SALT A ND LIGHT

The Disciple’s Influence

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they 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 so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

—Matthew 5:13–16

Jesus followed the Beatitudes with two designations or symbols of the disciple: salt and light. Both are very expressive, both designate a service beyond itself, and both are important in human experience. The Romans of Jesus’ day had a statement, “There is nothing more useful than sun and salt.” But Jesus addresses these symbols as characteristics of His kingdom members in society. These two symbols refer to the enriching and preservative influence of the Christian in the world and to the influence or witness the Christian shares of Christ.

“You are the salt of the earth” suggests at least three things: purity, preservation, and flavor. Salt in the Roman world symbolized purity—no doubt from the process of using sea water and the sun to acquire the salt. Roman soldiers were often paid in salt, the basis for the word “salary.” Jesus’ use of the symbol of salt to describe the disciple emphasizes the call and influence of purity the Christian brings to society. But salt was also a preservative in a day without refrigeration. This meaning is expressed in Jesus’ warning about salt that has lost its savor (Luke 14:34–35). Meat spoiled unless it was salted. Similarly, the kingdom member is a preserving element in society.

Salt loses itself in service to the object that is being salted or preserved, which is the third aspect of the meaning of this symbol—flavor. When salt is applied to food properly, it is not so that one can taste the salt, but so that the food itself tastes more authentically as it should. As salt makes the food more “foodier,” the disciple as the salt of the earth makes the earth more authentically as it should be. Our role in society is not to be over against it so much as it is to enrich or purify the social order, making it more truly a realm of blessing for humanity. Such enriching persons are the salt of the earth.

“You are the light of the world.” The light is a symbol of radiance, of openness, of joy compatible with the “blessedness” expressed in the Beatitudes. There is nothing secretive about the Christian commitment or way of life. The disciple is described as a light to the world, an influence for openness and honesty, for acceptance and love. This is not a call to monasticism, to a retreat from life, but a call to manifest the joy of fellowship with God as a witness to the world. As Tasker says, “The disciples must not hide themselves, but live and work in places where their influence can be felt.”

While a light is to be seen, serving as a guide for travelers, it is basically to be of service. The disciples are lights in the world, not calling attention to themselves but pointing the way of God. They obtain their light from the One who is the Light of the world. This visibility and service is expressed by Jesus in two illustrations: the city on the mountain and the candle placed on the lampstand. The light dispels darkness simply by being present. As one has said, “It does little good to curse the darkness; one should light a candle.” And the motive is to illuminate the way of God for others, that by seeing our good works they may glorify God. For this light to be seen we live openly in the midst of the world as disciples of Christ, a visible witness of the rule of Christ or of the presence of the kingdom of God.¹

God’s people in any age and under any condition are both salt and light in the world. The Scots translate “savour” by the more expressive word tang. I like their word much better. “If the salt has lost its tang.” The problem today is that most church members have not only lost their tang as salt, but as pepper they have lost their pep also. We have very few salt and pepper Christians in our day. Now salt doesn’t keep fermentation and that type of thing from taking place, but it will arrest it. You and I ought to be the salt in the earth and have an influence for good in the world.

Christians are also the light of the world. Certainly in the Kingdom the believers are going to be the light of the world. This is a tremendous principle for us. We need to be a light in our neighborhood and wherever we go. We have no light within ourselves, but the Word of God is light. Being a light means giving out the Word of God in one way or another. This doesn’t mean that you should be quoting Scripture all the time, but it does mean that you are to share the light that God has given you. It is very easy to cultivate some person, then quietly and graciously introduce them to a Bible–teaching church or radio program. There are many ways in which you can be light in the world.²

5:13 “Salt of the earth.”

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness (savour, KJV), how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”

Salt was used to season food (Job 6:6), and mixed with the fodder of cattle (Isaiah 30:24). All meat-offerings were seasoned with salt (Leviticus 2:13). To eat salt with someone was to partake of his or her hospitality, to derive subsistence from him; and hence he who did so was bound to look after his host’s interests. Ezra 4:14 reads: “We have maintenance from the king’s palace” (KJV), or “We share the salt of the palace” (NRSV).

A “covenant of salt” (Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5) was a covenant of perpetual obligation. Newborn children were rubbed with salt (Ezekiel 16:4). In our text-verse, disciples are likened unto salt, with reference to its cleansing and preserving uses. A number of years ago, Sir Lyon Playfair, a biblical writer, argued on scientific grounds that under the generic name of “salt” in certain passages, the substance mentioned is actually petroleum or its residue asphalt. Thus in Genesis 19:26 it would read “pillar of asphalt;” and in Matthew 5:13, instead of “salt,” “petroleum,” which loses its essence by exposure, as salt does not, and becomes asphalt, from which pavements were made.

