What Was The Point Of The Old Testament?
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MATTHEW 5:13-20
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes 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. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Salt has two uses in the kitchen:
It enhances (brings out the flavor);
It preserves (keeps from rotting).
Jesus tells his followers that they are like salt: they are to make society better, and they are to keep society from going bad.
What about if the Church loses its saltiness, what if it loses what makes it distinct? Jesus says that then
"It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." [5:13b NIV]
We can all cite multiple examples over these last 2,000 years when the Church abandoned what made it distinct and went along with the wider culture--it's always disaster and ruin, both for the Church and the world. (Think of slavery in the New World, e.g.)
So, it is crucial that we stay salty and thereby have something to offer the world. But how? Here's one quick thought.
The Sermon on the Mount is a seamless garment, all woven together, and so I think part of the way that the Church keeps its saltiness is to pay attention to what Jesus says later on in today's passage:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." [5:17]
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament and he is expressing God’s heart behind the Old Testament law. Jesus isn’t doing away with the Law but filling the law full of meaning. The law was always meant to show people the way to a flourishing life. So, the more we seek to understand the scriptures, the more we both experience life and the more we have to offer the world. I think one of the ways we can ensure our saltiness therefore is by doing exactly what we're doing: reading and poring over the Scriptures.
May God use his Word to make you salty today.