brightly for Jesus among the nations?
6. Do parental expectations keep you from shining brightly for Jesus among the nations?
7. Do your ambitions and agendas keep you from shining brightly for Jesus among the nations?

Conclusion

Ion Keith-Falconer (1856–1887) was a Scottish missionary and Arabic scholar who died at the age of thirty-one. He won the world cycling championship in 1878 at the age of twenty-two but would leave all that behind and go to Egypt and later Yemen as a missionary for Jesus. He died from malaria after being married to his missionary wife Gwendolen for only three years. In the preface to his biography, Robert Sinker wrote,

A career of exceptional promise was early closed in the death of Ion Keith-Falconer. The beauty of his character, his ardent missionary zeal, his great learning, form a combination rarely equaled. . . . How noble a life his was. (Memorials, v)

What was it in this man that would cause him to give up all for the glory of King Jesus and the lost among the nations? I suspect it was this conviction buried deep in his heart that settled the issue: “I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.” As was true of Ion Keith-Falconer, may it also be true of us: “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!”

Reflect and Discuss

1. What do you think about John Stott’s claim at the beginning of this chapter? Do you agree or disagree, and why?
2. Where do you see decay around you? Where do you see darkness? How can you be salt and light in these places?
3. What is the connection between the Beatitudes and Jesus’s call in Verses 13-16?
4. How does a pure life impact our witness to the gospel? How might impurity also affect our witness?
5. What might it look like for your life to be “useful” in the kingdom?
6. What are some ways we can lose our saltiness and become useless in the kingdom of God?
7. How does this passage command and inspire international missions?
8. How do many Christians hide their light under a basket? What causes us to do that?
9. How does the light of the Christian lead to God’s glory?
10. Consider the questions at the end of this chapter. Which strikes you as most convicting? Why?