Bible Expositions: Matthew

Salt & Light (Matthew 5:13-16)

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus instructs his disciples to be the ‘Salt of the Earth’ and the ‘Light of the World’.

Salt had two major uses in ancient society. The first was to function as a preservative and prevent food from decaying. In like manner, Jesus’ disciples are to preserve what is good in society by doing good and opposing evil. The other purpose of salt was to enhance or heighten the taste of food. In this sense, Jesus’ disciples are to model a way of living in which life is lived in the will and power of God.

Before moving on, Jesus warns his disciples that they will become indistinguishable from the rest of society and be useless to Jesus if they lose their saltiness. They must, therefore, actively remain salty to avoid being thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Jesus also compares his disciples to light by using two illustrations. The first focuses on a city on a hill. Due to its lofty location and consequent visibility, the city cannot be concealed or hidden from sight. Jesus is the hill on which his disciples must stand and as they imitate Jesus they will be distinguished from society and visible. Jesus adds that a lamp is also not lighted to be concealed and placed out of sight. In this sense, Jesus has set his disciples alight and they have been sent to carry the flame of Jesus into a world that is dark and sinful.

Jesus assures his disciples that as they remain situated on his hill and faithfully shine his light some will see their good works and be drawn to God the Father. Jesus' disciples will therefore draw others into the Kingdom of God for salvation by modelling the Kingdom themselves.

Sin & Reconciliation (Matthew 5:21-26)

In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus talks with his disciples about anger and murder. According to Jesus, a person’s outer actions are determined by their inner state. For example, the outer action of murder is often motivated by the inner state of anger. It isn’t enough as members of God's Kingdom to refrain from murdering or lashing out. Instead, Jesus' disciples are to cultivate love and forgiveness towards those who have angered and frustrated them. Jesus' emphasis is that God is interested in the inner person and not simply the outer action and it's within that God’s Kingdom is truly manifest. It is also worth noting that just as God is patient with us in our sins against Him, we should likewise be patient when others sin against us. We imitate the King as members of the Kingdom.

Jesus continues this theme in Matthew 5:23-24. When approaching God in prayer or religious worship, we should recognise our sins against others and strive for reconciliation. Sometimes this isn’t possible or safe but we should at least be aware of the hurt we have caused others and be willing to reconcile if possible.

Jesus pushes this theme further in Matthew 5:25-26 and speaks of reconciliation with God. A prudent person tries to settle a matter (especially if guilty) before being taken to court and judged. According to Jesus, we are guilty of sin and have the chance to settle our sin with God before it’s too late. Prior to death, which will be followed by judgment (our scheduled court date), we can receive God’s forgiveness in Christ through faith and be born into a new life by the power of the Holy Spirit. This means that when we enter God’s presence after death we will be fully forgiven and our sins will not be held against us. Good News! Jesus' point is that God wants to forgive and has made our forgiveness possible in Christ (the Jewish Messiah) but we must act before it’s too late.

The Hidden Treasure & Valuable Pearl (Matthew 13:44-46)

In Matthew 13:44-46, Jesus tells two short parables or stories about the Kingdom of God. Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to two men who discovered items of great value. The first man was digging in a field when he happened to find a treasure buried in the ground. Immediately and without hesitation, the man sold all his possessions to buy the field and acquire the treasure. The second man was a searching merchant who discovered a valuable pearl. Similarly, the man sold all he had to purchase the pearl.

One possible interpretation of Jesus’ parables is that the hidden treasure and the valuable pearl represent the Kingdom of God. When we weren’t expecting it (the man working in the field) or after looking for it for a long time (the merchant searching for valuable pearls), God placed it in our path. Now that we’ve found it and realised how precious it is, we should be willing to do everything within our power to obtain and keep it.

Another interpretation is that Jesus is the man represented in the two stories and his purchase of us represents the Kingdom of God. Jesus recognised both our compromised and sinful state (dirty and buried in the ground) as well as our potential to reflect and image God in fellowship (the beauty of the valuable pearl) and he did everything within his power to purchase us for himself. Jesus put aside his divine glory and surrendered himself to death (sold all he had) to atone for our sins and purchase eternal forgiveness for us through his name.

It should be noted that these interpretations are not exclusive and can be used reciprocally. In response to Jesus doing all within his power to purchase us, we should do all within our power to obtain and keep him. In other words, Jesus' love and self-sacrifice for us should be reflected in our love and self-sacrifice for him.

Image & Ownership (Matthew 22:15-22)

In Matthew 22:15-22, Jesus is approached by the Jewish authorities (the Pharisees and Herodians) and questioned about paying taxes to Rome. Should the Jewish people pay taxes to Rome or not? The question was purposefully designed to trap Jesus. If Jesus answered favourably, they would have accused Jesus of supporting the unjust occupation of their land and used this to turn the common people against him. However, if Jesus answered unfavourably, they would have accused Jesus of sedition and reported him to the Roman authorities. Either way, Jesus was trapped.

In response, Jesus asked for a coin to be brought forward and requested that its image and inscription be highlighted. The coin, like the standard coins used to pay the Roman Imperial Tax, was inscribed with Caesar's image and inscription. Jesus then pointed out that since the coin contains Caesar's image and inscription it must belong to Caesar and should be given to him. Jesus added that what belongs to God should likewise be given to God.

Jesus used this illustration to teach an important truth about the unique relationship between God and humanity. According to Jesus, an image and inscription can reveal where something came from and who it belongs to. In this case, Caesar’s image and inscription show that the coin came from Caesar and belonged to him. Therefore, Jesus says, 'Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s'. However, Jesus extends this principle and applies it to God ('Give to God what is God's'). What uniquely carries God’s image and inscription and belongs to Him?

According to Genesis 1:26-27, humanity was created in God’s image and has been inscribed with God’s inscription (so to speak). This means that humanity originated from God and therefore belongs to Him (God created the human soul and placed His image upon it). Jesus' point is that just as the Roman coin that contains the image and inscription of Caesar should be given back to Caesar, so too should the human soul that contains the image and inscription of God be given back to God. Put another way, rather than worrying about whether taxes should be given to Rome, worry instead about whether your inner soul is being given to God through your daily living. The Apostle Paul identifies this as the true and proper worship that humanity can offer to God (Romans 12:1-2). It should be noted too that the word ‘redemption’ can mean the return of something to its rightful owner, which is exactly what Jesus did when he disarmed Satan by atoning for human sin.