Matthew 5:12-14 - “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

This school year, one of the privileges God has provided me with is the opportunity to teach some high school level classes within our local homeschool co-op. Our group has several hundred participants, and weekly I spend time with approx. 30 teenagers. Last semester the classroom I use was remodeled, and on the wall, there are two large pieces of art summarize these verses. “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world”. Visual reminders to anyone using the class of this paragraph from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. There are a few things that stand out from the metaphors Jesus used to describe those who belong to his kingdom:

Matthew 28:6 - "He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay."

Sometimes a scripture stands out to me because I have a question about it. Other times because I have learned more about how important it is to the larger context. This week during my reading, this verse stood out to me because of the amazing grace it demonstrated on the part of God toward these two grieving disciples and it moved me!

Matt. 20:15 - "Am I not allowed to do what I wish with what belongs to me?  Or do you begrudge my generosity?" - ESV

I couldn't stand mathematics in school.  I was a lit man.  Give me any kind of book to explore and explain and I was content.  Sit me at a desk with a pencil and figures and I felt like my head would explode.  I have since come to appreciate the importance of math.  Doing home projects around the house requires measuring, designing and estimating.  Balancing checkbooks and keeping track of schedules all require the use of numbers.  The first time I came to appreciate math was when I had my first few jobs.  I knew what my pay-rate was and I could keep track of my income based on the hours I worked, or the number of houses I had on my paper route or the pounds of strawberries I picked per hour.

In Matthew 20 Jesus tells the parable of the landowner who hires workers throughout the day to work in his vineyard for an agreed-upon amount.