Matthew 5:13-16

“And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt” (emphasis mine) (Leviticus 2:13).

“All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee” (emphasis mine) (Numbers 18:19).

“And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;

“Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?” (emphasis mine) (2 Chronicles 13:4-5).

“And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock.

“When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.

“And thou shalt offer them before the Lord, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the Lord” (emphasis mine) (Ezekiel 43:22-24).

He tells His disciples they “are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14).

“Unfortunately, some Latter-day Saints seem to forego unselfish service to others, choosing instead to fix their priorities on the standards and values of the world. Jesus cautioned that Satan desires to sift us like wheat (see Luke 22:31; 3 Nephi 18:18), which means to make us common like all those around us. But Jesus taught that we who follow Him should be precious and unique, ‘the salt of the earth’ (Matthew 5:13) and ‘the light of the world,’” to shine forth to all men (Matthew 5:14, 16; see also 3 Nephi 18:24).”[1]

“Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:15-16).

“Light is … a stunning choice for a symbol of discipleship and exemplary behavior. It, too, is ultimately a reference to Jesus Himself. Later in His ministry, Jesus openly declared that He was ‘the light of the world’ and that whoever followed Him would ‘not walk in darkness’ (John 8:12). He was even more pointed and encompassing: ‘I am the law, and the light’ (3 Nephi 15:9).

“It would seem that in pointing His listeners to an increased knowledge and understanding of God the Father, Jesus also pointed them to Himself. In many ways, Jesus taught His students the close connection between the Father and the Son. He seems to be saying, “When you become like salt and light, you become like me; you will influence your environment, which is the Father’s desire.”[2]

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[1] Unselfish Service, President Dallin H. Oaks, April 2009 General Conference.

[2] The Life and Teachings of Christ, Vol. 1: From Bethlehem through the Sermon on the Mount, A Reading of the Sermon on the Mount: A Restoration Perspective, Andrew C. Skinner.