Someone who is referred to as the “salt of the earth” has a basic, fundamental goodness; the phrase can be used to describe any good person.³

13. The Beatitudes are followed by a summary statement of the basic character of the Christian’s life as salt and light. Ye are the salt of the earth; again the phrase ye are indicates that only the genuinely born-again person is salt and can help meet the needs of the world. The salt adds flavoring, acts as a preservative, melts coldness and heals wounds. Thus it is a very appropriate description of the believer in his relationship to the world in which he lives. The term “lose its savor” refers to its essential saltiness. Jesus was actually saying that if the salt loses its saltiness, it is worthless. The implication of this statement is that if a Christian loses his effectiveness, his testimony will be trampled under the feet of men.

14–16. Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs and he has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity. He is to set it up on a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, e.g., basket. Inconsistent living and unconfessed sin in the life of the believer will become a basket-like covering which hides the light of God. God provides the light and it continues to shine, but as believers we must keep our lives clean before the Lord in order not to cover up the light which He has placed within us. Darkness is the absence of light and darkness alone cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness. Therefore, let your light shine through a clean life before the Lord and before the world in which you live.⁴

5:13 Pure salt maintains its flavor. In Israel, some salt was mixed with other ingredients. When it was exposed to the elements, the salt would be “leached out.” Such leached-out salt was used for coating pathways.

5:16 Let your light so shine: Whereas salt passively affects its environment for good, light must be properly placed so as to best glorify the Father. As Jesus was “the light of the world” … “As long as I am in the world” (John 9:5), the believer now takes that place as the only of the world” to glorify the Father. The believer does not have inherent light; we have reflective light. As we behold the glory of the Lord, we reflect it. Therefore, we need to make sure that nothing comes between us and the Lord’s light (2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 2:14–16).⁵

Matthew 5:13

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Salt promotes thirst, and as the salt of the earth, we should be making those around us thirsty for the living water of Jesus Christ. People should say, “There’s something about you that creates in me a thirst for what you’re enjoying.”

Salt also preserves and heals. Therefore, if our culture is putrefying and decaying, we then, as the church, should hold back from indicting our society or critiquing our political leaders and begin preserving by repenting. “Lord, have we lost our saltiness? Have we lost our flavor and our effectiveness?”

Second Chronicles 7:14 declares, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” It begins with us, gang. We are the salt.

Matthew 5:14–16

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Whenever Jesus did a miracle, people didn’t ask Him to pose for a picture or to embark on a speaking tour. They simply glorified the Father. How I respect and admire Jesus for being able to work in such a way that He didn’t draw attention or glory to Himself, but only to His Father.⁶

13 ¶ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

In our Christian course we are not to trouble ourselves with what men say of us, and do unto us, but only to attend to our duty of holiness, and an exemplary life, which is what our Saviour presseth plainly, ver. 16, and leads his hearers to it by four comparisons, which he instituteth betwixt them and four other things. The first we have in this verse, Ye are the salt of the earth: the doctrine which you profess is so, a thing as opposite as can be to the putrefaction of the world, both in respect to corrupt doctrine and corrupt manners (therefore, by the way, it will be no wonder if they resist it by reviling and persecuting you). You are the salt of the earth, through the grace of God bestowed upon you, Mark 9:50; Col. 4:6. If it were not for the number of sound and painful ministers, and holy and gracious persons, the earth would be but a stinking dunghill of drunkards, unclean persons, thieves, murderers, unrighteous persons, that would be a stench in the nostrils of a pure and holy God. Look as it is in the world, if the salt hath lost its savour, its acrimony, by which it opposeth putrefaction in fish and flesh, not the fish or flesh only will be good for nothing, but the salt itself, so infatuated, (as it is in the Greek,) will be good for nothing, but to be cast upon a dunghill and trodden under foot. So it is with ministers of the gospel, so with the professors of it; if they have lost their soundness in the faith, and holiness of life, they are of no value, nay, they are worse than other men. Money, if it be clipped in pieces, and hath lost its usefulness as coin, yet is of use for a goldsmith; meat corrupted, if it will not serve for men, yet will feed dogs; salt is good for nothing. No more are pretended ministers or Christians; their excellency lies in their savour; if that be lost, wherewith shall they be salted? of what use are they, unless to cause the name of God and religion to be blasphemed? Such another similitude the prophet useth, Ezek. 15:2, 3.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

