“Ye are the salt of the earth (….) Ye are the light of the world (…)” Matthew 5:13-14

Beloved one,

The above verses are statements from Jesus. He presented his disciples and, by extension, Christians as salt of the earth and light of the world. In other words, our identity is, among others, salt and light: salt to give taste to anything we get involved into and light to remove darkness, cast away controversy, dissipate evil practices and eventually show the way.

Should we stick to that identity and let everything that characterizes us be aligned accordingly, no Christian would go unnoticed, no matter what (s)he does in life or where (s)he works. We would actually be so singular, unique that anybody would see or notice the distinctive mark on us and our added value. After all, is that not how the salt operates? You don’t need to eat more than one bite of anything before telling whether it contains salt or not. It is likewise for the light which casts away every sort of darkness and exposes what was hidden.

Despite the special diet Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were on during their captivity in Babylon, they were found far more intelligent than others, thereby displaying their salt and light status and being a blessing for the king. In Potiphar’s house, Joseph was a model of light and salt as his presence was remarkable and impactful. Look at what is said of him in Genesis 39: 2-3 _“And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man (…). And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand”_. The blessings of heaven were accompanying this Jewish slave boy, infusing and energizing everything he undertook. He therefore moved from being blessed to being a blessing to his master (Gen. 12:2). We see a similar pattern with Jacob in his uncle’s house. This was so visible and noticeable that Laban could but confess it “(…) I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.” (Gen. 30:27).

My brothers and sisters, in a world which hungers for solutions, Christians can no longer afford to be nominal salt and light. There is urgency for us to incarnate and claim our real identity. And we can only succeed in being a blessing to our world if we truly abide in Christ (John 15:5). He is ready to help. Are you willing?