Sermon of Mount/Matthew 5:13-18/Commentary

Sermon on the Mount

Lesson 2: Matthew 5:13-18 Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men” “You are the salt of the earth”: Notice that this was spoken to a group of peasants, unlettered fishermen, and small town folk, without reputation or standing. “He was trying to get them to see in themselves the ability to transform the moral tone of their age” (Fowler p. 231). Christianity is not for someone who wants to live in isolation.

Jesus likens His followers to salt because: 

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Salt preserves from decay: Christians will act has a preserving element in society (Proverbs 14:34 “righteousness exalts a nation”). God often describes the world as being corrupted (Romans 1:18-32; Acts 2:40; Philippians 2:15).

Salt offers seasoning: Anyone who has ever been in the fast lane and then converted to Christianity, realizes that people who claim that they have the “high-life” are actually missing out on a tremendous amount of pleasure and true happiness.

Salt will sting: When Christians come into contact with the world, people will be bothered in their consciences (Acts 2:37), for how we live and what we say will expose their rebellion and need for salvation (Ephesians 5:11).

“Salting has to bite. The real salt is the true exposition of Scripture, which denounces the whole world and lets nothing stand but the simple faith in Christ” (Martin Luther). “To look at some Christians one would think that their ambition is to be the honey pot of the world. They sweeten and sugar the bitterness of life with an all too easy conception of a loving God. But Jesus, of course, did not say, ‘You are the honey of the world’. He said, ‘You are the salt of the earth’. Salt bites, and the unadulterated

message of the judgment and grace of God has always been a biting thing” (Stott p. 66). ”Salt and light have one thing in common: they give and expend themselves— and thus are the opposite of any and every kind of self-centered religiosity. So Jesus calls His disciples to exert a double influence on the secular community, a negative influence by arresting it, decay and a positive influence by bringing light into its darkness” (p. 64).

“But if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?”: The verse, first of all, suggests that Christians can fall away. In addition, no other organization can fill the void left by a compromised congregation. In the first century, in contrast to more modern versions of salt could, and did, lose its saltiness. “It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men”: We have the choice of either being the saviors of society or we can be nothing more than the material for a footpath. If Christians are indistinguishable from non-Christians, then we are useless. Jesus noted in Luke 14:34-35 that such salt is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill.

“Many things which have become corrupt or decomposed are useful for making fertilizer to throw on the land. But savorless salt is not even of this much use in that it destroys fertility wherever it be thrown. The fraudulent, faithless Church deserves to be down-trodden by the heel of men who have not been fooled by her hypocrisy. The fraudulent, faithless Church or individual member who refuses or neglects his duty to labor to preserve the morality of the community or else is too cowardly or hesitant to meet the great moral issues of the day, not only is contemptible in the eyes of the world, but also undermines future efforts of genuine Christians. Not only is this a failure which is bad enough in itself, but it is a failure which embarrasses the valiant efforts of others” (Fowler p. 234).

While a number of human religious groups attract big numbers, they are not accomplishing anything of eternal value, because they never preach the truth to the people they attract, and thus they are only gathering and keeping lost people.

This section of Scripture also tells us something about the world. The world is not advancing toward a golden age in which man will create heaven on earth, rather the world cannot save itself and neither can it solve its problems. We are not evolving towards a more perfect man and thus a more perfect world; rather, we are going in the opposite direction (2 Timothy 3:1-4). Sadly, liberalism in its various forms operates on the assumption that we really do not need to preach against sin, or the various moral problems in the world. Liberalism basically adopts the view of secular society that everything is getting better because of human achievement, technology, programs and education. Yet the entire record of both human and biblical history reveals that the world is sinful. The biblical record is that of the world repeatedly becoming corrupt, even after God’s judgments.

Mathew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” “You are the light of the world”: Notice the distinction that Jesus makes between His disciples and the world. The church and the world are distinct communities, one is saved, the other is lost, one is salt, the other is corrupt, and one is in the light while the other is in darkness. “It is important to assert this clearly in our day in which it is theologically fashionable to blur the distinction between the church and the world, and to refer to all mankind indiscriminately as ‘the people of God’” (Stott p. 58). Remember, Jesus said this to people that the world would consider unimportant and as having very little influence, if any. “It is one of those statements which should always have the effect upon us of making us lift up our heads, causing us to realize once more what a remarkable and glorious thing it is to be a Christian” 1 Be impressed that Jesus said, ‘you’. Only Christians are the light of the world, if we do not fulfill the task given to us by God, then the world will perish. Yet we cannot be the light of the world, until we are first acting and talking like the salt of the earth. Whether we like it or not, our lives should always be the first thing to speak. “So often the tragedy has been that people proclaim the gospel in words, but their whole life and demeanor has been a denial of it” (Jones p. 165).

