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Text: Matthew 5:13-16(NIV)

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 by men.

¹⁴"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Discussion Questions

Before considering this text, re-read the beatitudes (5:1-12) to remind yourself of who Jesus is talking about.

Salt has two characteristics. How is it true that we are each of these in the world:

-a preservative: people who keep the world from deteriorating and “getting rotten”

The only way salt can “lose its saltiness” is to be full of impurities. How does that relate to what Jesus has to say on this issue in verse 13?

Light also has two main jobs. How do we as God’s Kingdom people accomplish these two objectives:

-To illuminate the world. Why does the world need to have a light shone on it, and how do we do that?

If we do our job correctly, what should be the world’s response when we are salt and light?

Each study on the Sermon on the Mount is based on the fact that God has translated us into the Kingdom of God, with all of the benefits and expectations being things that should currently characterize our “life in the Kingdom.” Each lesson illustrates an important Kingdom principle that, when taken together, will help achieve a “Kingdom worldview,” in order to live healthy and significant lives while we await the complete fulfillment which will attend the second coming of Christ. The Kingdom principle in this passage has to do with good works: that they are not the means to God’s salvation, but are still critical in order to accomplish Kingdom ministry and mission in this world.

Before considering this text, re-read the beatitudes (5:1-12) to remind yourself of who Jesus is talking about.
With every study you will be asked to re-read the sermon on the mount up to the point of the text that we will be considering. This is to underscore the fact that the sermon is a unified message, with each part building on and dependent on what came before it. Remind your group of each Kingdom principle that has been studied so far to help maintain the continuity of the over-all message of Jesus, and to enhance the possibility that everyone will come to the end of this series of studies with all of the aspects of a “Kingdom worldview” well ingrained in their thinking. The Kingdom principle from the Beatitudes was: the eternal perspective on our lives which comes from living in the Kingdom should be able to transform our attitude toward life because we have constant access to what is really important.
Specifically, in regards to this lesson it is everyone’s job to put the Kingdom on display to the world.

Salt has two characteristics. How is it true that we are each of these in the world:

-a preservative: people who keep the world from deteriorating and “getting rotten”

As Christians bring Kingdom values into whatever situation they are in, they keep the culture from breaking down and falling apart. At various times in church history there have been Christian leaders advocating for being removed from the world as much as possible. Salt, however, is a preservative that works by making its way into the very structure of the food. Without Christian values in play, we are left with only the selfish behaviors from our sinful nature to influence our economy, education, politics, family, culture, etc. Basic systems that keep things running smoothly stop functioning. All sorts of examples could come up in the discussion. Keep in mind that God doesn’t baptize any particular political viewpoint, should that issue come up. All political parties can and should be infused by Kingdom values.

-a flavor enhancer: people who make things “easier to digest” in this world

Not only is Kingdom influence helpful for functionality, it should also make the overall experience of life more positive. Christian culture can sometimes have a reputation of being dull and boring and not enhancing the enjoyment of life, but that should be far from the case. In this regard, you may want to make mention of the lesson from the beatitudes: the world around us should see people willing and able to be happy in circumstances that might disallow others from enjoying their lives, because Christians see things through a Kingdom perspective. This can be one of our greatest witnesses, that which causes people to ask us the reason for the hope that we have in us (see 1 Peter 3:15 and context).

The only way salt can “lose its saltiness” is to be full of impurities. How does that relate to what Jesus has to say on this issue in verse 13?

Pure salt cannot actually lose its characteristics. But much of the salt at that time came from the Dead Sea and if it was impure enough, it could get to the point where it no longer tasted salty if the impurities leached out of it. The point is that we enjoy life, but not always in the ways that the world does. Our witness won’t be worth much if they see us behaving in self destructive ways and celebrating things that are clearly in opposition to God’s design.

Light also has two main jobs. How do we as God’s Kingdom people accomplish these two objectives:

-To illuminate the world. Why does the world need to have a light shone on it, and how do we do that?

A helpful passage to review in this context would be Ephesians 4:17-5:21. Paul tells his readers that the thinking of the world is “darkened” because they don’t understand the truth, but that Christians should be shining a light on the fruitless deeds of darkness to expose them for what they are: the opposite of the fruit of the light, which is goodness, righteousness and truth. Unless someone is living according to Kingdom values, the destructive approaches to life that this world values would seem right and normal, for lack of anything to compare them to. Our job is not to condemn others, but to display a better alternative that illuminates the darkness and helps people see a better way. Review Isaiah 2 for background on the world coming the Mountain of the Lord to learn his ways.

-To put ourselves on display. According to verse 16, how do we accomplish that?
We accomplish that with our good deeds. Being a light in this world is all about acting out Kingdom values in the world, not preaching to people about how bad they are. Ask your group if people in their circles of influence know they are Christians by the way they treat other people, the integrity they bring to their tasks, etc. If you can draw out specific examples that would really help to bring this lesson home.

If we do our job correctly, what should be the world’s response when we are salt and light?
The world should “praise your father in heaven.” The way in which we display Kingdom values in this world should cause people to acknowledge that God really does know what he’s talking about when it comes to creating a healthy, functional, and enjoyable life. In a world where people experience all kinds of stresses and problems by not living according to God’s design, if we can put on display a better alternative it should be easy to get to the point where we can give God all the credit. Encourage your group to always be ready to acknowledge that God deserves all the praise for the better ways that their lives work and the better attitudes they have because they live life in the Kingdom.

What are some ways we can accomplish that as individuals and as the church?
A wrap up question to get to some applications. Are there specific ways that individuals in the group can be a more positive influence wherever God has put them, and to do good works in ways that really cause people to take notice? What about our church?