In these verses, Jesus is talking to the children of his kingdom. He is talking to his disciples, the New Testament church. He is talking to his covenant children.

Jesus tells them that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Notice that Jesus doesn’t tell them that they have to be the salt and the light, but that they already are the salt and light. Jesus has made them the new Israel; they are his special covenant people. Jesus has made them part of his kingdom. And just like Adam and Noah and Abram were God’s special people, set apart to be a light in the dark world, so the New Testament people are lights in this world.

Through us, God’s people, God wants the world to be able to see his work and his kingdom. Through the church, God makes sure that people can see his work in this dark world.

God isn’t telling us here that he wants us to talk to others about the Lord and by doing that we will become the salt and the light. God has already made us salt and light. That’s who we are. He has taken us out of this dark world and made us his light.

Now that we are salt and light, we have to live as salt and light. Salt that isn’t salty is useless and can be thrown away, and light that is hidden is also useless. It can’t light up a room if it is hidden. Jesus explains in the rest of this sermon on the mount how we can live as this salt and light.

But here already he wants us to know that we are the salt and light of this world. In the things we do, in how we speak and in what we play, we must show that we belong to the light, the King of the earth. It must be seen in the way that we act that we are Jesus Christ’s salt and light. This will then give glory to God.

Reflection with your child:

What does it mean that you are the salt and light of the earth?

Source: Sermon by Rev. D. Agema