Salt and Light

"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 underfoot by men.  Matthew 5:13

Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 5 that as Christians, we are to be salt and light to the world.  Last week we talked about how we can be light to the world.  This week we will look at the command to be salt and just what that means.  Salt can literally transform any recipe from bland and tasteless to flavorful and savory.  How can we as Christians transform this world?

A Valuable Commodity

Nothing is of value that does not have a purpose. While we try to find the purpose of something in its effect on our own lives as individuals, God sees purpose in relation to His creation.  The work of Christ in our lives is intended to have effect on the world around us.

Just before Jesus said these words, He had just delivered the Sermon on the Mount, which has a definite relation to them. In the beatitudes Jesus sets out the proper attitude for the Christian. The verses which follow tell us how are to use this attitude in influencing the world about us. It has to do with our responsibility. The Christian is not made only for heavenly dwelling but for earthly impact.

In setting out this responsibility Jesus uses a metaphor, a common means of expression in the teachings of Jesus.  According to Webster, “metaphor is the use of a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea in place of another by way of suggesting a likeness or analogy between them." In this case the two different kinds of objects which are likened to each other are Christians and salt. As we study this metaphor certain fundamental truths of Christian living are revealed for our consideration and application.  

Back then, salt was a necessity of life and not quite as easily accessible to people.  There were no grocery stores on every corner and salt was not cheap!  Salt was sometimes used as money and even the Roman Soldiers of Jesus’ day were sometimes paid with salt.  In fact, our word “salary” comes from the Latin word salarium which referred to the payments to the soldiers with salt. We still use the phrase saying that someone either is, or is not, “worth their salt.” We don’t think much about salt because we can get as much of it in pure form as we want. It is just that little bottle with holes in the top on the table. But when you are completely dependent on salt to preserve your food, and when it is so valuable that it is used in the place of money, you get a completely different perspective on salt. Like salt, Christians are of infinite value!

Like Salt Must Have Contact To Have An Influence!
Salt sitting in the shaker on your table will not make your food taste better. It must make contact with other substances if it is to have its effect in upon the substance.  So also with the Christian. We must make contact with the world if we are to be a preserving force wherever God puts us.  If we draw a circle around ourselves and close out all contact, we will be ignoring a definite responsibility which has been given to us by the Lord Jesus.

Jesus called us the salt of the earth because, as Christians, we can enhance and give meaning to the bland existence we call life, just as salt enhances bland food.  We can bring balance and hope to an otherwise dying world through Jesus Christ in us.