Matthew 5: 13-20 Blessed to Be A Blessing: Amplify and Shine God’s Righteousness!

 Last week- Jesus blesses the crowds, blesses his disciples, sets the record straight on how we deal with feelings of worthlessness: we trust our identity to Christ. In the very next breath, which is what we hear this week, Jesus charges his disciples to live into the blessing he offers. This is what it looks like:

[Jesus said:] "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Here's what religion does well: it guides our purpose in life. It’s also a slippery slope when we begin to use religion as a rulebook. Here’s what religion often tells us: do x amount of good, while saying y amount of prayers, and you’ll receive z = salvation! That’s not actually so far-fetched considering what we read in Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (OT law). If you haven’t read it lately, trust me, it’s a lot of x + y = z, religious rules. And when Jesus comes, teaching that OT law (because remember, the NT hadn’t been written), he says this funny thing: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil the law.” In other words- if you follow in the way of love I’ve been revealing, you are also fulfilling the sacrificial OT law.

Okay, I think I’m tracking with you, Jesus, but give me, like, an example. What does this new type of righteousness look like? It’s right here! “You are the salt of the earth.” “You are the light of the world!” Your vocation as salt is to amplify and preserve the flavor of my love. Your calling as light is to shine glory for God. It’s no longer about religious rules, don’t you see? It’s about freedom to follow your highest calling. To be a blessing in this world.

As I said, this passage about being salt and light directly follows what we learned last week about the inherent blessing we possess as children of God. So Christ clarifies, don’t lose your way on account of self-righteousness like the Pharisees and scribes. Following the letter of the law is not it. Following ME, is what a life fulfilled looks like. Freedom from you needing to be right all the time, and freedom to worship me, because I AM what is right.

So let’s revisit that religious equation again: x good works + y prayers = z salvation is NOT the way of Christ. If anything, the equation is reversed: Our good works don’t bring us faith, faith brings us to good works. This is because Jesus has always been and will always be the author and perfector of our faith, not us. Our blessing will always be tied to an identity in Christ, not ourselves. So when our blessing leads us to feelings of self-righteousness, here’s the antidote: allow your blessing to bless others. Amplify and shine Christ’s love with your life.

I got to thinking this week, it’s not always self-righteousness (like the pharisees and scribes) that gets in the way of shining Christ’s light. Sometimes it’s the opposite: feelings of worthlessness also stand in our way of shining. The idea that I’m nothing, and therefore have nothing to offer the world. Have you ever felt this? Have you ever felt like religion asks this of you (because some religious equations do) No taste, no light at all to offer.  Jesus knows this is an equally dangerous threat to abundant life, which is why he begins his sermon on the mount with a word of blessing.

I confess it’s easy for me to think I don’t have enough light to shine, enough salt to make a difference. Some of you may have seen a conversation I had with Briggs this week: I was tired, he was supposed to be in bed, and his command hooks fell off the wall. So he says,

“Mom! My hooks won’t stay on the wall!?!” Me: “why don’t we worry about that tomorrow.”
Briggs: “no I need them!” Me: “well I don’t know, I don’t have all the answers.” Briggs: “yes you do!” Me: “I’m afraid not.” Briggs: “but you’re a PASTOR!”

This gave me a good laugh, but it’s not the end of the story- I told Briggs the next morning how much people on facebook enjoyed the idea of me having all the answers, because I’m a pastor. A bit confused, he pauses and says, “Well, Jesus has all the answers.” I say, “Yes, that’s true.” Briggs: “And you know a lot about Jesus, right?” Yes, I suppose so. “Well then you have answers too!”  Dang, son. That’s true too! My blessing to share with the world is knowing Christ and inviting others to see how Christ can give their lives purpose too.

Now, please don’t ask me about command hooks- I’m uniquely bad at making them stick. But please do ask me about Jesus, I’d love to try my best at sharing with you the blessing I know a life with Christ to be. I know that’s the purpose in life Christ gives me. I ask you today: what’s your purpose in life? How has Christ led you to a particular way of serving others?

It is as wrong to deny our role in God’s unfolding love story on earth, as it is to deny God’s role in our lives. God desires us and we need God, together we’re partners in fulfilling God’s law: to love and to be loved. We are blessed to be a blessing, and when you need a reminder of this- look no further than the children. They are often much better at seeing blessing, naming it, and asking us to claim ours too.

So shine your light, be salt for this earth in the unique ways only you can. We all need that from you, just like you need it from us. And in the work of amplifying God’s righteousness, we begin to see more clearly our own paths unfold with goodness. May your journey with Christ continue to be illuminated by acts of love.