The world often boasts of its “enlightenment”, but in reality, the world is in darkness (Acts 26:18). In fact, many of its supposed enlightened claims only confirm this truth. The world also manifests a constant tendency to deteriorate and it cannot stop itself from going bad. Just look at all the examples of social and moral decay in our modern society. Jesus is the true light (John 8:12), and His disciples can reflect that light (Philippians 2:14-16). “The tragedy of our century has been that we have concentrated solely upon one aspect of knowledge. Our knowledge has been a knowledge of things, mechanical things, scientific things, knowledge of life in a more or less purely biological and mechanical sense. Yet our knowledge of the real factors that make life life, has not increased at all” (Jones pp. 160-161). “At the very time when we have been boasting of our enlightenment and knowledge and understanding, there is this tragic breakdown in personal relationships” (Jones p. 161). His point is that from the 1960’s onward our culture has claimed insight into human relationships that were unknown to past generations. If this is true, then why are our divorce rates and teen suicide rates worse that previous generations?

“A city set on a hill cannot be hidden”: One cannot hide the obvious. Jesus does not want any “secret disciples”. “We are not to be like a town or village nestling in a valley whose lights are concealed from view, but like a city on a hill which cannot be hid and whose lights are clearly seen for miles around” (Stott p.

62).

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Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, p. 159.

5:15 “Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peckmeasure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house” The word peckmeasure or bushel refers to a grain-measure. Jesus will have nothing to do with covert discipleship. “He knows that we are tempted to pretend not to be salt, so as not to irritate the rotting, selfish flesh around us, for such annoyance will mean persecution for us. It is a temptation to scurry about searching for anything that will hide our light, or to wish that our city were not so clearly visible. Here Jesus urges His hearers to count the cost of being a disciple, for it will mean being in the public eye either for good or ill. Later He will begin to put the pressure on (Matthew 10:32-33; Mark 8:38; Luke 14:25-35)” (Fowler p. 237). The above verse cries out for us to be visible, active, and outspoken in the community. We are expected to be where everyone can see us. Are we a the lampstand in our families, among our friends, in our neighborhood and at work? Or, is our Christianity under the peckmeasure?

Christianity not only exposes darkness (Ephesians 5:11), yet Christians need to be prepared to explain why darkness exists and how to leave it (James 1:13; John 3:19ff).

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” “Let”: Let your Christianity shine, just like a city on a hill, or a lamp that has been placed right out in the open. This is the language of choice and freewill.

“Before men”: People must see our faith. They must hear us talking about the gospel message. They need to see us excited about serving God, and zealous in living the Christian life. They need to see love, intimacy, loyalty, respect, and honor in our marriages. They need to see love among Christians (John 13:34), and they need to see families in the church who are morally healthy and in which children are well-behaved. “See your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven”: The constant temptation is to perform good works so men can praise us (Matthew 6:1ff). “The museum of human history is quite cluttered with the wrecked lives of men and institutions that could not resist the temptation of self-glory” (Fowler p. 238). We should want people to be impressed with the wisdom behind the lifestyle we are living. We want people to be impressed with the Word of God, which has changed our lives. “Just the sheer novelty of a man practicing exactly what he preaches immediately focuses the world’s gaze upon him. People usually begin an immediate and critical inspection of his life to see if he really is all that he would have them become. The world is quick to sense hypocrisy and selfishness in those who profess devotion to the Master” (Fowler p. 238).

Humility and sincerity will be easier if we really grasp the fact that the world is lost. Out of such a realization will come such a genuine concern for the souls of others that it will permeate our prayers, conduct, motivation, and conversation.

“If we see the world through Jesus’ eyes as it really is: dishonest, corrupt, fickle,

and incapable of permanent satisfaction, then we will not seek its praise. Rather, we will tend to see through its hollow applause” (Fowler p. 238). Let us always remember that this life is not about us, rather it is about God getting His proper respect and praise (1 Peter 1:10-11; John 15:8; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 9:13; Philippians 1:9-11; 1 Peter 2:9).

“Christian people, you and I are living in the midst of men and women who are in a state of gross darkness. They will never have any light anywhere in this world except from you and from me and the gospel we believe and teach. They are watching us. Do they see something different about us? Are our lives a silent rebuke to them? Do we so live as to lead them to come and ask us, ‘Why do you always look so peaceful?’ How is it you are so balanced? How can you stand up to things as you do? Why is it you are not dependent upon artificial aids and pleasures as we are? What is this thing that you have got?’” (Jones p. 169).

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill” “Do not think”: In listening to Jesus preach, some must have thought that Jesus was contradicting what was found in the Law of Moses. The reason for this confusion was that the Pharisees, and other groups, had added so many human traditions to the Law, the people took these traditions as truth or being part of God’s word. The religious leaders and the people had so confused their traditions with the Law, that to attack the one was to put the other in doubt in their minds. Jesus was not a radical or revolutionary and neither did He claim that the Old Testament was not the Word of God, had been corrupted or was not spiritual.

Remember, as God, He had given that Law. It was Jesus who had spoken through the prophets (1 Peter 1:10-12).

