Matthew 5:13
“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.”
These word were spoken by Jesus in His “Sermon on the Mount”
How many of us have heard this verse before? I have heard it so many times in my life, but it wasn’t until recently that I really decided to sit down and dissect what that actually means. In order to do that, we first need to understand what salt meant to people back in the time this was spoken. Otherwise, we really don’t know the real significance of these words that Jesus spoke.
Salt’s ability to preserve food was a foundation of civilization. It basically eliminated the dependence on seasonal food availability as well as allowing food to be carried over long distances. It was also a desirable seasoning for food. But it was also extremely difficult to obtain, so it was a very highly prized commodity. So much so that controlling salt supplies could mean success or failure for an entire civilization. For most, it was an extremely valuable source of income; cities along a salt distribution route charged substantial taxes for allowing the salt to pass through. In fact, the city of Munich was founded for just that purpose. In the year 1156, the Duke of Bavaria, Henry the Lion, decided the Bishops of Freising no longer needed their salt revenue, so he burned down the monk’s toll bridge and diverted the salt route upriver a few miles where he built his own bridge over the river.
As early as 550 BC, around the time of the book of Ezra, accepting salt from somebody was synonymous with drawing sustenance, taking pay, or being in that person’s service. In fact, Roman soldiers were partly paid in salt. Did you know that the English word salary comes from the Latin word salarium, meaning payment in salt? Did you know that more wars have been fought over salt than over gold? Did you know that salt is mentioned more than 30 times in the bible?
In 2 Kings 2:19-22, we read of a story of one of Elisha’s first miracles.
Read the verse
Is anybody convinced yet of salt’s importance?
Salt Preserves
One of the most important factors of salt was its use as a preservative. Since there were no refrigerators back in Jesus time and in many places, there were no handy sources of ice, yet there had to be an alternative to keeping food from rotting. Salt-curing was one way to keep your food from rotting. Particularly with meat, salt would be rubbed over the entire piece of meat - basically blanketing it with salt. The salt would then draw the moisture out of the meat. This would create a very hostile environment to bacteria, basically keeping the meat safe. After about 4 to 8 weeks, the meat would be dry and could be stored that way for a long time.
Okay, so how exactly does that relate to our lives as Christians? I just mentioned how preserving meat with salt would create an environment that is hostile to bacteria; meaning that no matter how hard bacteria tried to get into the meat, it would be unable to. Shouldn’t that be the same with us as Christians? Shouldn’t we desire to be so permeated with Christ that bacteria cannot seep into our lives?
So how exactly do we preserve ourselves like this? By praying, by studying the word, by allowing God to dwell and grown within us more than we allow ourselves. But I also believe that Jesus is not just talking about ourselves being preserved against sin when he talks about us being the salt of the Earth. We should also be preserving other’s faith as well. We can do this by being the examples Christ has called us to be. So how does doing that preserve another’s faith? I don’t know about you, but there was a time in my life when I wasn’t so solid in my own faith. When I saw other Christians behaving in ways that weren’t along Jesus’ teachings, it shook my own faith even further.
The bible talks about this in 1 Corinthians 10. It teaches us that we need to act in ways pleasing to God and act in a way that wouldn’t cause another to stumble.
On the other side of that, when we see other Christians around us acting out there faith even when they don’t know others are watching, it strengthens us, doesn’t it? So by doing what God has called us to do, and acting out in love, helping others less fortunate, etc. we can help to preserve others faith.
Salt Seasons
So salt preserves, but what else does it do? Salt seasons. It can take something that is tasteless and makes it delicious. This is even mentioned in the bible in Job 6:6:
"Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?”
So if salt is something that can bring seasoning to food, we can understand that we as Christians can bring seasoning to life. By sharing our faith with others, we can show them that there can be so much more joy in their lives when they know who Christ is and walk in His power. The world is generally enhanced when we put on our Jesus glasses; that is when we see the world and everything in it through the eyes of Jesus. But how can they know what it is going to be like, if we aren’t living that out in front of them. If your whole life you only ate tasteless things, without any seasonings, wouldn’t you just assume that’s how all food is? When somebody told you different, you probably wouldn’t believe them.
Talk about Sam I Am
Now I’m not suggesting that anybody here follow somebody around through the rain, on a train, fall into a boat, sink it and keep hammering away with the bible until somebody finally caves in. But the illustration in this book is very valid. The cat doesn’t know how good green eggs and ham really are until he tries them - after all, he’s never had them before.
When we look at the world around us, we see a whole bunch of people who do not know who Christ is. A lot of times they have some pretty strong pre-formed beliefs about who he is through the actions they see portrayed in the lives of their followers. Which is why I always come back to the old adage that actions speak louder than words. If we really want people to know who Christ is, we really need to live lives like Christ. Helping out the needy, the sick; caring for people that the world has turned their back on. Being there for our friends and family. Living out a Christ-like character. No, not just because people are watching you. Because that is what Jesus asks of us. But even when you think people aren’t watching you, most of the time they are and your life is witnessing to them.
So salt can season food, right? But how many of you have put too much salt on your food? Not a very good taste, right? I remember back at some summer camps and youth weekends I went to where it was a well known practical joke to loosen the tops of the salt shakers on the tables when nobody was looking. Then when your fellow campers would come in for a meal, they would go to shake some salt on their food and the lid of the salt-shaker would come off dumping a whole pile of salt on their food. Now, I would have never dreamed of doing something like that! But the question here is - do you think that somebody sitting there with a whole heap of salt on their eggs would go ahead and eat it that way? No way! We all know that too much salt ruins the taste of our food.
