Our world is fraught with moral decay and spiritual darkness, and we are commissioned to be its salt and light. You are in the world, acting as salt to preserve and as light to guide, but you are not of the world in that your standards, actions, and motives stem from a higher, divine source (Joh 17:16).
Each beatitude is a stroke of divine genius that halts decay and nurtures righteousness, creating an alternative kingdom that defies the world’s toxicity.
Plant a Church and Heal a Village
What does a community look like in the presence of an accurate church? What are the visible signs in a community that the church is effective?
An effective, healthy, flourishing school has many positive effects on a community. Lucrative economic drivers also play a vital role in the well-being of a community. The reverse side is actually more visible. A rundown, ineffective school leads to more crime, graffiti, unemployment, and social disparity. Whole towns run empty when economic drivers like industries and factories close down.
In the same way, a radiant church, or the lack of it, leads to traditionalism and religious wars, paganism and idolatry, dark ages, religious crusades, immorality, factions and divisions. On the other hand, a “salty” church is the “glue” that binds a community together, exemplifying the ethical and moral values necessary for sustainable collaboration and innovation. An accurate church produces the human capital and leaders who influence society to reform and rediscover Christ-centered blueprints for education, government, business, the health sector and law & and order.
The church produces healthy families and support structures that eventually positively impact society. It is done with a Christ-like attitude that has less egocentric self-determination and more meaningful giving, sharing, loving, and serving. Sport, fine art and music are developed to make the world more beautiful, with less vandalism and destruction. An accurate church makes a locality more Eden-like in beauty and cleanliness and more rightness in every transaction, merger, and way of doing business.
Church – God’s Healing Ecosystem
𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟓:𝟏𝟑-𝟏𝟔; “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
𝐋𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝟏𝟒:𝟑𝟒-𝟑𝟓; “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.“
Lessons from David Pawson’s Salt and Light Message
In Luke’s gospel, Jesus clarifies his metaphor of salt by explaining that if salt loses its saltness, it becomes useless for both the field and the dunghill. This illustrates the ancient use of salt, which was gathered from the shores of the Dead Sea, containing various salts, including potassium chloride (potash). Potash was a crucial component of fertilizer, necessary for plant growth. This fertilizer provided phosphate for roots, nitrates for leaves, and potash for flowers and fruit. The Dead Sea salt was valuable due to its potash content, and it was applied to the soil for its fertilizing properties. Jesus links this metaphor to being the salt of the earth, symbolizing a transformative influence that enriches and nurtures, just as salt fertilizes the soil.
Furthermore, Jesus mentions the reference to the dunghill, which refers to human waste. In those times, households would have a dirt heap in the backyard where human waste was disposed of. Beside it would be a box of salt from the Dead Sea. A handful of this salt was used as a simple disinfectant to prevent the growth of unwanted organisms. This juxtaposition of the field and the dunghill illustrates the dual nature of salt’s influence: it encouraged the growth of beneficial elements while inhibiting the spread of harmful ones.
- Being: Salt and light is not a matter of actions and programs. It is about the essence of BEING.
- Quantity: Just as handfuls of salt are required for effect, we need a significant Christian presence for societal transformation.
- Distribution: Salt must directly interact with the dirt to produce change, highlighting the importance of active engagement within society.
- Quality: Salt must retain its distinctiveness to be effective and not lose its savor through contamination with worldly influences.
God formed the world through His words; our daily battle is, hence, also a battle of finding and speaking the right words that uphold righteousness and annihilate carnality.
Colossians 4:6: “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
Blessed: The Poor in Spirit
Ah, the poor in spirit. Imagine a field parched by the summer heat, thirsty for rain. Being poor in spirit is acknowledging our own spiritual thirst and lack—accepting that we can do nothing without the life-giving rain of heaven.
This is the antithesis of pride, the root of so many sins. This first beatitude is the salt that prevents the moral decay of arrogance, narcissism, and egotism, setting a foundation of humility upon which every other virtue can be built.
This beatitude explains the first step axiom for life in the spirit – we continually empty ourselves to be filled with Him. His power is revealed in weakness (2 Cor 12:9). His grace is given when we acknowledge our powerlessness (James 4:6). He must increase and I decrease (Joh 3:30). You cannot fill a full glass.
“For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 18:4).
Blessed: Those Who Mourn
Grief might appear as an unwelcome guest, but it often arrives hand in hand with empathy. Mourning isn’t just about personal loss; it’s also about feeling the brokenness of the world. In a society that often runs from pain, glossing over issues and slapping on a facade of “I’m fine,” those who mourn are salt by standing in the gap, shedding tears for the hurting, and therefore cultivating empathy and social awareness.
Experiencing the loss of a loved one can lead to a deep spiritual awakening and heightened awareness, for we all can become stuck in a world of falsely valuing temporal things. Mourning involves reflecting on mortality, searching for meaning, transcending ego-centered concerns, and appreciating the value of life’s true moments.
