Heart for the City / Matthew 5:13-16 / Mark 12:28-34

A Rewritten Narrative for Our City

Just a glimpse—just a snapshot of what is happening in our great city. I was at a pastor’s event here some months ago, and for the second or third time, the guy on stage made fun of our city. Afterwards, I went up to him and said, “Hey, we need to talk about that. You’re mocking a city that God is doing incredible work in.” You know, it was the typical, “Well, at least it’s not Bakersfield” kind of joke. I told him, “No, no, no. Let me tell you what is happening right in front of us.”

God is moving in our city, and the narrative is being rewritten—primarily by believers who are beginning to understand the gospel imperative to be part of the solution.

When the psalmist speaks in Psalm 37, he makes a profound statement about our desires.

Psalms 37:4 (NASB)

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

The question being asked in that psalm is: Are those desires of my heart simply things that God fulfills for me, or are they the desires that God places in my heart as I delight in Him? If you believe theologically that as you delight yourself in the Lord, He will just hook you up with whatever selfish desires you have, I think you might be reading the wrong book. That is not the gospel, and that is not the way God operates. But when you ask, “Where do the things I am truly passionate about originate?” you begin to realize that as you delight yourself in the Lord, the very things you care about come directly from Him.

We are talking this week about what it means to have a heart for the city. My argument as we begin is simple: when you embrace Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and when the gospel takes root in your heart, He begins to rewire your affections. The very things you desire now originate from Him. This begs the question: If I, as a professing follower of Jesus Christ, still only have affections for myself, have I really embraced the whole gospel? Has the gospel of Jesus Christ—the Savior who died on the cross for my sins—truly renovated my heart if my life is still all about me?

The scriptures clearly tell us that we who are in Christ have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us. Having determined this, we who have died should no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died in our place. Having a heart for our city is a gospel imperative. Having a heart for our community is part and parcel of the very fabric of the gospel. As we delight in Christ, we begin to live like Jesus. He has strategically placed us in this great city for such a time as this, and what He is doing is just getting started.

Salt, Light, and Good Works

Turn with me to Matthew chapter 5. As you turn there, we need to understand the religious background framing the Sermon on the Mount—arguably the greatest message ever given by the finest preacher who ever taught, Jesus Himself.

The religious leaders Jesus dealt with came out of an intense study of the Old Testament—the Torah and the Tanakh. In their study, their hearts were drawn not simply to the Word of God, but to an external adherence to the law above everything else. To them, obedience trumped compassion. It was not obedience coupled with mercy; it was simply rigid rule-keeping. When you add up all the commandments in the Mosaic law, there are 613 of them. For these religious leaders, the entire game was about how many of those rules they could hold to, how externally righteous they could appear, and how impressive they could look while doing it. They wanted to live in such a way that everyone noticed how spiritual they were, dressing in specific garments and associating only with certain people to elevate their status.

So when Jesus comes along in Matthew 5 and begins to teach the Beatitudes, He literally blows their minds because they had never heard anything like this before.

Matthew 5:3-6 (NASB)

’Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ’Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. ’Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. ’Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

The religious leaders looked at Him like He was crazy because Jesus was flipping their entire religious system on its head. It was a system that valued compliance over compassion and rigid adherence over grace and mercy.

Then, in verse 13, Jesus makes a statement you have likely heard if you have spent any amount of time around the church.

Matthew 5:13-16 (NASB)

’You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty [again]? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. ’You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does [anyone] light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ’Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

This is a lesson on life, not chemistry. For any chemistry professors wondering how salt loses its saltiness, understand that Jesus is teaching a spiritual truth: if you do not have the value salt had, if you do not preserve like salt, if you do not add flavor like salt, you are missing the entire point. You have been placed here to be of benefit, value, and contribution to those around you. If you are not doing that, what are you here for?

Then He says, “You are the light of the world.” In first-century culture, there were no streetlights, no illuminated highway signs, and no freeways. When you walked down a dirt road at night, you looked off to the horizon hoping to see lights. Lights meant safety, security, water, replenishment, and sustenance. Lights meant life. In the desert, cities were strategically established roughly twenty-five miles apart—about a day’s journey—so that a traveler could reach refuge before nightfall and find a community ready to care for them.

Jesus is saying that we are called to be salt—preserving and seasoning the world around us. We are called to be light—shining in dark places so that weary people come to us for refreshment, safety, and care. That is who we are.

