Salt & Light

What does it mean to be without hope? It means that life has become a complete drudgery and there is no joy in living. It is the place where you stop living and merely exist. Many of you know what this kind of existence is like. Over the years, I have seen many people without hope. I have been there when someone is dealing with the loss of a loved one who just took his life. I have met with families who just got the news that a family member has two months to live. All of these kinds of losses leave a person feeling hopeless, but none is so bad as the person who feels completely alone and without God. Paul reminded the Ephesians that each of us feels this way before we come to know God, “without hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12).

When we meet Jesus and invite him to live in us, he transforms us from the inside out. Not all at once, of course, but little by little as we are willing to love him and serve him. Luke describes when Jesus passed by Levi who was sitting at his accounting desk collecting taxes, most likely quite rich but without hope. Jesus invited him to come and follow him. Surprisingly, Levi got up and left everything and followed Jesus for the rest of his life.

People saw tax collectors as despicable in Jesus’ day. They overcharged and enforced payment with their thugs. People hated them, so it was no shock that when Jesus accepted an invitation to a banquet at Levi’s house, there was criticism. Jesus critics’ asked why Jesus was sitting in the company of sinners and tax collectors. Jesus’ answer is remarkable, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 6:31-32).

Jesus made it clear that he was looking for people who knew they were sinners and were not afraid to admit it. The same way a sick person seeks out a doctor, so sinners seek out a savior. Jesus was not interested in saving people who did not believe they needed saving. Jesus is still looking for sinners, and he will find you the way he found Levi if you want to be found.

Years later, Levi became Matthew, which means gift of God, and he wrote down Jesus’ words:

“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. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither 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. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).

Once Jesus saves us and transforms us, we become salt and light. When those around see how we live, they praise God and are drawn to give their lives to Jesus.