You that are to be my apostles are so eminently, but all you that are my disciples are so also. Christ is the Light of the world, John 1:4, 9; but though the sun be the light of the world, yet it doth not follow that the moon and the stars also are not so: he is the original Light, the great Light who hath light from and in himself. The ministers of the gospel are the lights of the world also; the angels of churches are stars, Rev. 1:20, and holy persons are children of light, 1 Thess. 5:5. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. The church is often called the city of God. Christ compares his people here not to a city, but to a city upon a hill; so that all for which our Saviour mentions a city here, is the conspicuity of a city so built. It is as much as if our Saviour should have said, You had need be holy, for your conversation cannot be hid, any more than a city can that is built upon a hill, which is obvious to every eye. All men’s eyes will be upon you.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under ║a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

You ought also to consider the end why I have communicated of my light unto you; it is in part the same with that of men: when they light up a candle in a room, which is to show light to all those that are in the room, they do not use to light it up to hide it under a vessel, or a bushel; so I have not communicated my truths or my grace unto you merely for your own use, but for others’ use. It is said of John, (by our Saviour,) he was a burning and shining light: so is every true minister of the gospel, yea, and every true Christian; not only a burning light, burning with love to God, and zeal for God, and love to and zeal for the souls of others; but also a shining light, communicating his light to others, both by instruction and a holy conversation. Others’ pretended candles were never of God’s lighting.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and ^tglorify your Father which is in heaven.

Our Saviour now plainly tells us what he intended by the comparisons before mentioned. Let the light of that doctrine which you receive from me, and the light of your holy conversation, (the latter by the following words seemeth to be here principally intended,) so shine before men, be so evident and apparent unto men, that they may see your good works; all sorts of good works, whatsoever I have commanded or shall command you; and as I command you, and in obedience to such commands, otherwise they are no good works; and glorify your Father which is in heaven. You are not in your good actions to aim at yourselves, to be seen of men, as Matt. 6:1, nor merely at doing good to others; good works are to be maintained for necessary uses, Tit. 3:14, but having a primary and principal respect to the glorifying of your Father; for, John 15:8, Herein is my Father glorified, if ye bear much fruit: not that we can add any thing to God’s essential glory, but we may predicate and manifest his glory; which how we can do by good works, if they proceed from mere power and liberty of our own wills, not from his special efficacious grace, is hard to understand. Our Father is said to be in heaven, because, though his essential presence filleth all places, yet he is pleased there, more than any where, to manifest his glory and majesty.⁷

More so than the idea of zest is Jesus’ principal point, which has to do with salt’s function as a preservative. One task of the church is to help keep the world from self-destruction. Historic Christianity is often criticized for bringing warfare and great pain to the world. Indeed, zealous Christians have brought division, but the criticisms leveled are a serious distortion of the historical record. If we consider the history of Western civilization, we see that by the time Christ came, the golden age of Greece had turned to rust, and the culture of Athens had degenerated into barbarianism. That empire gave way to Rome, and Rome ended in the same depth of pagan corruption.

It has been said that the intellectual history of the Western world was saved by the intellectual contributions of the apostle Paul, in particular, and of Christianity, in general. It has also been said that the advent of Christianity is what saved Western culture from pure barbarianism. If we look over the influence of the Christian church, particularly in the West from the first century to the present day, we will see that the Christian church more than any other institution has been responsible for the inauguration of higher education. The university system was the brainchild of the Christian church. It was the Christian church that brought in the arts—music, painting, and literature. Many of the world’s greatest artists have been Christians, and the same is true in the realm of music, with Christians such as Bach, Mendelssohn, Handel, and Vivaldi. Additionally, the Christian church began the hospital movement in the West. It was the Christian church, following the mandate of Jesus to care for orphans, that ushered in orphanages. Although the New Testament was written at a time when slavery was still in vogue, John Murray once made the observation that all the seeds for the abolition of slavery were sown in the pages of the New Testament. So, in a very real sense, the church of Christ has been the preservative that God has used to keep Western civilization from imploding from internal corruption.

Some historians say we are living in the post-Christian era. Others have described our culture as neo-pagan. Others have gone further and described it as neo-barbarian. It seems to me that only barbarians would slaughter their unborn children at the rate of one-and-a-half million per year. A nation that tolerates that kind of corruption cannot last. The church is trying to be salt to help preserve our culture while the culture is doing everything in its power to remove the influence of the church from the mainstream of American life. At present, we still have some protection from persecution. We are free to meet for public worship, but our freedom is limited by those who say that Christians will be tolerated only if they keep out of the public square. The minute we take the message of Christ into the culture, we run into the resistance of the pagan culture.

