Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13-26)

[Stephan Choe]

February 11, 2026

Key Verse 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.”

Today, salt isn't expensive. You can buy 500 grams of salt at Aldi for 49 cents. In the cold winter, we spread road salt on the frozen streets so we don't slip.

But in the past, salt was precious in many countries; it had to be imported from distant lands by sailing ships. For millennia, salt was one of the most valuable commodities in the world—it wasn't called “white gold” for nothing.

Long ago, there lived a king. He had three daughters. Since he was already very old, he wanted to leave his kingdom to his wisest daughter. Seven days before his birthday, he summoned his daughters and said to them, “Whoever gives me the most precious gift shall have my kingdom.” When his birthday arrived, his eldest daughter gave him precious jewelry, and his middle daughter gave him an expensive coat. The king was overjoyed with the valuable gifts. But when he saw his third daughter’s gift, he became furious, for it was only a small bowl of salt. The king was beside himself with rage and banished her from his kingdom.

One day, he received an invitation from the neighboring kingdom: “The king of the neighboring kingdom has married a very clever princess who brings great wealth to the land! She extracts salt from seawater using the sun. Many merchants from distant lands buy the salt!” Upon his arrival, he was warmly welcomed. When he saw the queen, he recognized her as his own daughter, whom he had once banished.

Jesus Christ has called us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

But what does it actually mean to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world? How can we best fulfill this task?

Today we want to learn more about our role as salt and light. May God help us to act as salt of the earth and light of the world.

1. Salt and Light (13-16)

Jesus says to us, “You are the salt of the earth.”

Besides its use as road salt, salt generally has two functions: it serves as a preservative and as a seasoning. In Jesus' time, salt was used to preserve fish in the Sea of ​​Galilee. Today, salt is used as a seasoning. Without salt, some food just doesn't taste right.

Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth!” As the salt of the earth, we Christians have two tasks: to preserve the world from the corruption of sin and to bring joy into people's lives.

“The salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) is a very beautiful and profound interpretation of the biblical image. This expression‎ connects the effect of salt with a moral and spiritual meaning for us.

The salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13) is a very beautiful and profound interpretation of the biblical image. This expression‎ connects the effect of salt with a moral and spiritual meaning for us.

When we apply this metaphor to ourselves, the symbolism becomes even clearer:

1. Protection from moral and spiritual decay (preservation)

Just as salt preserved meat from spoilage in ancient Palestine, it is the task of believers to be a “protection from moral and spiritual decay” in society: It is about promoting a divinely grounded morality of truth, love of God, and love of neighbor in a world often characterized by self-interest and moral decay.

2. Joy in life (seasoning) Being the salt of the earth also means, secondly, spreading joy in life as God's people. Salt is an important flavor carrier. A life without “salt” is bland and tasteless. Christians share joy and enthusiasm with themselves and others because their faith in Jesus Christ gives them and others true meaning in life, joy, and living hope.

Christians, too, are weak human beings and make mistakes and sin. Nevertheless, we should not forget that God has called us to be the salt of the earth.

How can we live up to our role as "salt of the earth"? Two steps are necessary:

Our first step as salt of the earth is to confess our sins and gratefully accept forgiveness in Christ.

If we want to act as salt of the earth, we ourselves must first become salty. To do this, we must become Christians by accepting the grace of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. If we have sinned, we should repent as soon as possible and gratefully accept forgiveness through Christ's sacrificial death. We should always remain thankful and humble for this grace. When we possess this humility and gratitude, we have the salty taste.

The Pharisees could not act as salt of the earth because they did not truly repent of their sins and therefore knew neither gratitude for forgiveness nor humility. Instead, they considered themselves righteous and condemned others as terrible sinners. They inevitably became hypocrites. But we should honestly confess our guilt, gratefully accept forgiveness in Christ, and remain thankful and humble. Only in this way will we attain the salty taste.

King David is an example of profound gratitude. He committed adultery and a terrible murder. Yet he repented and received forgiveness. He never forgot this gratitude. Thus, he became a model for God. God made him the patriarch of Christ. Repentance and faith in the Gospel are the first step toward a life filled with deep gratitude.

Jesus Christ came into the world to offer forgiveness and the Kingdom of Heaven to all who repent. He has called us to become the salt of the earth through our repentance and gratitude. Through our repentance and gratitude, we can protect the world from corruption and God's judgment and bless it.

We know Francis of Assisi. He is considered one of the most devout people in human history. Yet he always acknowledged his sinfulness. Thus, he became a model for God. He left a positive influence on humanity.

I lead a simple life. Nevertheless, I must constantly overcome my self-righteous thoughts. I am to not judge others, but to love them with all my heart and pray for them.

Our second step as the salt of the earth means acting as living disciples of Jesus.

Salt is salty. Our discipleship may initially seem too direct to many. But eventually, they experience the benefits of following us, for they experience God's love, his blessing, eternal life, and the Kingdom of Heaven.

