Text
13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt were to become tasteless, what could make it salty again? It would not be good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket- they put it on a lampstand, and it illuminates everything in the house. 16 Thus should your light shine before others, so that they see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.
17 Do not think that I came to abolish the Law and the Prophets. I came not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For amen I say to you, until heaven and earth should pass away, not one letter or mark will pass away from the Law until all things have come to pass. 19 Whoever puts aside one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever observes them and teaches others to do will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Text
Jesus teaches his followers that they are to have an animating presence in the world, and if they fail to do this, they are as useless as tasteless salt or a lamp hidden under a basket. They must be known for their joy, kindness, and mercy. Their lives are to be of such a caliber that they make it easier for others to believe in a loving God.
In the NT, “Law” (nomos in Greek) usually refers to the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy. In this context “Prophets” means the Nevi’im: Joshua through the Twelve Minor Prophets. Hence “the Law and the Prophets” means the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus is the long-expected Messiah to whom the Hebrew Scriptures pointed, and so they are fulfilled by his coming. For the time being, even the least of the Scriptural commandments (of which there were 613) are in force, but that will change when “all things have come to pass” and “heaven and earth pass away.” The “all things” refers to Jesus’ saving mission: his ministry, passion, death, and resurrection. “Heaven and earth passing away” refers not the end of the physical universe, but rather is a metaphorical description of the start of the Messianic Age, based on Isaiah 65.15-25. The Christian practice of reading the OT in light of the events of Jesus’ life and observing the Ten Commandments while setting aside the ritual and cultic commandments of the OT is in keeping with the spirit of this passage.
