Jesus: Light of the World

Who is Jesus?  A bible study through the season after Epiphany during which you use the See-Judge-Act methodology.  Aida Irizarry-Fernandez describes this way of bible study as an "action/reflection process rooted in liberation theology and thinking." (Engaging the Bible: Critical Readings from Contemporary Women chapter III "A Communal Reading" page 17)  You'll need an open heart, a willing spirit, and a creative imagination to explore the text in this way.  When you finish your study, discover your own breath prayer.  The breath prayer is an ancient form of repetitive prayer which will emerge from your engagement with the biblical text.  

Study Suggestion:  Why not consider asking a few people to join you in a "communal" reading using this See-Judge-Act method!  

Matthew 5:13-20          "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot.  "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.  "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.  For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.  Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Movement 1/See (Read the Text closely/Examination:) We pay attention to the story, the characters, and their original context.   Re-create the scene in your mind’s eye.  Consider time, place, and people.  Consider what you learn from your five senses.    What do you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch?    Visualize what Jesus was doing as he engaged other people … family, friends, strangers and enemies.

Last week we looked at the “beatitudes” or the blessings of Jesus which came at the beginning of the “Sermon on the Mount.”    Jesus teaches the disciples and his followers about living in the kingdom of God.  Jesus is a very down to earth person when he talks about spiritual things.  He often tells stories, and he is able to take very ordinary things that we all understand to make his point such as salt and light.   

Salt enhances flavor and is used as a preservative.  The Harper Collins Bible Dictionary tells us that salt was “the most commonly used seasoning in antiquity.”  (959)  I don’t recall salt ever losing its flavor in my experience, but if it did what good would it be?    Now, think about the light Jesus would have experienced.  Today we have to go pretty deep in the wilderness to find true darkness.  The ambient lighting of our cities and neighborhoods keep us from truly comprehending the darkness that Jesus is talking about in this passage.   In his time, people used candles to light up the night … If one put that candle underneath anything it wouldn’t just be hidden, it would have gone out completely due to lack of oxygen.  Let us not lose sight of the global effect of these words … we are salt of the EARTH and light of the WORLD so that everyone can see, experience, and praise God.      

Read the text again slowly and listen to Jesus, light of the World, calling each of us to be salt and light in the world … remembering what that must have meant to the first hearers of this text.   As you read listen let the scene unfold in your mind as you imagine yourself sitting there in the grass on the side of the mountain … let your senses take in the scene.  What do you see … hear … taste … smell … touch?  Which of your senses comes alive with this reading?   

As you consider these two ordinary objects, salt and light, which of them do you feel more like in the world:  Are you like a seasoning/ preservative or more like a light that shines?   How so?   How do you bring people into the presence of God in Christ?

Movement 2/Judge (Look at your Life/Spiritual Discernment:) We seek to examine our own lives as we live in community ... search the text as you keep it in its original context and bring it into the "now" through the act of cross-cultural reading.   Consider why Jesus acted as he did and said the things that needed to be said.  Concentrate your attention on Jesus as you seek to be formed in his image and live as he lived.  

Read the text again.  Suddenly there is a turn in his teaching as Jesus gets almost confrontational.  “Do not think …”   The scribes and the Pharisees were the teachers and interpreters of the Law (the Torah, the first five books of the bible) and in the end Jesus tells us we must exceed their righteousness … dikaiosune {dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay} which means in a condition acceptable to God.    What emotions emerge within you when you hear Jesus say and perhaps point his finger at you in your imagination “… not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished?”    

Honestly, many commentators find this passage to be quite difficult to translate … so can we let that go and breathe into it?   Can we find good news in this passage?  What is it?  Is the good news life-giving or life-draining to your community right now?   What difference are we making in the community around us?   Who would miss your community if you were no longer there?   How does this passage challenge you and/or your community as you seek to grow in your relationship with God?  How is God inviting you and your community to change?  

Movement 3/Act (Take action in Light of your Faith/Transformation:) We are called to work so that the reign of God can be realized in the world today.  Work with creativity and compassion, follow the Spirit, meditate on the Word and expect that God will show you how to take action as you apply what you have learned.  


What steps does my community or do I need to take in order to respond to the invitation that I hear God extending?  How can we work with one another to grow in righteousness?  Who needs to be involved in our efforts to seek and find God already working in our neighborhood?   How can we make this world a better place for people to live?  What would my life look like if the reign of God were realized in my heart?   In my church?  In our neighborhood?


Prayer:  “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required.”  (Luke 12:48b NRSV)  As we are called to act, we sincerely seek the empowerment of Spirit and we are changed.  We become more like Christ.  I invite you to discover your breath prayer:

• Take time to quiet yourself within. Acknowledge and then let go of all your busy thoughts.
• Allow a “new” name for God to emerge or simply use the name you usually use when you pray to God
• Consider the invitation to follow Jesus that emerged during your time of study
• Work with your words until you have about 6-8 syllables which is the most comfortable to breathe … or pray this one: 

(breath in) Jesus, you … (breath out) are my light … 

As you continue to pray your prayer as you breathe throughout the day, you may find that God’s invitation seeps into you and that God’s love begins to flow in to you and out from you into a world that hurts.  

If Music is a Pathway to God’s Presence for you …
Listen to Michael W. Smith singing … Here I am to Worship (Light of the World)

Listen to Sonic Flood singing … Here I am to Worship (Light of the World)