The Salt of the Earth
I was in church last Wednesday night and Dave Sweet was teaching the Bible. He was working from Matthew 5:13 while dealing with what Jesus meant by His description of His disciples being 'the salt of the earth'. In that great message Dave brought that night, I was inspired afresh to deal with this subject again and since it has been far too long since I had written anything, it seemed right to me to advance the subject a little. Just what did Jesus mean by His 'salt of the earth' comment?
The KJV Bible renders it, "if salt loses its savor". Savor means flavor. The New American Standard uses the term, "if salt becomes tasteless". Some have felt that Jesus was referring to various properties of salt such as the idea that salt cleans infection from a wound. So also does the Christian who is walking with Jesus. Their very actions of faithful obedience bring about a sort of cleansing of the wounds (injustices & sins) in the society in which they live. The idea is that everyone and everything around them improves towards God's holiness. Wrong is set aside and right tends to gain ground. This can certainly be true as Christians make an impact on the world in which they live.
Another possibility is that salt is a preservative such as in cured meat. One bite of a country ham (aged pork in southern states) will reveal the amazing amount of salt present in that cured meat. I am told that there are very expensive hams that are nearly 100 years old. The point is that Christians living powerfully for the Lord are like the preservative nature of salt. By their very presence, they tend to 'preserve' God's ways or His Gospel message, or both. Otherwise society itself would crumble under the weight of unchecked sin. The idea is that the Christian preserves a measure of righteousness, love, honesty, etc. This also has a measure of truth in it.
But the plain word Jesus used was 'savor' or taste. He was speaking of the DISTINCTIVE TASTE of salt and not these other things however clever they may sound or how true they might be. This distinctive flavor is so different from anything else that it is obvious when salt is there and obvious when it is missing. Therefore, Christians are to have a flavor so distinctive that it is unmistakable. They should act, think, respond, love, practice life and integrity, etc., just like the Lord that bought them. This makes them necessary just as salt is necessary. Everywhere Christians go, their behavior and faith is radically noticed because it is so different from what the world has to offer. Just as salt is needed to add its distinctive flavor thus making food taste so good, Christians are to bring this distinctive taste to their surroundings and the people they connect with. And when the Christian is gone, they are missed just as when salt is missing from the food or the meal.
And it is not that salt draws attention to itself but to the enhancement of the food it seasons. So it is with Christians. They point towards another when they are functioning properly. They point towards their Lord and reveal Him or enhance His influence on this world. It is the flavoring influence (our witness, our life-style, our ministry, our character) that the world craves. This flavor, this impact is God's plan and is necessary for the furthering of the Gospel, hence, Jesus says to His disciples, "You are the salt of the earth." We are necessary to the world finding Christ as is salt necessary to season food properly. Now I want to share just 2 more ideas about this.
First, what does this salt (this Christian life impact) taste like? Jesus spends the rest of Math.5,6,&7 describing 'salty' living or distinctive living. Just a few quick examples will I give to show what I mean, but one can simply read through the teaching and get a very accurate picture of various kinds of attitudes, behaviors, and motives that exist and should be practiced if a Christian is to live a 'salty' life. For instance, "Blessed are the merciful, they shall obtain mercy." The world usually shows little mercy but when one sees genuine mercy shown by a believer towards someone who has done them wrong, onlookers see the very Christ in action! It speaks volumes!!!
One other quick example. In Math.6:33, we are told to "seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." Seek first (make it your #1 priority to discover Him & practice life His way) His Kingdom & His righteousness." The discovery, welfare, and personal practice of His kingdom must be the presiding issue for believers. This is particularly true rather than worrying about the provisions of life which God has promised to look after for us. In this way Jesus is seen clearly, particularly Christ's way of caring about what really matters. God's way, His value system, His manner of life is revealed clearly when Christians are seeking His Kingdom first. Others looking on are drawn to His way of life!
We can quickly see that Matthew 5,6,&7 are a virtual dictionary describing various behaviors and heart attitudes which are 'salty', and which ought to be practiced by believers. First HE told them that they were to become the salt of the earth and then HE described what 'salty' living looks like. It looks like the man who refuses to judge another (Ma.7:1-5), or practices the 'golden rule (Ma.7:12), or one who genuinely forgives when wronged (Ma.6:14).
One more thing. Jesus also said that "if salt loses its flavor, how can it regain its taste?" It was a rhetorical question demanding an obvious answer which is - it cannot. That salt has now become worthless and men throw it out. There were 2 illustrations Jesus may have had in mind. Part of the Levitical sacrificial system used salt in its animal sacrifices. Sometimes the salt would become old and lose its purity or taste after long periods. If the priests and/or Levites (priest helpers) discovered this deteriorated salt, they tended to throw it on the steps at the temple so that when it rained, people scaling the stairs would not slip and fall. Hear what Jesus said, "But if salt becomes tasteless, it isn't worth anything anymore. Men throw it out and walk on it." The disciples were well aware of this practice of old salt being thrown on the temple steps. The imagery Jesus used probably packed quite a wallop.
What may have been even more powerful was the following practice. There was an age old garbage dump at the bottom end of the Dead Sea. I've been told that this sea or large lake has a higher salt content than any body of water on earth. It is a DEAD SEA because it has no outlet. Water flows in but has nowhere to go. The wind blows small waves on the far end of the lake where piles of 'salt like' splash up on shore. These crusty piles of worthless salt were taken and used to make pathways through this garbage dump nearby - a kind of cheap & practical pavement. "Worthless salt is thrown out and trampled on by men." (Math.5:13).
This was said by our Master no to scare the disciples into perfect behavior but to help them see that they were saved to make a difference in this world for Jesus sake. All of The Sermon On The Mount was given so that we could measure our life to see if we were useful to our Master, to see what it takes to be distinctive, to make a difference. And those disciples were to understand that God was working with all of them to that end - to make them THE SALT OF THE EARTH!
This is what God is doing with you and I. He works silently, sometimes completely unseen by us so that our hearts will be one with His and our behavior will match - we will practice 'salty' living. O Lord, use our lives as holy seasoning, helping all around us to notice the Jesus that lives within! Jesus keep you strong my friends.
