A few weeks ago, you might have been able to make a snowman, but this week, you could make a sandcastle. Sand is good for building sandcastles, but bad for eating. If you put sand in your saltshaker, then you will face consequences from your parents. Another bad thing would be your parents installing a nightlight in your bedroom, then moving a dresser in front of it blocking the light.
Saltshakers filled with salt and lights that shine are good. If the salt solution sprayed on the roads or the salt you threw down on your sidewalk a couple weeks ago had lost its salty properties, it would not have melted the ice and not made it safer to walk or drive on. Without its preservative properties that extend, allow and promote life salt is useless. In fact, the English word moronic comes from the Greek word used in our Gospel reading from Matthew 5 that refers to salt that has lost its saltiness. It is also moronic to turn a light on and hide it. Light shines. Shining is an essential property of light, so hiding a light is as foolish as benching your best players at the Super Bowl. In our Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus told his disciples, 13 “You are the salt of the earth” and 14 “You are the light of the world.” He did not tell them he wished, wanted or hoped for them to be these, but that they already were. They were already these by the unchanging work of God in the same way God had created, grown and set free the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. To the childless Abraham and Sarah God promised and opened Sarah’s womb to have a son, Isaac. To Isaac and Rebekah, God answered Isaac’s prayer in Genesis 25, 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. To their second born twin son Jacob, God blessed with twelve sons, the fourth being Judah through which Jesus would be born. Two thousand years before Jesus was born, Jacob’s eleventh son Joseph was positioned by God to bring Jacob and his eleven brothers to Egypt where they grew into an enslaved nation so great that Pharoah feared their uprising. And through Moses, God delivered the great nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Two months and a day after God delivered them from Egypt, they arrived at Sinai and Moses went up the mountain to receive this message to give to the people recorded in our Old Testament reading from Exodus 19, 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These words reminded Israel that they were created, grown and set free by God to be his people. His call to them here was to remain his people by being who they were and not living like the rest of the nations. These words were repeated in our New Testament reading from 1 Peter 2, 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Again, referring to believers just like us, they are not called to become something, but confirmed in who they are. And again, being that they are the people of God by his mercy, their purpose is to shine light into the dark world. In this way, they would also be salt, which protects from death by preserving and sustaining life.
Our sand filled hearts have been filled with salt. Jesus has saved us. Or to use the word of the season of the church year that we are in, the epiphany has happened for us. The Holy Spirit has replaced our sandy dusty dirt flesh hearts filled with sin and unbelief destined for death, with hearts of salty life preserving faith. The faith we have is in Jesus who fulfilled the Word of God we call the Old Testament. Jesus did not establish a new religion, he was true to the one and only way to God, and more than that he is as John recorded Jesus saying in John 14, 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus taught that he had not come to teach something new, but to fully reveal the Old Testament Scriptures as we hear him say in our Gospel reading from Matthew 5, 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. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” In sharp contrast to the religious leaders of his day, Jesus rightly taught the whole Old Testament. Some highlights were the purpose of the ceremonial laws regarding animal sacrifice, avoidance of certain foods, priesthood and the Tabernacle and Temple as all pointing to Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world bringing reconciliation between God and man and opening the door to heaven. Also, the civil laws for Israel were to keep them together and preserve the bloodline from Abraham to David to Mary and Joseph to Jesus. And the moral law, best summarized by the Ten Commandments, which hold authority over every human being that expose our sins and expose Jesus as the only righteous person who as ever lived keeping all of them perfectly. The Old Testament came alive in Jesus, who accomplished everything for our salvation, who will accomplish the last things when he returns on Judgment Day, and who is accomplishing good and righteous things through us, his salty Spirit filled people.
