In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus says His followers are light salt and light in the world, but what does that mean?
In this week’s Bible for the Busy Woman video, I explore these metaphors and some possible meanings for them in the original Biblical and historical context. Wait for the application question at the end!
Here are some other Bible passages that explore light and salt:
Genesis 1:16-19
And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
Exodus 10: 21-23
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.
Nehemiah 9:12
By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go.
Psalm 18:28
For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
Psalm 37:6
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
Psalm 119:130
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
Isaiah 51:4
“Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.
John 8:12
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Exodus 30:34-36
The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you.
Leviticus 2:13
You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.
2 Kings 2:19-21
Now the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.” He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the Lord, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.”
2 Chronicles 13:4-5
Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?
Job 6:5-7
Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass,
or the ox low over his fodder?
Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt,
or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?
My appetite refuses to touch them;
they are as food that is loathsome to me.
Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
- What patterns do you notice in the way light and salt are talked about/ the contexts they are used in throughout these passages?
- How do these passages help illuminate Matthew 5:13-16?
Resources used for this video:
Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 1: Matthew, Mark, Luke. Edited by Clinton E. Arnold. 2002.
IVP Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Editors Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, I. Howard Marshall. 1992.
Classic Reads 