Notice what He says in verse 16: “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your…” what? Does He say “see your religious behavior and glorify your Father in heaven”? Does it say “see your strict adherence to the law” or “see your legalism”? No. It says, “that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Jesus is making a direct point to religious leaders whose primary obsession was simply being right. He is showing them that cold, external obedience is not what reveals God to the world. What helps people see God is when they witness your good works—your compassion, your charity, and your self-giving love. Those who walk in true intimacy with God let their good works shine so brightly that the watching world says, “I may not know who they serve, and I may not understand much about their God, but those people love well. They serve well. They care about marginalized people and forgotten corners of our city when nobody else does. I need to know the God behind that kind of love.”

The Great Commandment and the Question of Neighbor

Flip over for a moment to Mark chapter 12. As you can imagine, the religious establishment had a very difficult time with this message, but Jesus never lost any sleep over disrupting their status quo.

To understand Mark 12, you have to realize the religious landscape of that day was divided into distinct factions. You had the Essenes, who retreated into the wilderness to copy manuscripts and live ascetic lives. You had the Zealots, who carried hidden daggers and functioned like political insurrectionists, seeking to stab Roman officials in the name of God. You had the Herodians, Jewish elites who compromised with Roman culture and embraced the status quo. You had the Pharisees, the large, conservative group devoted to strict Torah obedience. You had the Sadducees, the political and theological aristocrats who denied the resurrection. And finally, you had the scribes—the legal experts and scholars of the law.

In Mark 12:13, we see the Pharisees and the Herodians approaching Jesus together. Ordinarily, these two groups would not even walk on the same side of the street, let alone share a meal. Yet here they are, united by their shared disdain for Jesus. A few verses later, the Sadducees step up, followed by the scribes. They are tag-teaming in an attempt to trip Jesus up and catch Him in an error.

Finally, a scribe steps forward and asks Jesus which commandment is the most important of all.

Mark 12:28-34 (NASB)

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘What commandment is the foremost of all?’ Jesus answered, ’The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ ’The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to Him, ‘Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.

Jesus begins by quoting the Shema from Deuteronomy 6: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Every faithful Jewish person recited that prayer twice a day. It was central to their faith.

But then Jesus attaches a second commandment directly to it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In parallel gospel accounts, Jesus says the second is “like it”—placing love of neighbor on the exact same plane as loving God. He makes the case that loving God and loving people are inextricably linked. If someone claims to have a vertical love for God while possessing no horizontal love for people, they have fundamentally misunderstood who God is. True love for God always compels us toward sacrificial love for others. Jesus is looking at the religious crowd and saying, “You claim to love God? Wonderful. Show me.”

We see this dynamic unfold further in Luke chapter 10, where a lawyer stands up to put Jesus to the test.

Luke 10:25-37 (NASB)

And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?’ And he answered, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.’ But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied and said, ’A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. ’And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ’Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ’But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on [them]; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ’On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ ‘Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ [hands]?’ And he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’

This expert in religious law asks, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus, as He so often does, answers with a question: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” The lawyer gives the textbook answer: love God with everything you have, and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus looks at him and says, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

The issue was never about knowing the right answer; the issue was about doing it. It was about getting his hands dirty. But the text tells us the lawyer, wishing to justify himself, asked, “And who is my neighbor?”

Think about what he is really asking: “Where is the line? Who am I required to love, and whom am I allowed to disregard? Which people are within my responsibility, and which people can I ignore?”

In response, Jesus tells the story of a traveler journeying down the dangerous, winding road from Jerusalem to Jericho—a desolate canyon known as the Wadi Qelt. The man is ambushed, stripped, beaten, and left half-dead on the side of the road. We know nothing about this man—his ethnicity, his wealth, or his social status. All we know is that he is a human being in desperate need.

By chance, a priest walks down the road. You would think, “Here is the man of God! Surely he will help.” But the text says he passes by on the other side, going out of his way to avoid contact. Next comes a Levite—a temple assistant, an associate minister type. Surely he will step in. But he, too, crosses the road and walks right past.

Then comes a Samaritan. In that culture, the listeners would have recoiled at the mention of a Samaritan. Yet this Samaritan looks at the dying man and is moved with compassion. The Greek word used here is splagchnizomai—a deep, gut-level ache that moves a person to immediate action.

Look at what the Samaritan does: he approaches the man, binds up his wounds, and cleanses them with oil and wine at personal expense. He places the injured man on his own animal, which means he now has to walk. He brings him to an inn, spends the night caring for him, and the next day gives two denarii—two full days’ wages—to the innkeeper, promising to cover whatever additional expenses are incurred. This Samaritan went entirely out of his way, absorbed the cost, and loved a stranger with radical generosity.

Jesus turns to the lawyer and asks, “Which of these three proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among robbers?” The lawyer cannot even bring himself to say the word “Samaritan.” He simply mutters, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus gives the final directive: “Go and do likewise.”

