God’s People are Elemental Salt & Light – 5 February 2023

For each reading, ask yourself two questions:

1. What are the human beings doing?

2. What is the Divine doing?

Keep in mind the definition of God’s people in both Isaiah and Matthew, especially, as salt and light.

Matthew 5:13–20

In Jesus’ time, there were people who wanted to overthrow the Roman Empire: Zealots. They wanted to kill their enemies rather than love them. The zealots hoped that Jesus would be the leader of their army. Some people say Judas Iscariot was a zealot who betrayed Jesus because Jesus didn’t turn out to be the guy who would lead squadrons of fighters. Jesus rejected the way of the zealots. The reason: we can’t exercise our saltiness and lightness by ignoring the commandments.

Maybe you would think, then, that Jesus would be all in favor of the Pharisees because they were rigid about keeping the law. They were driven! But Jesus rejected the Pharisees’ way, too, right along with rejecting the zealots. Jesus did not hold either of them up as examples.

He saw that the Pharisees held tight to the rules because they were keeping themselves pure so that when the future Reign of God came they would be acceptable. They operated out of fear and misguided adherence to boundaries that too often kept them away from people who they deemed to be sinners.

In the face of the bad things that happen in this world, Jesus distinguished between on the one hand, the people who want to turn to violence (zealots) and on the other hand, the people who want to withdraw into their own piety (Pharisees). Jesus says we have to live with the tensions. Don’t think of armed insurrection as a good option. Don’t think of hiding under the bed as a good option. Live with your neighbors in full trust that God is with you. Do everything out of love because you are blessed children of God. –– Melinda A. Quivik

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 [13–16]

Paul describes his inabilities (his halting speech, his simple words) as vehicles for pointing to the power not of himself but of God. God’s gift of the Spirit is the window through which we can grasp God’s gifts to us. –– Melinda A. Quivik

Isaiah 58:1–9a [9b–12]

As we know, Isaiah scolded the people because they had not done their job. Given freedom and a new land, God commanded that they be righteous. In response, they did what they thought they were supposed to do. They fasted. They followed the rules. But God saw right through it. God knew it wasn’t real, that it didn’t mean much, because it didn’t come from a place of humility and care for others.

God proclaims through Isaiah that when the people respond to their neighbors’ needs out of genuine empathy rather than fear of God’s retribution, “light shall break forth like the dawn” and “healing shall spring up.” God will make this happen. –– Melinda A. Quivik

Melinda Quivik, an ordained ELCA pastor (who served churches in Montana, Michigan, and Minnesota) and former professor of worship and preaching, is the Editor-in-Chief of Liturgy, a writer, and a preaching mentor with Backstory Preaching at backstory-preaching.mn.co.