Jesus made extensive use of metaphor when he taught and preached. He found word pictures the most useful way to convey his meaning. These are deliberately imprecise and open to variable interpretations. Almost as though the wresting conversation that would ensue down through history was a design feature of this approach.
This morning we are presented with the call to be salt and light, and to fulfil the Law by surpassing the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees. As with so many of Jesus’ sayings, there is no comfortable way to hear this call. It cuts to the core of our natural desire to simply ‘fit in’. Even when we think about being different, we prefer to be different in the same ways as everyone else!