When the settlers came to this country and were met by Native Americans, a war broke out. The Indians were subdued. They were allowed to live in America but only under restrictions, and they were relegated to reservations, which isolated them from the mainstream of cultural life. I fear that is similar to the lot of the Christian church in our day: we are allowed to exist as long as we stay on our reservation. If we were salt like the disciples were salt, if we ventured as boldly into the public square as Paul did in the early church, we would experience jail and beatings and persecutions. We have been taught to keep the salt in the saltshaker, where it will do no harm.

Despite the resistance of a decaying culture, that same culture is kept from self-destruction by the influence of Christ and His people. We are called not to wring our hands and groan about how bad things are becoming; we are called to preserve what is worth preserving in the world around us.⁸

You are the light of the world” (v. 14). That seems strange, because Jesus said that He is the light of the world (John 8:12). It is Jesus who came into the darkness, and the darkness could not overcome Him. Here Jesus takes that title, “light of the world,” and transfers it to His disciples. Of course, the light that Christ brings to the world originates in Himself, whereas the light that we have is borrowed. Our light is a reflection of His light. But if we have His light in us, that light cannot be hidden. It will be made manifest.

My best friend in college and in seminary was a young man who had been born and raised in the mission fields of Sudan and Ethiopia. His father was a pioneer missionary for fifty years among primitive tribes, for many of which he was the first white man they had ever seen. One day my friend showed me a photograph of a group of natives from an animus tribe to which he had ministered. “There are twelve natives in this picture who are Christians. See if you can identify them,” he said. There was nothing distinctive about those in the picture. They all looked and dressed the same way. Nevertheless, choosing the twelve was an easy task—they were the ones who were radiant. The joy and life of Christ was written plainly on their countenance. Having come out of utter darkness, they reflected the light of Christ.

Just as salt preserves against decay, so light brings truth to bear and rescues people out of darkness. During the Middle Ages the darkness of this world had cast a huge shadow over the church itself and all but eclipsed the gospel. When the gospel was recovered, light burst on the scene. Christ came into a world that was completely engulfed by darkness, and He said to His people, “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house” (vv. 14–15). No one in the ancient world would have been so foolish as to take his lantern or candle and put a bushel basket over it, because a candle covered by a basket has no value. It might start a fire, but it certainly would not give light. Candles were put onto a stand so that the house would be well lit. We are to let our light shine that way rather than conceal it.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (v. 16). In this same sermon Jesus is sharply critical of the Pharisees, who paraded their piety for all to see, prayed on the street rather than in their closets, and did not anoint their heads when they fasted but displayed their self-denial. Jesus is sharply critical of the hypocrisy of appearing pious, but the light He puts in His people is designed to be seen by all. When His light shines through, people see your contribution to a dying world. They will see your mercy to the widow, to the orphan, to the imprisoned, to the sick, and to the dying, not so that you will receive the applause of men but so that God may be glorified.

The reason for our Christian lives is to glorify God. What is man’s chief end? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Johann Sebastian Bach understood that, which is why he wrote, at the end of each of his compositions, “Soli Deo Gloria.” He offered his musical works as praise to the glory of God. Likewise, whatever we do, whatever we achieve, is to be done for His glory to manifest His light. We are supposed to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Following Christ goes far beyond private spirituality. It also involves a believer’s public life, particularly through work and participation in the community. Jesus used two metaphors to describe that dynamic: salt (Matt. 5:13) and light (5:14–16). In Jesus’ day, salt was used to preserve foods like fish from decay. In the same way, believers can help to preserve society from moral and spiritual decay. Of course, in our culture, salt has given way to chemical preservatives (many of which have come under attack in recent years for their alleged role in causing cancer). So Jesus might use a different metaphor were He speaking today.

Perhaps He would talk in terms of an infection-fighting drug, such as an antibiotic like penicillin, or the sulfa drugs developed in the 1940s that have proved so valuable in fighting meningitis and pneumonia. Christians can help to ward off spiritual infections and diseases in the larger society. One of the most powerful arenas for influence is the workplace, particularly jobs that affect values, laws, and public opinion. That’s why believers need to pursue careers in education, government, and journalism, among many others. They may not be able to transform the entire society, but they can use whatever influence they have to promote Christlike values and hinder evil.

Jesus also called His followers “the light of the world” (5:14), an image that fits perfectly into modern society. The Lord’s first-century listeners would be astonished at the availability and importance of light in our culture. We use it not only to illuminate but also to communicate. Thus, Jesus wants us as His followers to shine, to be visible and attractive, not to bring attention to ourselves, but to bring people to God (5:16). Again, our vocations are one of the primary means we have to reflect Christ to others.

