Salt and light: Reading Matthew 5:13–16 within the context of the Matthean community

Abstract

The pericope of Matthew 5–7, known traditionally as the Sermon on the Mount, has provided scholars with fertile ground for research over the last two millennia. However, one finds scant evidence of scholarly exegesis that reveals an understanding of the Sermon’s message from within the fractured social situation of the diverse Matthean community following the first Jewish War. Some scholars assert that the writers of the Gospels had no particular audience in mind when writing. This approach would make the Sermon a collection of generic proverbs or universally applicable tropes. Conversely, this study suggests that the social situation of the Matthean community is not only foundational but essential when reading the commands found in the pericope. The research investigates the historical and social context in Syria, Galilee, and Judea post AD 70 and the first Jewish revolt. This focus on the social situation is used as a lens through which to read Matthew 5:13–16. This study postulates that following the destruction of Jerusalem, the Matthean community would have experienced great angst, giving rise to a temptation to assimilate in order to survive. However, Matthew 5:13–16 instructs this community, “Be salt and light. Do not hide your light under a bushel and do not assimilate into the community and become useless.”