It is easy to follow the world and thereby live without a Christian character. But whoever has lost their living character is not a good Christian, just as salt has lost its taste.

We are to live and act as living Christians. In this way, many people will be saved from sin. Through us, they will receive the desire to believe in Jesus Christ and to live a life pleasing to God.

We live in the world. But we must not lose our living character. We are not to imitate selfish, sinful people. Rather, through our living being, we should directly and indirectly redeem our family members and our society from sin and preserve them from spiritual corruption.

Jesus also says to us, “You are the light of the world” (14).

This is a testimony of Jesus Christ and at the same time a commission to his followers:

Above all, he means that we should accept Jesus Christ as the light of our lives.

Without light, there remains darkness. But light dispels the darkness. Thus, Jesus dispels the darkness of sin and death and illuminates our lives. In this way, Jesus is the light of humanity. In the Gospel of John (John 8:12), Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus gives us the light that gives us strength, guidance, and salvation. In the Bible, darkness often represents the world of sin and death. Without Jesus, we find ourselves in the darkness of sin and death. If we do not believe in God and Jesus Christ, our lives are overshadowed by death and meaninglessness. We will live and die without direction or purpose and end up in hell.

Many people believe that prominent figures are the light of the world. But only Jesus Christ is the true light of humanity, for he can free us from the darkness of sin and death and give us eternal life and the true meaning of life. He dispels the darkness of sin and death and gives us a blessed, wonderful life so that we may live in blissful joy. We no longer need to torment ourselves in the darkness of sin and death. Rather, we should accept Jesus as our light and enjoy his wonderful, divine world.

With the words "You are the light of the world," Jesus also means that we should reflect the light of Christ.

Jesus says to us: "Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they set it on its own, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (15-16)

God has led us to faith in the gospel so that we might reflect His wonderful light. We are to bear witness to the goodness of Christ through our words and deeds, so that as many people as possible may believe in God and His gospel. In this way, we can experience a happy, eternal life.

A dirty mirror cannot properly reflect God's image. Of course, we cannot become perfect. Our unbelief or sin causes others to see a distorted image of God in us. But when we repent and bear witness to God's grace, they will recognize the true image of God. We are to continually purify our hearts and our actions so that we may reflect the glorious image of Christ. In this way, we can glorify God and lead others to faith in God and Jesus Christ. Through this, we can become good witnesses of Jesus Christ.

2. Jesus' Position on the Law (17–20)

Many people today believe that the teachings of the Old Testament no longer apply to us. But Jesus clearly states: “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.” (17)

Jesus did not come to invalidate the teachings of the Law and the Prophets in the Old Testament. What Jesus taught and did is found in the New Testament. And the New Testament does not abolish the Law and the teachings of the Old Testament, but fulfills them.

The laws of the Old Testament can be broadly divided into ceremonial laws and moral laws.

The laws concerning animal sacrifices are examples of ceremonial laws. Jesus Christ fully fulfilled these ceremonial laws, for he is the perfect High Priest and at the same time the divine sacrificial Lamb. He sacrificed his life as God's sacrificial Lamb and died on the cross. In this way, he redeemed us once and for all. Therefore, we no longer need animal sacrifices. And we no longer need to follow the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. It is enough to believe in Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection.

Besides the ceremonial laws, the Old Testament also contains moral laws. The Ten Commandments are an example of this. These moral laws still apply to us today. Therefore, we should follow them, such as the Ten Commandments. Unfortunately, the Ten Commandments are often relativized today, for example, the commandment "You shall not commit adultery." But the Ten Commandments are binding for us at all times. We should not try to replace or relativize divine commandments with secular laws.

We should take Jesus' words in verse 19 seriously: "Therefore, whoever sets aside one of the least of these commandments and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever observes and teaches these commandments will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

3. On Killing (21–26)

The Pharisees relativized the Ten Commandments and claimed they had not committed any sin. For example, they claimed that the commandment “You shall not murder” was obeyed even if someone had been severely beaten, as long as they had not died.

What does Jesus say about this?

He says: “But I tell you that everyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be judged. Anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘You fool!’ will be judged by the High Court, and anyone who curses a brother or sister will certainly be in hell.”

It is easy for us to hate, insult, or curse our brothers, sisters, friends, or other people for a variety of reasons. And we justify our hatred and insults by saying that the other person deserves it. Perhaps they have done something wrong. But we should not hate our brother or sister, but rather love them and build them up. When we hate and insult them, the hatred remains trapped in our hearts. And hatred harms us greatly. God is not at all pleased when we harbor hatred for others in our hearts.

Jesus tells us: “Therefore, if you are about to offer a sacrifice and suddenly realize that your brother or sister has something against you, leave the sacrifice and go to your brother or sister and be reconciled to him or her. Only then offer your sacrifice to God.” (23–24)

The Apostle John says: “Anyone who hates his or her brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.” (1 John 3:15)

Therefore, we should banish hatred and anger from our hearts as quickly as possible and be reconciled with others.