The Point Make your influence count for what matters. The Passage Matthew 5:13-20 The Bible Meets Life While many people crave money, others want power. They want the control and the authority that comes with power. A person in power, though, can quickly be replaced. Even the most powerful position in the world, the presidency of the United States, is up for grabs every four years. Influence is a different matter and perhaps a more powerful force. We all have influence, and Jesus taught us how we can truly make a difference with our influence. The Setting As Jesus taught His disciples directly, and the crowds less directly, He addressed a number of varied subjects. In the passage for this session, He highlighted the responsibility of His followers toward the broader society, namely to be salt and light. He also addressed accusations (because He didn t heed the misguided religious interpretations and implications of past generations) that He broke God s law, perhaps even seeking to destroy it. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 107
What does the Bible say? Mathew 5:13-20 (HCSB) The Law or the Prophets (v. 17) This shorthand phrase referred to the Old Testament. The prominence of the books of the Law (Genesis Deuteronomy) and Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and so forth) made it a suitable abbreviation. Not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter (v. 18) The Greek letter iota translates the Hebrew letter yod, the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The Greek term keraia (stroke) means horn or hook and refers to small, decorative marks added to Hebrew letters. 13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 17 Don t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 108 SeSSion 2
THE POINT Make your influence count for what matters. GET INTO THE STUDY DISCUSS: Invite your group members to turn their attention to the image on page 85 of the Personal Study Guide (PSG). Ask: What flavoring or spice could you not live without? ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL): To emphasize the illustration of the trail mix, bring some for your group to enjoy. RECAP THE PSG (PAGE 86): I m convinced very few people in the world really like trail mix. Sure, they say they do, but most of us really only eat trail mix for one reason: It contains M&M s. Before we crack open that bag of peanuts, pretzels, raisins, and chocolate, we check the ratio between the candy and everything else because we re in it for the sweets. In fact, most of us start by picking those multi-colored nuggets out first and sometimes throw away whatever is left. We can do that because trail mix is what it says it s a mixture. 10 minutes Notes TIP: Teaching is most effective and most enjoyable for you when you re not distracted. Before you begin your lesson, make sure you ve eaten, gotten enough sleep, and released your worries to God in prayer. Like a bag of trail mix, believers in Christ are mixed into the world. And like the candy in the trail mix, Christians must retain their distinctiveness even though they re mixed into all other kinds of life situations. But Christians aren t only meant to be distinct; we re meant to influence the world around us. SAY: As Jesus continued the Sermon on the Mount, He gave us some illustrations of how this kind of influence happens. ENHANCEMENT: Bring your group s attention to Pack Item #9, Matthew 5:14 poster, to highlight the focus of today s session. GUIDE: Call the group s attention to The Point on page 86 of the PSG: Make your influence count for what matters. PRAY: Transition into the Bible study by pausing to pray. Ask God to make obvious the situations in which we can offer a Christlike influence. Display Pack Item #9 to communicate the session topic. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 109
10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Matthew 5:13 Notes 13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud Matthew 5:13. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What are some specific ways God uses us to make people thirsty for Him? SUMMARIZE: Christians, through the church, are God s plan to exert influence for what really matters. As we live and work in the midst of the world, we are mixed into a culture that s around us. The temptation for us is to try and isolate ourselves from the influences of the world. But this isn t the way God desires for His people to live. DISCUSS: Question 2 on page 88 of the PSG: Salt flavors and preserves. How do Christians both preserve and improve culture? SUMMARIZE: God intends for us to stride through life with confidence, retaining our uniqueness as His people while influencing those around us. To illustrate this, Jesus likened His followers to salt. Salt seasons. It s amazing what a pinch of salt can do to bring out the flavor inside food. Similarly, when Christians exert their influence in the world, we season the world with the gospel of Christ. Salt preserves. People in Jesus day used salt to help preserve their food. Salt kept the food from going bad and enabled it to last longer. When Christians display integrity, goodness, honesty, and joy, they hold up a society whose trajectory is headed lower and lower. Salt makes you thirsty. Salty food makes you crave water to quench your thirst. Whether the world senses it or not, it is thirsty for something more. Something lasting. Something eternal. When people in the world see how followers of Christ respond to life, what the believers have in Christ and the difference it makes in their lives rises to the surface. And it makes people thirsty. TRANSITION: In the next verses, Jesus adds that His followers will not only be salt in the world, but light in the world. 110 SeSSion 2