In the same way, we as Christians shouldn’t be oversalt-ing. We shouldn’t be trying so hard to get somebody to come to Christ that we end up pushing them away. When we are doing this, we are generally doing it in our own power anyways instead of the power of the spirit. I can remember a specific period in my life when I was in the Army. It was actually the last time I was in Germany. I was young and single then and really far away from the path God had laid before me. I still very much had the thirst for Jesus, but I would drink the world’s water instead and be quenched for short periods of time. There was one person in particular that just kept hammering away at me about Jesus this - Jesus that. Come to church, do this do that. It drove me nuts. Not only did it annoy me, but it had the exact opposite effect of what he was really trying to do. It drove me even further away from where deep inside I really wanted to be. I have no doubt that the guy had some great intentions, but he was just throwing way too much salt my way.
When we are trying to show others who Christ is, we need to make sure that we are walking with Christ ourselves. More importantly, we need to make sure that the spirit is what is working within us and that we are not walking in our own power and in our own understanding. Because more often than not, when we are witnessing only under our own power and understanding, we are spreading way too much salt. When God leads us, and when we walk in his strength, we will use just the right amount of salt, every time.
Salt Creates Thirst
Okay, so salt preserves and seasons, but there is one more thing that it does that I’d like to talk about today. Salt creates thirst.
The following is a story I’d like to read to you; it is one of my favorites that I think really helps to illustrate the value of salt.
Salt Creates Thirst
At a meeting, some young people were discussing the text, “Ye are the salt of the earth.” One suggestion after another was made as to the meaning of “salt” in this verse.
“Salt imparts a desirable flavor,” said one.
“Salt preserves from decay,” another suggested.
Then a Chinese Christian girl spoke out of an experience none of the others had. “Salt creates thirst,” she said, and there was a sudden hush in the room. Everyone was thinking: Have I ever made anyone thirsty for the Lord Jesus Christ?
Wow, some pretty wise words. Salt does in fact create thirst, doesn’t it? An as the Chinese girl said, we should be the salt that is making people thirst for something that they may not know about. Thirsty for the thing that they see in our lives. Thirsty for the peace, joy, hope, love that we should be showing in our lives. And when they ask about that, we can tell them where it comes from - that it does not come from a self-help book, that it doesn’t come from something they heard on the Oprah Winfrey show, but instead it comes from the creator of Heaven and Earth - that the joy within us comes from Jesus.
When they have that thirst inside of them, there really is only one thing that will quench it.
In John 4, Jesus is on his way to Galilee when he passes through Samaria and stops in a town called Sychar. Let’s read versus 5-14.
So, Gatorade may claim to the the Thirst Quencher, but we know different, don’t we? When we are thirsty for something for which no liquid could ever satisfy, there is only one thing that will quench it - Jesus. And what is even more awesome is what he said in verse 14 - that whoever drinks of that water that He offers will never thirst. Who wouldn’t want that?
When others around us see the lives we live as Christians - the lives that we should be living, they will become thirsty for that. Because we as the salt are showing them what Jesus can do for them. Not through our words, but the hope, joy, and love that should be coming from every one of our pores. Now, you may be thinking to yourself - that’s all well and good when life is going great, but how can they see that when we find ourselves in times of stress and times of trouble - how can they see that when we are in a time of rough seas? Because when we go through these times through Jesus’ strength and not our own, we still have peace.
In John 16:33, Jesus is talking to his disciples and preparing them for his departure. He tells them:
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
When we understand that no matter what happens, Jesus is right there with us, we still have hope. I believe that it is through times like this that our witness has the greatest potential. When people around us know that we are going through some major problem in our lives, but see is walking in peace and hope, that makes a major statement. That really spreads the salt and makes them thirsty for what we have.
Loses its flavor
Now let’s take a look at the second part of Matthew 5:13 where it talks about salt becoming tasteless and being absolutely useless.
What good is salt that has lost all of its flavor? Not very good is it? You might as well be dumping some fine grain sand on your food. In the same way, we as Christians need to be making sure that we are not losing our flavor. We need to be making sure that we are continuing to check our flavor by giving ourselves periodic check-ups. How are we doing in our walk with Christ? Are we moving forward, or are we just kind of coasting along? Do we still have that fire within us burning brightly, or has it been reduced to a tiny little flame, barely staying lit? We need to make sure that more important than anything else, we need to be spending our own personal time Jesus every single day. It is only when we do that, that we keep our fires burning brightly. We may be fooling ourselves, but others around us can definitely see changes in us when we aren’t. They can see when little things start bugging us more than usual. They can see it in our attitude and our reactions. If I am telling somebody about the joy and hope that Christ can bring to their life, while at the same time I’m walking around like everything is hopeless, what kind of a message am I sending?
As Christians, we should be checking each other out as well. If people walking in darkness can see changes in us, shouldn’t we who walk in the light notice even that much more? When we see our brothers and sisters changing, it is our responsibility to be there for them - to help them. We all need a little bit of nudging once in a while, don’t we? A little bit of encouragement? Look around, be there for each other; help each other to keep their flavor stoked. When we do that, when we truly act as a unified body, we can reach this world for Jesus in ways we never could have imagined.
So today and every day - go out and preserve this world for Christ, go out there and show the world the seasoning they are missing, and finally go out and make people thirsty for our savior, Jesus Christ.