True love for our neighbor carries no preconditions. We cannot say, “I will love people in that neighborhood, but not that one; I will care for those people, but not these people.” If you place conditions on whom you will love, you must reevaluate your vertical love for God. When Christ changes your heart, He moves you with compassion to go and do likewise.

Faith Authenticated by Deeds

Turn with me to James chapter 2. James, the half-brother of Jesus, had a front-row seat to the life and character of Christ throughout His earthly ministry. In his letter, James addresses the exact same tension between knowledge and action.

James 2:14-19 (NASB)

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for [their] body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, [being] by itself. But someone may [well] say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’ You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

It is easy for us to critique the Pharisees, but Western Christianity often looks remarkably similar. We have more biblical knowledge and Bible studies than ever before. We have believers who have been in community Bible study for decades and know the texts inside and out. Yet James reminds us that having the right answers means nothing if our faith does not translate into active obedience.

James asks pointedly, “What good is it if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” A faith without deeds is an unauthenticated faith. It is hollow. Jesus makes this exact point in the Gospel of John.

John 15:8 (NASB)

’My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and [so] prove to be My disciples.

James gives a practical illustration: If a brother or sister is without clothing and daily food, and you say, “Go in peace, stay warm and well fed,” but do nothing to meet their physical needs, what good is that? If we claim to love God but turn a blind eye to tangible human suffering when we have the means to help, our faith is dead.

I remember a time downtown when I was sitting in my truck on a freezing day. I had just bought a brand-new zippered hoodie that I loved, and I was sitting there with a warm latte. A guy walked up to my window, shivering, with no jacket on, and asked, “Hey man, can I have your sweatshirt?” People had asked me for money, food, or a ride, but nobody had ever asked for my jacket. Immediately, James 2 flashed across my mind. I looked around, wondering if I was getting scammed, but then I looked at the church decal on my vehicle and realized I had no choice. I unzipped my hoodie and handed it to him. If we claim to have faith, our lives have to reflect it through concrete deeds.

Let me be clear: good works do not produce the gospel in us; the gospel produces good works through us. We are not saved by our works, but genuine faith inevitably changes our affections. When Christ is at work in you, the things that break His heart begin to break yours.

Years ago, I will admit with embarrassment, ethnic reconciliation was not on my radar. I did not think about it, and I did not actively care about it. But over time, God wrecked my heart over that issue. It became something I could no longer ignore. God made it clear to me that I needed to show up, get involved, and be part of the healing process. When the love of Christ takes hold of you, you are compelled to step into spaces you previously avoided.

Stepping into the Story in Fresno

Across all of these texts, the golden thread is undeniable: In Matthew 5, Jesus tells us to let our light shine so that others see our good works and glorify the Father. In Mark 12, He shows that love for God naturally manifests in love for people. In Luke 10, He tears down every boundary of who qualifies as our neighbor. In James 2, we are reminded that faith without active obedience is completely dead.

If your understanding of the Christian life is focused entirely on your own comfort, security, and personal preferences, I want to invite you into the true gospel. Dying to yourself and living for the kingdom of God is far more fulfilling than simply living for your own interests.

Paul summarizes this beautifully in his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB)

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

God saved you by grace through faith, and He created you in Christ Jesus specifically for good works that He prepared in advance for you to walk in.

We live right here in Fresno, and our community is full of needs that require the people of God to show up with the hope of the gospel. We have areas of concentrated poverty where families have been trapped for generations. We have neighborhoods without sidewalks, streetlights, or safe parks. We have children who are falling behind in reading by the third grade, desperate for mentors to invest in their lives. We have severe housing challenges, poverty, and brokenness all around us.

I do not share that to paint a picture of despair, but to highlight an incredible opportunity. We have the privilege of bringing the gospel to bear on these very issues. Through Serve Fresno, through our partnerships with incredible local ministries like Fresno Street Saints, and through everyday faithfulness in your own neighborhood, the opportunities to serve are right in front of us.

It is not enough simply to know the Word; we must do what it says. Let us be a people who fully embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, love our city well, and show up in profound ways for the glory of God.

Pastoral Prayer

Father in heaven, we thank You for the privilege of being part of Your redemptive work in the city of Fresno. You have purchased us at a great price through the blood of Jesus Christ so that we might reflect Your glory and Your compassion to the world around us.

God, we ask that You would ignite a passion in our hearts that cannot be extinguished—a burden for our neighbors that we can no longer ignore. Move us past our comfort zones, past our consumerism, and past our manageable religious routines. Lead us into a deeper love for You that expresses itself through sacrificial love for our city.

Turn us loose in our neighborhoods, our schools, and our workplaces. Give us eyes to see the hurting and hands ready to serve. May the people of God rise up as a wave of compassion and grace across this region, that many would see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven. We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.