The Vocation of the Apostles (5:13-16)
The apostles, who were being prepared at Jesus' side for their future vocation, were to spread and guide the kingdom of heaven, to which reference was made in the Macarisms, on earth after the departure of the Master. Now that the discourse in verses 11 and 12 had already turned directly to the apostles, Jesus instructs them in this section about their vocational task encompassing all humanity and about the duty of vocational fidelity resulting from it, even in dangers and persecutions. The mode of expression is kept figurative.
Mt 5:13: Salt of the Earth
"You are the salt of the earth."
In the metaphor, salt comes into consideration primarily according to two properties: (1) it gives taste to food; (2) it counteracts putrefaction and has purifying power in general. The disciples are such a spiritual salt in that they are equipped with the power of the Gospel and with heavenly treasures of grace, with which they are able to counteract spiritual putrefaction and to make people spiritually pure and healthy as well as pleasing to God.
τῆς γῆς (of the earth) points to the universal vocational destiny of the apostles for all humanity. They are: "not teachers of one or a few people, but of the whole world" (non unius aut paucorum hominum sed totius orbis terrae magistri).
The Savior continues in the figure: "But if the salt has become tasteless" (that is, has lost its power to salt), "with what shall it be salted?" That is, how shall it regain its salting power? Without the figure: If you become unfaithful to your calling to be the spiritual salt of humanity, how will you return to your vocational effectiveness? By this the Savior does not express the absolute impossibility, but only the great difficulty of the conversion of teachers who have become unfaithful: "not that a teacher cannot be taught and amended, but that it does not usually happen or is difficult" (non quod doctor et doceri et emendari non possit, sed quod fieri non soleat aut difficile sit. Maldonatus).
The disciples would cease to be the spiritual salt of the earth if, out of avarice or ambition, out of human fear, etc., they performed their office poorly or not at all; finally, if they themselves fell away from the faith.
"It is good for nothing anymore except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people." The metaphor contains the following truths: complete unfitness for the apostolic office, exclusion from the Church, the deep disgrace to which unfaithful servants of the Lord fall victim: for "the corruption of the best is the worst" (optimi enim corruptio pessima).
Mt 5:14-15: Light of the World
Secondly, of the apostles it is said: "You are the light of the world." What the sun is for the physical world—the source of all light and all fruitfulness—that is what the apostles are for the spiritual life of people. Their task is therefore to enlighten and enliven humanity spiritually. Light of the world is primarily only Christ; the disciples are so only mediately, as representatives of Jesus, as proclaimers of his teaching and as dispensers of his means of grace.
In two further similes the task which necessarily falls to the apostles as the light of the world is explained and impressed upon them: "A city situated on a mountain cannot remain hidden." The apostles are to be compared with a city situated on a mountain and therefore visible from all sides. It is not the high position of the apostles in itself, but the duty resulting from it to be a light of the world that is impressed. The secondary emphasis lies on "non potest abscondi" (cannot be hidden); as apostles they cannot withdraw from the task of being a light of the world without becoming unfaithful to their calling.
"And one does not light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house." The disciples would therefore act directly against their calling if they wanted to withhold from the world the light entrusted to them.
Mt 5:16: Let Your Light Shine
"So let your light shine before people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
In the form of a conclusion from what precedes, the Lord now directs a serious admonition to his apostles and thereby concludes the part of his discourse directly addressed to them. "Your light," that is, the light whose bearers you are as apostles. This light shines before people when the disciples give testimony of the light bestowed upon them through word and deed, when as true disciples of their Master they combine teaching (docere) with doing (facere).
By "your works" (opera vestra) we are to understand primarily, but not exclusively, the apostolic works to which the apostles are obligated as the light of the world. They must let their light shine through the proclamation of the truth of salvation, but also by themselves conscientiously realizing it in their lives.
People should see these apostolic works for the purpose of glorifying God: "and that they may glorify your Father who is in heaven." God alone is the one who makes the apostles capable of fulfilling their vocation (2 Cor 3:5-6), therefore all glorification on account of vocational fulfillment must in the final analysis return to God.
CONTINUE
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