Glory
PREFACE: Below when I write “we” I mean “I” and when I write “you” I mean “me.” I write these essays to speak to myself and to speak to the Lord, but I hope you may be encouraged also by these words. I would also add that I have been thinking along these lines because of a series our Pastors have been going through at our church: discipleship, how to bring others along in our walk with Jesus.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus speaks of salt and light (Mat 5:13-14). As I was meditating this morning on these metaphors, a few thoughts came to me. Martyn Lloyd Jones writes that the order in which these qualities of the Christian are presented is important. Salt and then light. These are brought to the fore within the context of what it means to walk with the Lord, what we are to be in front of the world.
Beyond the Moon
Above, I really meant to write, what I am to be in front of the world, before those that know me. I am convicted by Jesus’ words. Am I salt and light? Is there in fact a flavor in my life that reflects the Glory of God? Is there a flavor, salt, that legitimizes the light He would wish to have my life demonstrate? Notice the word reflect two sentences back. Reflect. It is a passive quality; a mirror does not glow of its own accord. It can only reflect the light that shines upon it. A cool physics fact: Almost all the things we can see on Earth are because of reflected light. When I see you and you see me, we are mirrors!
Salt and light. Both can be subtle or harsh. There is usually a happy medium that depends upon circumstance. Too much salt destroys the taste of food; it becomes inedible. But oh how just the right amount can bring out, complement, emphasize the flavor of food! “It needs salt; not too much, mind you; ah, just right.” Lloyd Jones emphasizes the preservative quality of salt and certainly that is one of its properties, but Jesus says, “If the salt has lost its flavor…” throw it in the dirt. Of course, here salt and flavor are metaphors. Preservative, I get, but what about flavor?
What is the flavor we are called to share, to witness, before others? If I can answer this question at all, I think I can only approach it by analogy. Bad wine, good wine, you can substitute any food or drink you wish for wine! Vinegar is wine gone bad. Obvious. But wine can also just have bad qualities that are to be avoided: contamination, chemical changes, malodorous overtones, deficient flavor, etc. Experts spend time and resources to define positive and negative qualities of wine; most of us just know whether we like it or we don’t. If I ask you why you like it, you might say you don’t know, you just do or maybe you’d reply it’s fruity and has good acid, nice finish. Experts evaluate a wine in terms of balance, a consideration of all the different factors that contribute to wine quality. Could balance be what our Lord was getting at with His salt metaphor?
Balance. Equilibrium. Steadiness. Equanimity. Fairness. Perspective. Harmony. Integrity. Coherence. Now it sounds to me like I’ve wandered off into elements of the fruits of the Spirit! From these aspects of balance derive wisdom, genuineness, honesty, love. We have experienced vinegar in others: those full of anger, rage, fear, addiction; those that are out of balance. I submit that why we know this is because we have experienced many of the same things. We have perspective and know that too much of such things leads to ruin. If we are honest with ourselves, is not most if not all of the Christian walk a battle to achieve balance in everything? Without balance, flavor, how are we to serve, minister, love those who struggle with such things? How are we to even open a dialogue with them and to bring the Good News to them that they are not alone, that Jesus came to save and empower them to put on His nature and overcome life’s imbalances? He comes to restore order from chaos. Balance. Salt, flavor, is a hint that there is hope in despair.
Balance is attractive. Good flavors stimulate appetite. Proper seasoning, salt, warms fellowship. Why is salt important? Again taking a slightly different tack from Lloyd Jones, good flavors cause others to want to be around us. They learn to trust us. We grow in relationship with them. We learn about them as they learn about us. And in the fullness of time, God may open them to hear the Good News, to hear his gentle calling, his still small voice, deep calling unto deep. We do not win them, God does, through His grace. But how do we do our part if we have lost our flavor?
The previous paragraph alludes to my next point. Light, after salt, comes with credibility. Light, created by God on the first day, causes the darkness to flee. In a dark room, a single match, a mere candle, illuminates an unexpectedly large volume; it goes everywhere. Indeed, one could argue its reach is infinite. Does that blow your mind? It should. The wave representing photons of light extends at light speed forever throughout the universe. The intensity reduces by the square of the distance from the source, but given infinite time it will permeate eternity. Not my words, physics. We are light.
The only impediment to light is shadow. From a black hole, to a bushel basket, to an unspoken word we are commanded to speak from the Lord, all can hinder the radiation of light to varying degrees. Are we to be shadow or light? Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before others.” Let. It is a choice. It may be a dim spark or a powerful searchlight, God knows, but let your light shine. Verse 16 goes on, “so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” The light we let shine is the reflected glory of God the Father; it is not ours. Oh, and those “good works” I just mentioned (Ephesians 2:10) are those which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” Beforehand, from the very beginning. “Let there be light.”
Like the flavor of salt, light has different qualities. Who does not appreciate the warmth and agonizing beauty of sunrise, sunset? Who has not thought, “In the cold light of day, I realized such and so?” The temperature of the light changes. We have a choice, warm or cold? Temperature is expressed in degrees Kelvin (K), the lower the temperature, the warmer the light. Temperature is kinetic energy, heat, anger, rage, hate, fear; let’s lower the temperature. Odd isn’t it? What do you think Jesus prefers? I will give you a hint: the blood our Lord shed for us is red… Red is the warmest color! Turn down the temperature! Leave the heat, the cold fury, for the ultimate Judge of the Universe. Save the warmth for others. You’ll have to think upside down on this one 😇 Interesting word combination, cold fury; condemnation. What would you prefer? Let there be light.
Our job, my job, is to reflect the glory of God to others. As salt, our “flavor” permeates our relationships with others. It gives opportunity to share our light, the light given to us, the light we reflect in warmth and gentleness of spirit. It may also give us the right and responsibility to reflect the cold fury of God against death and evil, but in my light to others, I am trying to reflect love, joy, peace, gentleness, self control, the fruits of the Holy Spirit, against these there is no law! We do not win them, but we can be faithful to share what light we have. In this good work, we give them opportunity to give glory to our Father. Search the scriptures; let there be light.
Salt and light. Interesting metaphor. One draws, its flavor attracts, the other illuminates, not by our fleshly wisdom, but by the reflected light of Jesus himself. In loving Jesus, you cannot help but to express the flavor of one who has been redeemed, you cannot help but reflect His light. May the people of God, those who are called by His name, rise up to be salt and light, rise up to give comfort to the wounded, the sick, to challenge the powers and principalities with the light of God, to bring down the stronghold of evil in high places. As it is in heaven, may it be on earth. Let there be light!