Disciples and the World
13 “You are the [1]salt of the earth; but if the salt has [2]lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].
14 “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.
17 “Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the [3]Law [of Moses] or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke[of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished.
19 So whoever breaks one of the least [important] of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness (uprightness, moral essence) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:13-20 (AMP)
Footnotes
- Matthew 5:13 In ancient times salt was often used as a preservative. Similarly, followers of Christ are to preserve both the gospel message and Christian values in the secular world.
- Matthew 5:13 The salt from the Dead Sea contains impurities that affect its qualities as a seasoning and as a preservative.
- Matthew 5:17 i.e. the Pentateuch.
Unapologetically Marcia 