“for they shall be comforted”
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Cor 1:3-4).
Blessed: The Meek
Meekness is not weakness; it’s power under control. In a dog-eat-dog world where everyone fights for the top spot, meekness injects the sweet savor of restraint and wisdom.
This beatitude acts as a soothing light, illuminating a path of contentment, grace, and unselfishness, contrary to the world’s path of greed and covetousness.
When have the meek inherited the earth? Where are they doing it now? In Jesus’ time, it was the Caesars and the Herods who inherited the earth, and it has been so ever since. Well, have these rulers truly inherited the earth? They conquered it but lost it the moment they died. Their best efforts were to build statues to be remembered and inherit the earth, which came to nothing.
Jesus, on the other hand, is still gaining ground all over the earth in people’s hearts. Did Jesus ever cringe and fawn? Was He passive, submissive, compliant, lacking spirit, stamina, and moral indignation against wrong? No way!! Meekness is not a weakness; it is a considerable resilient RESOLVE to finish the work you have been called for, no matter the cost. To drink the cup of earthly suffering, if need be, beholding a heavenly reward!
“For they shall inherit the earth”
“For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” (Rom 4:13).
“And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 Joh 5:4).
Blessed: The Hungry and Thirsty for Righteousness
This, my friends, is the “roaring furnace” at the heart of being salt and light. To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to yearn for moral and ethical living in ourselves and our community. This intense craving counters the darkness of moral relativity and ethical compromise, shining like a beacon to guide society back to God’s standards. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph, David, Rebekkah, Daniel, Esther, and Mordechai all inhabited this one single attribute in their character – “RIGHTWISENESS!” This is our “One thing” to think, speak and do right!
“For they shall be filled“
Alas! Amen! Jesus explained this to the women at the well; drink water, and you will first again (John 4). You cannot quench spiritual hunger with physical food.
Blessed: The Merciful
We live in an age of “cancel culture”, where one misstep can result in exile. Mercy, however, builds bridges rather than barriers. It extends grace, fostering an atmosphere of restorative justice rather than punitive destruction. Mercy shines like a comforting lantern in a world lost in the dark forest of vengeance. Gentleness, Goodness, Friendliness, Compassion, charity, hospitality, giving, and forgiveness, are all categorized under this heading.
Because we have received so much endless mercy, we give mercy. You cannot live in the land of MERCY and REVENGE. You need to decide! This means that we first have mercy with ourselves! We allow ourselves to make mistakes and laugh at our faults. We are fragile and do not know everything!
“For they shall obtain mercy.”
“If you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:26)
Blessed: Pure in Heart
Purity of heart is like a crystal-clear mountain stream, unclouded by the pollutants of ulterior motives or deceit. This beatitude is the salt that prevents the decay caused by a culture of duplicity, shining a spotlight on the need for transparent, authentic living. Honesty, truthfulness, faithfulness, loyalty, and holiness is best exemplified under this heading. This simplicity of heart makes you see God more clearly! (Mat 6:21-22). We often struggle to see God, because we have our eyes focused on other gods: self-idolatry (ambition) and the fear of man contaminate the eyes, and one cannot see clearly.
“For they shall see God.”
“optánomai” – implying not only the mere act of seeing but also the actual perception of what one sees. This verse is in the Aorist tense, meaning you have seen, are still seeing, and will see.
Blessed: Peacemakers
If there ever was a time to be a peacemaker, it is now. In a world of Twitter feuds, geopolitical tension, and polarized views, the peacemakers are like a soothing evening light, gently settling the chaos of the day. They act as salt by reducing the friction that often leads to conflict, division, and ultimately, the collapse of communities. We are called to be peacemakers, not peacekeepers. Sometimes one must speak the truth in love to make peace.
“shall be called the children of God.”
The word children should be translated “mature sons” of God. It is hence a sign of maturity to be the one who makes peace, whereas divisiveness is a sign of immaturity.
Blessed: The Persecuted
Finally, we come to the most paradoxical beatitude. Persecution? Blessed? In enduring suffering for righteousness, we are like the salt that has been tried by fire, proving its worth. This kind of steadfastness shines as a radiant dawn, breaking the darkest night of oppression, signaling that a greater kingdom is in play—one worth suffering for. One cannot be righteous and not be persecuted. Righteousness is difficult, else everyone would have easily opted in. Rightness is taking the longer, more difficult route.
“great is your reward in heaven”
The greatest rewards in heaven, are for those who have been martyred.
The Final Word
To be salt and light means living out the Beatitudes as a counter-cultural manifesto. This is not a call to separate from the world but to engage it on profoundly transformative terms. These virtues are not just lofty spiritual concepts but practical tools to halt moral decay and illuminate a better path.
