To Be!
- yikigai2021
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
Matthew 5:13-20
No need to pretend
Simply to be seen and to be felt
Why does Jesus use salt and light?
Because both are ordinary, everyday things—and yet both have extraordinary impact when they’re doing what they’re meant to do.
Jesus chooses images that:
everyone in the crowd would understand
don’t depend on wealth, education, or status
reveal how small things can change whole environments
point to identity, not achievement
Salt and light don’t try to be influential.
They simply are—and their presence changes everything around them.
That’s the kind of discipleship Jesus is describing.
What does salt offer in daily life?
Salt in the ancient world had three main functions:
Flavor – it brings out the goodness already present
Preservation – it slows decay and protects what is valuable
Purification – it was used in offerings and cleansing rituals
Salt doesn’t draw attention to itself.
It draws out the best in what it touches.
What does light offer in daily life?
Light:
reveals what is real
guides people safely
pushes back fear and confusion
makes life possible
Light doesn’t argue with darkness.
It simply shines, and darkness loses its power.
What are the main values of salt and light?
Salt:
Enhances (brings out goodness)
Preserves (protects what is life-giving)
Purifies (connects to holiness and offering)
Creates thirst (invites longing for God)
Light:
Reveals (truth, justice, reality)
Guides (direction, wisdom)
Warms (comfort, presence)
Testifies (points to the source—God)
When can salt stop being salt, and light stop being light?
Jesus names two failures:
1. Salt loses its saltiness
Salt becomes useless when:
it becomes diluted
it blends in so completely that it’s indistinguishable
it stops doing what it was made to do
it exists but has no effect
Spiritually, this happens when disciples:
hide their distinctiveness
lose their integrity
stop living out the values of the kingdom
become so shaped by the world that nothing of Christ is recognizable
2. Light is hidden under a basket
Light fails when:
it’s covered
it’s blocked
it’s kept private
it’s shut away out of fear or shame
Spiritually, this happens when disciples:
hide their faith
avoid living visibly as followers of Jesus
shrink back from justice, mercy, or truth
let fear determine their witness
The heart of Jesus’ teaching
Jesus is not saying:
“Try harder to be salty.”
“Work harder to shine.”
He is saying:
“This is who you already are because you belong to me.”
Salt and light are not tasks.
They are identity.
And when we live from that identity,
the world tastes God’s goodness and sees God’s presence.
What happens when salt and light come together?
They create a whole environment of transformation, both seen and unseen.
Salt works quietly.
Light works visibly.
Together they shape both the inner substance and the outer atmosphere of a place.
Here’s what that looks like:
1. Goodness becomes both tasted and seen
Salt brings out the goodness already present.
Light reveals goodness that might otherwise stay hidden.
Together, they help people experience God’s goodness and recognize it.
2. Truth becomes both preserved and illuminated
Salt preserves what is valuable.
Light exposes what is real.
Together, they protect what is true and make it visible.
3. Communities become both safe and nourishing
Salt keeps decay from spreading.
Light keeps fear from ruling.
Together, they create spaces where people can breathe, heal, and grow.
4. Witness becomes both subtle and unmistakable
Salt influences quietly—through integrity, compassion, and faithfulness.
Light influences openly—through courage, justice, and public mercy.
Together, they show that discipleship is not only about private character or
public action, but the integration of both.
5. The world becomes both seasoned and guided
Salt makes people thirsty for something more.
Light shows them where to find it.
Together, they awaken longing and offer direction.
A simple way to say it
When salt and light come together:
And the world becomes a place where God’s presence is both felt and seen.
Here are some discipleship-making questions inspired by Jesus’ metaphors of salt and light—designed to spark reflection, conversation, and transformation:
🧂 Questions about Salt
Where in your life are you quietly preserving what is good?
How do you bring out the “flavor” of God’s presence in your relationships?
What does it mean to be a purifying presence in your community?
Where might your witness have become diluted or indistinct?
How can you help others develop a thirst for God?
💡 Questions about Light
Where are you called to shine more visibly?
What fears or habits might be keeping your light hidden?
How do you reveal truth and justice in your daily actions?
What does it look like to guide others with gentleness and clarity?
How does your life point back to the Source of light?
🌟 Questions about Salt and Light Together
In what ways does your discipleship combine quiet influence and visible witness?
How do you balance being present in the world without blending in?
Where is God inviting you to both preserve goodness and illuminate truth?
What kind of environment do you create when you live as both salt and light?
Who in your life needs both your steady presence and your bold encouragement?
Closing Prayer
God of goodness and glory,
thank you for calling us to be salt and light.
Help us to preserve what is holy,
to bring out the flavor of your love,
and to shine with courage and compassion.
May our lives reflect your truth,
and may our presence make the world more whole.
Amen.
Blessing
Go now as salt—quiet, steady, life-giving.
Go now as light—bold, clear, and full of grace.
Let your life reveal God’s goodness,
and may your witness awaken hope in others.
You are never alone.
God is with you and goes with you,
and your light is never wasted.
Amen.
Comments