Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-20

So, we’re picking up where we left off last post. This passage also comes from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. In the last post we looked at those opening lines: Blessed are the poor in spirit for they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled, Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God, and so on. Those opening lines aren’t commands, and they’re not a method for how to be blessed. So, what is Jesus doing? In a sense, he is pulling back the curtain so his followers can see that they are blessed.

“Where do you abide?" "Come and you will see.”

John 1:35-51

Two important things are happening in this passage. First, little by little, we’re told who Jesus is. Notice all the different ways that people refer to him in this passage: Lamb of God, Rabbi or Teacher, Messiah, the one about whom Moses and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth, Son of God, King of Israel, Son of Man. Each time Jesus gains a new follower, our understanding of who he is becomes a little bit richer. And that’s the other important thing happening here. In this passage, Jesus is beginning to gather followers.

The Glory of God is a Living Person

When Philip requests from Jesus that he show them the Father, Jesus replies, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Let us all agree: that is quite a claim. If I were to say to you, “Friend, if you have seen me, then you have seen God,” at the very least you would be doubtful. Most likely, you would be worried. And yet, that is our Lord’s claim. If we have seen him, we have seen the Father.

The Value of One

As Christians we hold that every single individual is of value. Luke 15:1-10 speaks to why we value each individual.