Jesus’ pronouncement over his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth; You are the light of the world” for a long time mystified me. I understood the words, but I couldn’t make sense of their meaning. I knew salt makes things taste better and light allows us to see. I knew people described as salt of the earth were good, honest and hardworking. And those full of joy and kindness lighten up any room they enter. But Jesus was speaking to Christians, and my definitions were not exclusive to Christians. What does Jesus want us to understand about these two metaphors?