The Salt of the Earth

Pentecost.

“You are the salt of the earth,

but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.
You are the light of the world.

A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do you light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house.

Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Jesus ends the Beatitudes with this call to action. It is not enough to simply believe, know you are saved, and go about your business. Something is required of us.

And not only that—it seems to be required as well to rescue us from our present difficulties, our experience of oppression. If we do not do this, we are going to be trampled underfoot.

But what, exactly? “Good works,” the last verse says. And that is how it is commonly read: to go about doing good deeds, acts of mercy.

That seems reasonable enough; but those Jesus is calling here are already doing such good works. This is covered by “blessed are the merciful.” They are doing the corporal and spiritual acts of mercy.

So what is it they are now supposed to do differently?

Something resembling what salt does in food, or a lamp in a dark room.

And what is that? In a phrase, draw attention. Do something public and visible.

This cannot be good works in the conventional sense. For Jesus also tells us explicitly that we must do such good works in secret.

It must be some other kind of works.

The opposite is being tasteless, or hiding your lamp under a bushel.

This work is something that enhances, heightens, the senses.

The obvious example of a thing that enhances the senses? Art; beauty.

In fact, the primary meaning of the Greek word translated as “good,” in the phrase “good works,” is actually “beautiful.” “That they may see your beautiful works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

The passage immediately prior says we are like the prophets.

Yet there is no need for prophets in the old sense: revelation is complete in the Bible.

Nevertheless, the Bible itself says prophecy continues.

At Pentecost, St. Peter addresses the crowd, and explains that these are now the last days. And he quotes the prophet Joel:

“It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.”

The apostles at Pentecost were prophesying; and prophesying is the essential Christian act.

What we call art today is simply what was called prophecy in ancient Israel. All true art is a glimpse of eternity, of God in heaven.

Granted that there is lots of immoral art. There were always false prophets. Immoral art is simply bad art.