GOD FLAVORED
MATTHEW 5:13
INTRODUCTION/ACTIVITY… Taste of Seasonings
[Have small bowls for each group or an assembly line of different seasonings for the kids to taste and try. See if they can identify which seasoning is which.]
Today we will be taking a look at a passage from Matthew 5, but before we get there, I want us to take some time and test out some of these seasonings. You have the sheets in front of you. They are numbered 1-7. I want you to take those and come over to the table and see if you can discover what each of these seasonings are: first just by looking at them, then by smelling them, then by tasting them. Try each of these methods to see if you can identify the seasoning… these are not hard seasonings, but some you probably have tasted at home. The names are given on the sheet for you to match.
[Activity – 10 minutes or so]
Now that you have matched what you think the spices are… here are the answers! Now, as I reveal the answer, I am also going to tell you a little about each spice and how it benefits the human body. Here come the seasonings: (information from www.whfoods.com)
1 Black Pepper = Black pepper comes from a vine which can grow up to 33 feet in the right weather and comes from India and Asia. Pepper is actually berries that are picked about nine months after flowering and then they are ground up. Pepper is a spice that helps the stomach digest food and helps cut down on gas after eating. So basically, if you eat pepper, your stomach will feel better and you’ll toot less.
2 Cinnamon = Cinnamon has a long history as both a spice and as a medicine. It is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree, which is available in dried tubes or as a powder. Cinnamon basically helps the body in the area of the blood. Cinnamon helps your blood to flow properly and can help keep your blood sugar at the right levels.
3 Sage = Sage is native to countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea and has been used in these areas for many years. Doctors for thousands of years have used sage as a medicine. Sage helps relieve the pain of arthritis in joints and legs and hands and it even has been said to help with memory and help your brain function better.
4 Ginger = Ginger is another spice that has been around for a long time. Today, the top countries that make and sell ginger include Jamaica, India, Fiji, Indonesia and Australia. Ginger can help your stomach when it comes to motion sickness. Ginger has also been noticed to help pregnant ladies when they are throwing up and not feeling well… it helps their stomachs settle down.
5 Thyme = Thyme has been used since ancient times in cooking, by doctors, and in religious rituals because of the way it smells. Even the ancient Egyptians used it as an embalming agent to preserve their deceased pharaohs. Thyme has a long history of use in natural medicine in connection with chest and respiratory problems including coughs, bronchitis, and chest congestion.
6 Garlic Powder = Native to central Asia, garlic is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world and has been grown for over 5000 years. Ancient Egyptians seem to have been the first to grow and sell this plant. Whole books have been written about garlic and how it helps a person’s heart, cholesterol, protect against skin cancer, helps keep viruses away, and tons of other things… very useful spice!
Now, I was using a healthy eating website to look up information about all these spices and when I got to the last one… they didn’t even have anything on it! I think this means that this spice is on the bad list… but it is the seasoning we want to talk about today!
7 Salt = Salt’s ability to preserve food was a foundation for many people in their lives. Salt meant you could kill an animal for food and save some for later… there were no refrigerators or freezers! Salt also allowed a person to travel over long distances with food. It was also a desirable food seasoning. However, salt was difficult to get, and so it was a highly valued. Salt came from either sea water or mined from rocks. So, salt was important to #1 preserve food and #2 as a seasoning.
I. THE SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 5:13
Jesus uses ‘salt’ as an example when He was teaching His disciples. Matthew 5:13 says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” (NIV) Another translation (AMP) of the Bible puts it this way, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.” I want to look at one more version (MSG): “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.”
II. THE CENTRAL QUESTION
Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:13 that we (you and I) are the “salt of the earth.” Why does Jesus say that? Why does Jesus describe us using this seasoning? What does this spice have to do with us? The central question we want to answer today is: Why would Jesus say we are salt?
To be honest, I think we have to put our minds in a place where we are thinking like someone in Jesus’ time. Time has changed and the way that we use salt has changed too! I think if we discover what the people Jesus was speaking to used salt for… then we will discover why He described us as the “salt of the earth.”
III. THE BACKGROUND
I want you to begin to think like someone who lived in Jesus’ day:
I want you to realize there are no telephones or computers or airplanes or cars.
I want you to realize there are no McDonalds or Publix Supermarkets or Taco Bells.
I want you to realize there are no microwaves or refrigerators or freezers.
I want you to realize there are no ziploc bags or plastic wrap or tin foil.
I want you to realize that any food you ate would have been made, grown, or killed by you and your family.
You did, however, have one thing that you could use to help with your food: salt.
First, you could use salt to season your food.
What are some foods you eat that taste better with salt? [allow answers]
What would you do if you had to eat _______ all the time with no salt? [allow answers]
What are some foods that you eat that sometimes have too much salt? [allow answers]
What are some foods that you eat that never have enough salt? [allow answers]
People in Jesus’ day are similar to us today… we like food that tastes good. We want food that has flavor! We want food that we look forward to eating! Salt, for them and for us, many times was the answer. Salt brought flavor into their lives.
Second, you could use food to preserve your food and make it last longer. Remember, there are no refrigerators or freezers to help keep food fresh. Food spoils very quickly if you leave it out. It was the same for the people in Jesus’ day. If they left their meat out… it would go bad, but using salt helped keep the meat from spoiling. I am sure there are lots of ways to use salt to keep things from spoiling. No salt means spoiled and rotten food.
IV. THE ANSWER TO THE CENTRAL QUESTION
Jesus says we are the “salt” of the earth because He wants us to be just like salt in our lives. Jesus is trying to tell His disciples that godliness is like salt. Salt = godliness. Now that is a strange thing to teach, except we now know all about salt. Yet, what is godliness?
What does “godliness” mean? [allow answers]
What does a “godly person” act like? [allow answers]
What does a “godly person” sound like? [allow answers]
How does a “godly person” treat those around them? [allow answers]
Jesus loves His disciples (and us!) and wants the absolute best for them. He wants them to live their lives according to what God wants. That is kind of like being like salt. The two purposes for salt are the same as the two purposes Jesus wants for us!
#1 Jesus wants us to flavor our lives with God. God wants us not to have out lives bland… without Him… but wants us to have God in all parts of our lives. If you are salt, you have God flavoring every part of your life… your speech, your actions, your attitudes, how you treat your parents and siblings, etc.
#2 Jesus wants us to preserve godliness all around us in the world. There are many people that you will meet who will not know Jesus. There are many people you will meet who will be having a bad day or a rough day. There are many people you will meet whose problems seem so big and they don’t know what to do. You can be godly to them and shake some faith, hope, and love into their lives.
CONCLUSION
