Jesus came to give us the real deal on God's character-His character. We need to know just how much we've messed up from when we lived with God in the Garden of Eden so we would know our need for a rescuer, a Messiah. As we get into the Sermon on the Mount, or as I call it The Law version 2.0, we need to understand that to understand the Law of Moses we need to view it in light of Jesus, not the other way around.

John 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me. ... 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.

Luke 24:44-45"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,  that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."

In verses 13 through 20 of chapter 5, Jesus is telling His disciples to be a source of distinction and direction among the people. It is encouraging, until we see that accomplishing that task is literally impossible. Jesus said that all of the Law remained in effect, we must follow it, and that the standard of following that Law is greater than the people who were already doing it better than anyone ever did! Oy vey!

13

Salt was mined from salty marshes near the Dead Sea. It could become impure and useless. To this day, bad salt is thrown on rooftops to make them more water tight and kids run up and down, playing on those roofs, trampling the salt under foot!

Salt, when good, is used as a preservative and flavor enhancer. As Jesus' disciples, we "salt" life with the gospel. In the process of being transformed into the character of God, our actions, attitudes and words become more and more different than the standards of this age.

Israel was always supposed to stand apart, not to be an exclusive club, but to show that there is one God, what He is like, and birth the Messiah. They were supposed to be a light to the world. They failed in that attempt, but it doesn't change the importance of their task-nor ours. We are salty, or distinct, as much as by what you don't do as well.

1 Peter 4:4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;

But notice that Jesus' emphasis here is on salt that is no longer salty. I think many times as Christians, once we accept Jesus as our Lord we file away our fire insurance policy and go on living the life we lived before.

Do you act differently than before? If someone looked at your life who knew you before you became a Christian would they be able to tell a difference? It's not earning God's favor through works; it's showing God's favor through a changed life.

If you aren't being used to salt, you really have no effectiveness-and that's why we are here, to be used to reach as many as possible with the good news of Christ's redemption. Jesus is talking here about you as you go about your life.

How do we get "unsalty?" By allowing impurities to enter into our lives. If what rules our lives is not like God's character, then what people see are the impurities, rather than Jesus. Not that we have to all be perfect, but we all need to be in process. Jesus isn't saying He is going to throw us out, but if we are unsalty, we are not serving our ultimate purpose as a believer: to share the gospel by living our relationship with Jesus on the outside.

14 - 15

In a way, Jesus' illustration could go this way: salt are those interactions in life you have with people-the up close and personal encounters where they can really taste the difference.

The city light or lamp is more the observed life from a distance. No one could possibly hide a city on a hill at night, and no one in their right mind would stick a lamp under a clay jar. What Jesus is talking about here is the reaction to observing your life.

Truly we know it well, there are ways to "shine" that focus the spotlight back on us. But our light should be the reflected light of the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

How do we hide the light? By covering over our Christianity with a blanket of the values of this age.

I've said many times that the two jobs of a Christian are to be transformed into God's image (become more salty) and to share the good news of the gospel with as many people as possible (shine the light).

16

So how do we do this? The Pharisees were masters of good works, but all the credit for those works went to them. Jesus will call them to account many times-receive special greetings in the marketplace, how they love to say long prayers in public or give large amounts of money so people will think they are holy.

It is a real trick to be able to be or do something like God, but not get the credit. Now I don't mean that anytime you do something you say "it wasn't me, it was God." First, that may not be true, and second, that's more like being a Pharisee than I'm comfortable with because you remove personal responsibility for your words and actions. Instead of "the devil made me do it" we are saying "God made me do it".

The key is to let people see God at work in and through you.

2 Cor 12:9-10 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Jer 9:23-24 Thus says the Lord:  "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.  For in these things I delight, declares the Lord."

So as God brings us through trials, and shows His faithfulness and goodness in every bad situation-as we talk about and act out the goodness of the Lord we can boast, not that we did it, but that we know God and He did it through this imperfect person.

2 Cor 4:7 "we have this treasure in jars of clay."

So we move from some of the more "touchy feely" sections into the nitty gritty. If everything is all blessing and lightness, that must mean that Jesus has come to get rid of all the stringent requirements of the Law, right? Wrong!

17 - 18

There are three very important things in these two verses:

1.      Jesus validated the Law and the Prophets

2.      He doesn't abolish the, but fulfills it

3.      The law will not go away, but will be "accomplished"

Jesus was a Jew, and as a good Jew he followed all the Old Testament Law as given by Moses, and interpreted by the Prophets-not by the Pharisees who added hundreds of their own rules to "help God out" in interpreting the Law. Jesus didn't throw out the old system, he fulfilled it completely. And as we've studied, we too fulfill it by belonging to Jesus.

This raises a question-do we as Christians need to obey every single bit of the Old Testament Law? The short answer is no. There are really three parts to the Law: the "ceremonial law" (Lev 1:2-3 for example), which involved worship. Its purpose was to point to Jesus, so as we are "in" Jesus we too fulfill that law. Then there is the "civil law" (Deut 24:10-11 for example) which was meant to apply to daily living in Israel for that time and culture. This law does not apply to us, except in the principals that reflect on the third portion of the law, the "moral law."

The moral law is summed up in the Ten Commandments. It reveals the character of God which does not change. As we mature as Christians we will follow this more and more.

What does it mean for the Law to be "accomplished?" Jesus says nothing will change in the law until "heaven and earth pass away" which probably means the end of the age. He also says "until all is accomplished" meaning God's plan of creation, fall, redemption and restoration.

19

Jesus isn't really talking about a hierarchy in heaven, but merely saying that" if you follow me and teach others to rely on me then you are doing the right thing, but if you think or teach that I have set aside God's Law, then you are not acting like a kingdom age person."

20

This is the kicker. The scribes and especially the Pharisees were absolute masters at following all of their rules. The scribes copied the Scriptures and in Jesus time had become teachers and lawyers in the courts. They were absolutely more moral than you (at least in appearances).

So Jesus is setting an absolute standard even higher. He's not saying to do what the Pharisees do, but that to get into heaven it takes a whole lot more than even what the Pharisees could muster up.

Conclusions

This would have really deflated anyone hearing Jesus. They considered the Pharisees to be the utmost example of abiding by the law. It was difficult to become a Pharisee and even more difficult to remain a "good" one. If it takes even more than that to get into heaven, then it must be impossible. Exactly!

Now Jesus has us just where he wants us, despairing of being righteous by our own efforts. It is in fact by Jesus' efforts that we become righteous. It is by Jesus obeying the Law that we obey the law. It is by Jesus' death that we get life as we trust and rely on him. Matt 19:26-27 "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

The obvious question to us Christians is: how salty and light are we? When someone samples a bit of your life, do they "taste" the distinctiveness of Christ?

2 Cor 2:15-16 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among  those who are being saved and among  those who are perishing, 16  to one a fragrance from death to death,  to the other a fragrance from life to life.

Are you wearing your Jesus perfume? I don't mean that you speak in nothing but Scripture verses (I know some people like that) but do you act differently than you did prior to having the Lord in your life? It is a good exercise to examine your life every once in a while. Maybe there are parts that are less salty than others. Let's be distinctive without being distasteful.

The same way with light-do you find yourself hiding your relationship with Jesus? When pre-Christians come over for dinner do you take down the crosses and hide the Bibles?

In reality, Satan's ultimate goal is to make you unsalty and dark-and he makes it very easy to do. In conversations where the name of Jesus is being maligned, do you just keep quiet so as not to make waves or offend? Don't give into the temptation to hide your relationship with Christ.

Remember: "you are the salt of the earth" "you are the light of the world". If you aren't salty or light, who will be?