Commentary
This Gospel passage is a part
of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. When one thinks of the Sermon on the Mount,
one almost naturally thinks of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1 – 12). And the Beatitudes can often be interpreted
as the requirements, or things we do, in order to earn heaven.
This passage follows
immediately the Beatitudes (5: 13 – 16).
The three parables in this
short passage (about salt, light, and a city on a mountain) give the proper
orientation for the Beatitudes. They are
not something we do in order to be rewarded.
Rather, they are blessings from God (“blessed are …”). And when the disciples of Christ live these blessings,
God is glorified.
And the model of this way of
living is Jesus Christ himself. Jesus,
in his life and death, is the living Beatitudes. Thus, in the Son, the Father is glorified.
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