Speaking to these common people, “the multitudes,” who through him had found blessing in the kingdom, Jesus tells them it is they, not the “best and brightest” on the human scale, who are to make life on earth manageable as they live from the kingdom (Matt. 5:13–16). God gives them “light”—truth, love, and power—that they might be the light for their surroundings. He makes them “salt,” to cleanse, preserve, and flavor the times through which they live.