Jesus’ teaching here challenges us as His followers to ask: How are we engaging our society? What spiritual infections are we fighting to overcome? What positive changes are we trying to promote? What impact for God are we having through our work? Have we lost our saltiness (5:13)? Are we standing like burned-out street lights, ineffective and waiting to be removed? Or are we shining brilliantly with the love and truth of Christ⁹

5:14 “You are the light of the world.” As salt makes a difference in people’s food, so light makes a difference in their surroundings. Jesus would later explain, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Christ’s disciples must live for Christ, shining like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. They are like lights in a dark world, showing clearly what Christ is like. Because Jesus is the light of the world, his followers must reflect his light.

5:15 “Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.” People place lights on stands for them to spread their warm glow. The disciples should continue to reflect the light of their Master, the light of the world. They must not try to conceal their light any more than they would light a lamp and then hide it. Being Christ’s disciples means spreading the light to everyone with whom we have contact.

5:16 “In the same way” that a light shines from a stand, Christ’s disciples must let their light shine before others by letting their “good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Jesus made it clear that there would be no mistaking the source of a believer’s good works. The believer’s light shines not for himself but to reflect the light back to the Father and so direct people to him.

Title : MacArthur's New Testament Commentary: Matthew 1-7
Edition : First
Copyright : Copyright © 1985 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 1997, Parsons Technology, Inc.

Jesus also calls us to be light. You are the light of the world. Whereas salt is hidden, light is obvious. Salt works secretly, while light works openly. Salt works from within, light from without. Salt is more the indirect influence of the gospel, while light is more its direct communication. Salt works primarily through our living, while light works primarily through what we teach and preach. Salt is largely negative. It can retard corruption, but it cannot change corruption into incorruption. Light is more positive. It not only reveals what is wrong and false but helps produce what is righteous and true. In his introduction to the book of Acts, Luke refers to his gospel as “the first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach” (1:1). Christ’s work always has to do with both doing and speaking, with living and teaching. David wrote, “For with Thee is the fountain of life; in Thy light we see light” (Ps. 36:9). “God is light,” John reminds us, “and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7). Light is not given simply to have but to live by. “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path,” the psalmist tells us (Ps. 119:105). God’s light is to walk by and to live by. In its fullest sense, God’s light is the full revelation of His Word—the written Word of Scripture and the living Word of Jesus Christ. God’s people are to proclaim God’s light in a world engulfed in darkness, just as their Lord came “to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death” (Luke 1:79). Christ is the true light, and we are His reflections. He is the Sun, and we are His moons. A free rendering of 2 Corinthians 4:6 could be, “God, who first ordered the light to shine in the darkness has flooded our hearts with His light. We now can enlighten men only because we can give them knowledge of the glory of God as we have seen it in the face of Jesus Christ” God sheds His light on the world through those who have received His light through Jesus Christ. The Jews had long claimed to have God’s light, and He had long called them to be His light. But because they had ignored and rejected His light, they could not be His light. They were confident that they were guides “to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,” but Paul told them they were blind guides and lamps without light. “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself?” he asks (Rom. 2:19-21). They had the light, but they were not living by it. “You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal?” Paul continues by way of illustration. “You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?” (vv. 21-22). We are to prove ourselves “to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we are to] appear as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15). By its nature and by definition light must be visible in order to illuminate. Christians must be more than the largely indirect influence of salt; they must also be the direct and noticeable instruments of light. Both in the daytime and at night, a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. It is exposed for all to see. By day its houses and buildings stand out on the landscape, and at night the many lights shining out of its windows make it impossible to miss. A secret Christian is as incongruous as a hidden light. Lights are to illuminate, not to be hidden; to be displayed, not to be covered. Christians are to be both subtle salt and conspicuous light. God did not give the gospel of His Son to be the secret, hidden treasure of a few but to enlighten every person (John 1:9). Many reject the light and reject those who bring it, but just as God offers His light to the whole world, so must His church. It is not our gospel but God’s, and He gives it to us not only for our own sakes but the entire world’s. True believers are salt and light, and must fulfill that identity.

1 Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Matthew (Vol. 24, p. 18). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

2 McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Gospels (Matthew 1-13) (electronic ed., Vol. 34, pp. 77–78). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

3 Freeman, J. M., & Chadwick, H. J. (1998). Manners & customs of the Bible (p. 409). North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers.

4 Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (p. 1886). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

5 Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (Mt 5:13–16). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.

6 Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (p. 27). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

7 Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 3, pp. 21–22). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.

8 Sproul, R. C. (2013). Matthew (pp. 96–98). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

9 Word in life study Bible. (1996). (electronic ed., Mt 5:13). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.