Salt that loses its saltiness? Cities on hills? Lamps? What on earth is Jesus talking about - and what could it possibly mean to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees? A Cafechurch session from 7/2/2016

1. Salt and
Light
Matthew 5:13-20

2. "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its
taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no
longer good for anything, but is thrown out and
trampled under foot.

3. "You are the light of
the world. A city built
on a hill cannot be
hid.

4. No one after lighting
a lamp puts it under
the bushel basket,
but on the
lampstand, and it
gives light to all in the
house.

5. In the same way, let your light shine before others,
so that they may see your good works and give
glory to your Father in heaven.

6. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or
the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass
from the law until all is accomplished.

7. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these
commandments, and teaches others to do the
same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven;
but whoever does them and teaches them will be
called great in the kingdom of heaven.

8. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of
the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven."

9. What Does The Passage Say?
• What is the setting?
• Who are the
characters?
• What happened
before and after?
• What is the genre?

10. Textual Note
The “you” in the passages is
plural. Thus, in Australian,
“youse are the salt of the
earth”

11. Metaphors
What are the key
metaphors at play here?

12. Salt
What are the
characteristics of salt?

13. City
What are the
characteristics of cities,
especially those on
hills?

14. Lamps
What are the
characteristics of
lamps?

15. Surprise
Did anything in the passage surprise you?

16. What Does The Passage
Mean?

17. Question
What is the main
theme?

18. Question
What is/are the primary conflict/s in the passage?

19. Let Your Light Shine?
Does this contradict
passages such as “do
not let your left hand
know what your right
hand is doing” (Matt
6:3) ?

20. The Law
• What point/s is/are
being made?
• What is the contrast
being drawn?

21. Righteousness
What does Jesus mean
by “righteousness”
here?

22. Christlikeness
If Jesus is the one sent
(“my food is to do the
will of the one that sent
me” Jn 4:34), then
righteousness like
Jesus’ has got
something to do with
collaborating with the
Missio Dei – the work of
God in the world.

23. What Does The Passage Mean to
Me?

24. Cafechurch
If “youse” are (corporately) a city on a hill –
what might that mean for Cafechurch?

25. The glory of God is the human being fully alive.
St Irenaeus of Lyons – 2nd Century AD

26. All About Desire
“Desire is a primary way that
God leads people to discover
who they are and what they
are meant to do…. Our
deepest desires, those desires
that lead us to become who we
are, are God’s desires for us.
They are ways that God
speaks to you directly.”
James Martin The Jesuit
Guide to (Almost) Everything
Kindle loc 1027

27. Me Personally
• What might it mean
for me personally to
be a lamp on a
stand, salt of the
earth, city on a hill?

28. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit be with us all, this day and forever more
Amen

29. Blessing
The grace of Christ attend you;
the love of God surround you;
the Holy Spirit keep you;
this day and for ever. Amen.