Salt is good, so replacing the salt is bad. Sand in the saltshaker is bad, but the punishment for losing our saltiness in Christ is the worst. Replacing the salt happens when we compromise on the Word of God as Jesus says in Matthew 5, 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Making our personal edits to the Word of God and teaching them to others under the false label of truth will leave us outside of heaven. When we adopt worldly ideas and justify sinful desires, it is like turning the saltshaker over so that truth spills out and lies pour in to replace it. The religious leaders, the Pharisees and teachers of the law, crafted their own version of righteousness from the Old Testament and in many ways lived outwardly good lives, but they removed the essential purpose of Scripture which is to show us Jesus. If you are not regularly reading your Bible and receiving the Lord’s Supper, then your righteousness will fall below the false righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, and you will certainly be in danger of not entering the kingdom of God. When we disconnect from Scripture and the Lord’s Supper, we are morons (Greek word understanding). When we do this, it is like going outside to build a sandcastle to live in when God has moved us into his mansion on the beach. We cannot remain salty through a modified Word of God.
Saltshakers filled with salt and shining lights are good, but Jesus is better than both. Think back a few weeks ago and picture the pebble sized salt that melted holes in the ice and snow. Pure salt’s power to melt the snow is so clear and helps us walk safely. Or consider the instant blessing of a light switch that we use countless times in our lifetime that bring a flood of light to our lives so we can find what we need. Jesus is so much better that these blessings because we are like the Israelites who said in Exodus 19, 8 … “We will do everything the Lord has said.” We like the Israelites hear what God says, know it is good and think we can do it, but we fail. Jesus is better than anything else we have because he did it. Jesus kept the heart of the law and loved God and loved his neighbor. The night before he was tortured and crucified, we read in Matthew 26, 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus loved God and fulfilled the excruciating details of the Old Testament to save us out of love for God. And from the cross, we read in Luke 23, 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. With unfathomable humility, Jesus sought the good of those who condemned him and nailed him to the cross. These are righteous gems among the many glistening on Jesus’ golden crown as our Savior King. Jesus is the unaltered genuine Savior King who became ugly and buried in darkness to accomplish everything to establish his kingdom of purity and light. You are salt and light through Jesus; you are everything God wants and righteous through Jesus.
Your saltiness matters because you matter to God. God made us salt because he loves us. This is what Jesus said about us in Matthew 5, 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Jesus does not want us trampled like dirt on a path. God did not create us to be a blip in time and forgotten. You are more valuable to God than anything else in all his vast creation. God took us from being dust and made us salt, and he does not want us to return to dust. He wants us to remain salty by what we heard in our New Testament reading from 1 Peter 2, 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. We are no longer native to this world; heaven is our home. We live differently; we avoid what many accept. We may be accused of wrong, but a day will come when some of our accusers get to hear about Jesus and believe because we loved them, even when it was so hard. And living with salty goodness, we glorify God. Our righteousness surpasses the Pharisees and teachers of the law because we are righteous through Jesus. Jesus’ righteousness is ours, so we are going to heaven. As his righteous people, it matters that we grow in our righteous salty love for others. As we pour over Scripture, Scripture will pour out of us. We are still in the world to love God and love others.
Sand is good for building sandcastles, but bad for eating. If you put sand in your saltshaker, then you will face consequences from your parents. Another bad thing would be your parents installing a nightlight in your room, then moving a dresser in front of it blocking the light. Saltshakers filled with salt and shining lights are good, but Jesus is better than both. Jesus fulfilled all that is written in God’s Word making us righteous. Jesus made us salt and light to live out what God’s Word describes as the righteous, godly Christian life. Until we enter the kingdom of heaven, our righteous lives will open the door to sharing Jesus with others and glorify God because we are the right kind of salt through Jesus. Amen.
Gunnar Ledermann, Pastor Divine Peace Church
Gunnar Ledermann
I’m passionate about Rockwall’s vibrant community and actively engage with local non-profits and community organizations, including the Rockwall Chamber of Commerce, the City of Rockwall, and the Downtown Rockwall Association. My background includes a bachelor’s degree in Classical Languages and a master’s degree in divinity. Currently serving as a pastor at Divine Peace Church in Rockwall, I also enjoy spending time with my wife, Marinda, and our five children.