THE POINT Make your influence count for what matters. Matthew 5:13 Commentary Influence others by being God s salt that creates an appeal for the gospel. Verse 13: Last week s session focused on the actions and attitudes of Jesus followers that are blessed by God. In this section Jesus taught that His disciples have a responsibility to exercise influence in the world. Using two familiar images, salt and light, He demonstrated how His followers can make a difference in a world permeated by dullness and darkness. Jesus frequently made use of word pictures to convey profound ideas. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus employed three metaphors. First, He declared, You are the salt of the earth. Salt was a well-known and valuable commodity in the ancient world. It was basic to human life and had a wide variety of associations. In this saying, however, it is likely Jesus had in mind salt as seasoning, a purifying agent, and a preservative. God s good world has been corrupted by human disobedience. In a sense, it has become bland and tasteless. Jesus disciples are called to restore something of the flavor and zest that has been lost. Salt also functioned as a purifying agent. Second Kings 2:19-22 describes Elisha s purifying the water at Jericho by mixing salt into contaminated, polluted water. God s world has been contaminated and polluted by human disobedience. Jesus followers must serve as purifying agents. Although Christians do not have the power to cleanse sin, as we fulfill our role as salt we can create a thirst for the gospel, which alone can bring cleansing and renewal. Finally, salt served as a preservative. Sin entered into the world determined to destroy God s creation. As a result, the world is in a state of rebellion against God. A world that rejects God can expect nothing less than decay and rottenness. Although Christians can t stop the rot, we can slow down the rotting process by standing for righteousness. What salt was to everyday life, Jesus disciples are to the world. By functioning as salt, we can influence the world by modeling a joy for living that creates an appeal for the gospel. There is a danger our influence might be muted. Jesus presented this possibility with a question: If the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? Jesus set up the ridiculous situation of trying to re-salt salt. Salted meat could be re-salted, but not salt itself. In the same way, disciples who lose their distinctive zest have nothing to contribute to the world we become tasteless and useless. How can salt be re-salted? It can t. It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. So it is for a Christian without influence. The unsalty Christian is not worthy of the name. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 111
10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Matthew 5:14-16 Notes 14 You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud Matthew 5:14-16. SUMMARIZE: Jesus told His followers, I am the light of the world (John 8:12). It s important to remember that light has one main purpose; It reveals. Light shows us the truth about what otherwise is hidden in darkness. Jesus exposed a lot of things that had been in the dark for a long time. He shined the light on the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the day. Jesus refused to accept half-hearted devotion to becoming a true follower of God. He called sin sin, and He extended love and truth with His whole self. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What hinders believers from fulfilling their distinct purposes as salt and light? DISCUSS: Question 3 on page 89 of the PSG: How do we shine our light in a way that brings glory to God and not ourselves? RECAP THE PSG (PAGE 89): Now, in these verses, Jesus extended the idea of lighting the world to His followers. Like Him, His followers are meant to light the world and to light it brightly. DO: Instruct group members to complete the activity on page 90 of the PSG on their own. If time allows, call on volunteers to share their responses. Salt & Light: In which of the following areas do you sense God calling you to exert a Christlike influence? Community Family Work Relationships Social Media Other: In what ways can you be salt and light this week? 112 SeSSion 2 TRANSITION: Jesus knew that being a light in the darkness wouldn t be easy; He warned against the temptation to dampen the bright light within us.
THE POINT Make your influence count for what matters. Matthew 5:14-16 Commentary Influence others by being the light that reflects and points to Christ. Verses 14-15: Jesus employed a second metaphor to demonstrate the Christian s responsibility in the world: You are the light of the world. For Jesus Jewish audience, the call to be light would echo Israel s call in the prophet Isaiah: I, Yahweh, have called You for a righteous purpose I will keep You and appoint You to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6; similar in 49:6; 58:10). As Israel was to be God s light to the nations, now the followers of Jesus are to be a light that points to Jesus, who is the true light (John 8:12). Light throughout Scripture functions as a symbol of God s presence (Exodus 13:21; Isaiah 60:19; 1 John 1:5). Jesus made the exclusive claim that He is the light of the world (John 8:12). Thus, to believe in Jesus is to partake of God s presence and become sons of light (12:36). In Matthew 5 Jesus called His disciples who have received the light now to spread the light, that is, to make Christ known to others. Jesus illuminated the metaphor of light with another metaphor: A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. Once again, Jesus echoed the prophet Isaiah. In a passage that speaks of Mount Zion rather than an individual Israelite, Isaiah proclaimed: Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your radiance (Isaiah 60:1-3). The city of Jerusalem was a hilltop city whose lights would be visible from a great distance. Jesus continued the emphasis on visibility with the assertion that no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. Therefore, just as a person does not light a candle and place it under a basket, and just as a city can t be hidden, so a disciple s light must not be concealed or extinguished. Once again, Jesus pointed out the foolishness of a follower of Jesus without influence. It is as absurd as salt that is not salty, or hiding a lamp whose only purpose is to be visible, or trying to hide a prominent city. Verse 16: Jesus concluded the teaching on light by highlighting the importance of good deeds in the life of the believer. While it is true that salvation is by grace through faith, and there is no amount of works a person can do to earn a relationship with God, good deeds indicate the genuineness of a person s faith (see James 2:18,20). As God s people let their light shine, those in the darkness will see their transformed lives with the result that they will give glory to your Father in heaven. Ultimately, Jesus was calling His disciples to be engaged in the world. In order for salt to have its impact as seasoning and preservative, it must penetrate the meat. In order for light to do its work, it must penetrate the darkness. In order for Christians to impact the world, we must find ways to engage the culture, not retreat from it. The more God s people withdraw from society and live our lives surrounded only by fellow believers, the less impact we will have as salt and light. Impact requires involvement. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 113
