Salt has to be salty, and light has to be bright – that makes sense, right? But when we connect these ideas to the lives of Christians, it’s a little hard to understand. It means that we have to always keep God in our actions, thoughts, and words. But the fact is that sometimes the “human” in our lives is more than the “God”. So this lesson should help us understand how to have more “God” in our lives. Let’s take a deeper look in Matthew 5:13-16. I’ll go through each verse and explain each idea, alright? The teaching in this verse is given by Jesus. Before He said these things, Jesus said that if anyone treats you poorly because of your faith, be joyful.
1) Verse 13 – “You are the salt of the earth” [salt shaker, french fries, picture of a fish, cotton and filtered water, picture of snowflake] When we are happy in misfortune, that attitude makes us different: you are the salt of the earth. This is a salt shaker. The life of a believer is like salt. Everyone has salt in their house. These small, white grains of salt are actually very useful.
– Food tastes better with salt. It’s very bland without salt. God wants us to add a wonderful and meaningful flavor to the lives of the people around us because of that salt within us. That salt is from God.
– Before refrigerators, if you wanted your food to stay fresh for a while, you smothered it in salt. When Peter and the other fishermen heard Jesus say that they were salt, they would’ve understood right away. That’s because for all their lives, they used salt almost every day to keep fish from going bad and smelling. There are things in the world around you that aren’t beautiful, don’t smell good, and aren’t very pleasant. Can you share with me what some of those things are (unkind words, bullying, teasing, talking bad about others, etc.)? God wants you to sprinkle good words, words of favor, encouragement, and commendation, onto the world around us to make it a little less smelly, a little less rotten.
– Has anyone in the class ever had a sore throat? Go ahead and raise your hand. Yes, when we get a sore throat the doctors tell us to mix salt and water and drink it or gargle it. It helps heal the parts of your throat that are burned or damaged. Salt has healing properties. For those of you who play sports or have ever gotten a scrape, you know that just a teeny-tiny bit of salt can help heal the wound. You know, you and I actually have that same kind of healing ability to help those around us who are hurt and in anguish. What do you guys think, how should we help someone out when we see that they are hurt or in anguish (Encourage them, comfort them, use God’s Word to offer advice to them, etc.)?
– There’s one more thing about salt we’re going to talk about. Do you know what it is? Snow! In Vietnam, the weather doesn’t get cold enough for snow. But in Europe, North America, and South America, they get snow. In Asia, South Korea and even China get lots of snow. And every time it snows so much that it covers the roads and stops traffic, they use salt. Salt makes the snow melt away. Pretty interesting, isn’t it? The saltiness of salt is so warm it can melt ice. Is there anyone around us who’s lonely and needs a little warmth to dispel the cold in their hearts? A hug, a held hand, or a kind look from us can warm up their hearts and give them strength. So when Christians are compared to salt, it means we can use our ability as Christians to 1) add wonderful and meaningful flavor to the people around us, 2) sprinkle good words, words of favor, encouragement, and commendation into the world around us to make it a little less smelly, a little less rotten, 3) heal those around us who are hurt or in anguish, and 4) dispel the cold and warm up the hearts of others.
Do you know where this ability comes from? It comes from Jesus Christ, our Lord. It’s not from our own attitude – no, no, no. We are all sinners. It’s also not from any of our own particular ability to speak well or with deep meaning – those come from the words of truth that God has placed in our hearts and on our lips. It’s also not from any sort of power to heal that we have in us – no, no, no. That comes from God, the Healer, who is working within us and through us to heal those in need. It is also absolutely not from our own ability to thaw and dispel the cold loneliness of others – no, no, no. That’s because of God, who uses His light to warm our hearts, and He also wants to use us to warm others. So, the “salt” that Christians have is from God. Therefore, as believers, keep what is of God in your lives. Because if salt loses its saltiness, there’s no way to make it salty again. And if it’s no longer salty, then it’s no longer useful and will be “thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”
Verses 14-16 – “You are the light of the world.” [candle, lighter, cup of water, glass cup, box with a top, like a gift box] Jesus continues in verse 14 – You are the light of the world. This is light. But this light can only shine because of the original source of light that gives it its light. The life of a believer can only shine because of the light of God within us. The light of God is so incredibly important. If we didn’t have this light among us, we wouldn’t be able to see anything. We can see everything around us – during the day we have the light that God created, and at night we have the light that God gave us the wisdom to create. But for other people to be able to see light, it has to be placed uncovered in a high place. If Christians are too afraid to admit that they’re a Christian, or if a believer is afraid to live out God’s Word in their schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces, only acting out their faith in Church or when they’re alone, then they they’re not letting their light shine for others to see so that they can come to know God. (You can give an example of how one of your students was brave and displayed or announced their faith in their school). But if we bravely let our light shine out, that light is like a lighthouse placed in the sea, guiding ships looking for safe harbor to shore. We can live in a way that reflects the light of God for other people to see and come to know God, and He will be their safe harbor.
But the world and the way people think and live has been shrouded by darkness for a long time, so the world doesn’t like the light. And when the light comes, all of the things hidden in the darkness will be revealed. For example, if you have a student in your class who’s very respectful, then those students who are disrespectful and rude will be revealed. If there’s someone who’s generous and always ready to help others, then those who are selfish and don’t want to help others will be revealed. So the world wants to extinguish the light. But did you know that even though the world tries its best to do so, it can’t extinguish our light? Because we don’t belong to the world; we belong to God, and the source of our light is God. However, there is one person that can extinguish our light. Do you know who that is? That person is you. If you choose to live like the world, you are extinguishing your own light. But Jesus wants to help you. He wants to give you the strength to resist becoming diluted by the world. Because He calls you a fragrant incense to Him, He wants many people to experience this fragrance that points to Him through your life. Because He calls you a living letter, people should be able to understand God through your life. Because you are there, everyone should be able to understand what a Christian is like. Are there any lessons you got after learning about the images of salt and light that you would like to share with me? (If you are teaching older children, you can tell them the story about the artist who painted a picture of Jesus in the likeness of their neighbor to challenge your class to live in a way that others can see how beautiful and wonderful Jesus is through them).