“Abolish”: Notice, in this context, the opposite of “abolish” is to “fulfill”. Thus, Jesus did not come to ruin, undermine, or defeat the purpose of the Law and the Prophets. Rather He came to endorse everything written in the Law and to fulfill it. “The Law and the Prophets”: One of the common ways in which the Jews designated the Old Testament was with this expression. Jesus here most clearly proclaims His faith and acceptance in the entire Old Testament collection of books. “Let those note it well who think lightly of the Old Testament or question any part of it” (Lenski p. 205). Hence, anyone who questions the truthfulness of what is revealed in the Old Testament is questioning Jesus’ authority. “But to fulfill”: The word fulfill does not mean to perpetuate, for the Law would end once Jesus died on the cross (Hebrews 8-10; Colossians 2:14-17).

Jesus fulfilled the Law: 

By fulfilling all the prophecies in the Law and the Prophets concerning the Messiah (Luke 24:44).

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By dying for our sins, He fulfilled the purpose of the Law, that is, in bringing us to Him (Galatians 3:24).

He was what the Law and the Prophets were anticipating and He brought into existence the realities that the Law only foreshadowed, i.e., like the church (Colossians 2:17; Isaiah 2:2-4).

He brought all the great blessings promised in the Law to the faithful (Ephesians 1:3).

He brought the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34), which was the fulfillment of the Old Covenant.

He was the final spokesman of whom Moses had spoken (Acts 3:22).

He fulfilled the requirement of the Law, that is, a sinless life (1 Peter 2:22; Romans 8:1ff).

He fulfilled the righteous sentence of the Law (1 Peter 2:24; Galatians 3:13), which gives us the chance to be forgiven.

Jones notes that the meaning of the crucifixion can only be understood in light of God’s Law. What happened on the cross was Jesus demonstrating the reality of the true horror of sin and the penalty demanded by a just, holy, and merciful God. God could never forgive us, unless the penalty demanded by His law was met (Ezekiel 18:20).

Matthew 5:18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished” “For truly I say to you”: Here is the language of absolute confidence and authority. When people sometimes complain about members of the church who think that they are right, be impressed that Jesus knew He was right. If we can understand His word (Ephesians 3:4), then we can be just as right as He was.

“Until heaven and earth pass away”: Jesus is saying that it would be easier for the universe to crumble than for any part of God’s law to fail or go out of existence (John 10:35; 1 Peter 1:23-25). Here is Jesus’ view of the Old Testament that existed in His day. Be impressed that we presently possess copies of the Old Testament, which are 200 years older than the copies, which existed when Jesus was on the earth. Jesus applied the same truth to the New Testament Scriptures (Matthew 24:35). What is said in the Word of God is far more certain than even the existence of the physical universe. Heaven and earth will pass way eventually (2 Peter 3:9-13; Revelation 20:11; 21:1; Hebrews 1:1012).

“Not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law”: When Jesus spoke the oldest section of the Old Testament was almost 1500 years old.

Jesus is commenting upon the Law and Prophets as they existed in written form.

Here is Jesus’ assessment of the Old Testament text that existed in His day. It was inspired right down to the smallest letter or mark of punctuation. In fact, Jesus would make an argument based on the tense of one single word in an Old

Testament verse (Matthew 22:31-32). The term stroke denotes the stroke of a pen, by which some letters were distinguished from others. What a different view Jesus had of the authority and inspiration of the Old Testament in contrast to modern religious leaders who claim that it is filled with errors, myth, and that the text has been corrupted at various places. “You will find so many people today who seem to think they can believe on the Lord Jesus Christ fully, and yet more or less reject the Old Testament” (Jones p. 187). Be impressed that there is nothing in the biblical text smaller than the above. If the smallest letter or stroke of the biblical text was authoritative and inspired, then everything else must be as well. If the smallest letter is the Word of God, then the entire book or collection of books must be as well. Here is a clear claim that the very words of Scripture are inspired, for Jesus said that even the smallest letter is the Word of God. Jesus’ statement also means that everything that God said will be fulfilled and carried out in exactly the way that God described it in the Scriptures. In like manner, God isn’t going to change His mind about the things which He has revealed. If God placed baptism prior to salvation (Mark 16:16), then people who reject baptism will be lost-period. God’s promises, as well as God’s threats, will be fulfilled to the smallest letter. When people complain about preaching that stresses “the letter of the law”, they need to realize that Jesus stressed that God’s word would be fulfilled right down to the “smallest letter” of the law.

“Everything is going to be carried out down to the smallest detail imaginable” (Jones p. 187).

This verse should serve as a warning to people who want to discount Mark 16:920 as not being the Word of God. If the Old Testament was not corrupted, then certainly God would not allow the New Testament to be corrupted either. We need to be impressed with how Jesus viewed Scripture. He considered the Old Testament’s message as binding in its true, original form upon those to whom it had been given (John 10:35; Matthew 5:18-20; 8:4; 19:16-20; 22:35-40). To Jesus, faithfulness to God’s Word is not secondary. God does care about what men do with the revelations of His will. He condemned any human religious tradition, which had been placed as being equal with God’s Word (Matthew 15:1ff).

“Until all is accomplished”: This is not talking about the end of time, rather everything in the Law was accomplished when Jesus died on the cross (Luke 24:44). Thus the Law would remain in full force right up until Jesus died on the cross. This is why Jesus kept the Law and all its particulars right up until He died. This is why He observed the Passover feast even the night He was betrayed.