10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Matthew 5:17-20 Notes 17 Don t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud Matthew 5:17-20. SUMMARIZE: When Jesus burst onto the scene, people had a lot of questions about who He was and what He came to do. Some people looked at Jesus and thought He was making everything that came before Him irrelevant and meaningless. In verse 17, Jesus made it clear He didn t take the place of the Scriptures God had already given. Jesus said not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. Jesus didn t replace the written Word of God; He fulfilled it. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What key disciplines help you obey God s Word? DISCUSS: Question 4 on page 90 of the PSG: When has the Bible sparked your ability to live as salt and light? RECAP THE PSG (PAGE 91): How can we have righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees? We can t. But Jesus did, and He gives it to us. When we receive Jesus righteousness, we are changed on the inside. What s left for us, then, is to live out the change Jesus has brought to our hearts. We do this through our loving obedience. Those who live out this grace-filled change are like salt. And light. They influence others by visibly demonstrating what Jesus has done in their hearts. DISCUSS: Question 5 on page 91 of the PSG: What s one step you can take this week to live as salt and light? 114 SeSSion 2 TRANSITION: God s idea is that our influence would be visible for all to see, and that we would effectively point others to Christ.
THE POINT Make your influence count for what matters. Matthew 5:17-20 Commentary Influence others by your obedience to God s Word. Verse 17: Jesus made a defense against the charge that He was soft on the Law. He often found Himself in conflict with the scribes and Pharisees on issues of obedience to the Law. In response to their persistent questions, Jesus declared, don t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. The Law and Prophets is a shorthand reference for the entire Old Testament. Jesus assertion indicates that His life and teaching do not diminish, abolish, or contradict any part of Scripture. Jesus came to fulfill the Law and Prophets. He fulfilled it in His life in a way that revealed its true meaning. Verse 18: Jesus carried the idea of fulfillment of the Law and Prophets further by asserting that the Hebrew Bible faithfully and truthfully expresses God s will. To drive this point home Jesus used the image of not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. The image of the smallest letter refers to the Greek iota, likely a reference to the Hebrew yod, the smallest Hebrew consonant. The image of a stroke of a letter refers to the Greek keraia, literally horn, used as an idiom for the smallest detail, like a breathing mark or decorative mark on a letter. Until heaven and earth pass away spoke of the eternal significance of even the tiniest details of the Law s demands as they find fulfillment in Jesus. Verse 19: Jesus warned His disciples: whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Once more Jesus focused on the power the individual Christian has to influence others for good or for ill. Obedience to Scripture can influence others to do the same. Rebellion against God s commands influences others to do that as well. As we set aside even the least of these commands so we will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. While Jesus did not refer to such a person losing their relationship with God, He did acknowledge a loss of status or reward. Likewise, those who delight in obedience to God s Word will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Verse 20: Jesus saved His most shocking words for last: For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. How could Jesus possibly call His followers to exceed the scribes and Pharisees in righteousness? No one seemed to take Scripture more seriously. They were highly respected as the authoritative interpreters and teachers of the Law. How could anyone possibly exceed their righteousness? Righteousness is a critical concept. Throughout the gospels, Jesus called His disciples to a certain kind of righteousness unlike that of the scribes and the Pharisees. This righteousness is only possible for those who acknowledge Jesus as Lord and follow Him in discipleship. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 115
5 minutes LIVE IT OUT Notes SAY: Everyone influences someone else. Whether we influence many or influence a few, we all have the choice about how we live when we are mixed into the world. GUIDE: Lead your group members to consider the responses to the Bible study listed on page 92 of the PSG. Pray. Pray this week for one specific person you know who doesn t know Jesus as Savior. Meet. Ask a person you respect to use their influence to meet with you for the next several weeks to help you follow Jesus more closely. Speak. Look for a chance to speak directly about the gospel at a place outside the church or Bible study group. Wrap It Up SAY: We are all mixed into the world. The question is whether we want to flavor the mixture. Be the M&M. Get expert insights on weekly studies through the Ministry Grid (MinistryGrid.com/web/BibleStudiesForLife). 116 SeSSion 2