Jesus always said interesting things. Consider this famous quote from Matthew 5:13 (NKJV):
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men."
He was talking to His followers. Those who follow Jesus are "the salt of the earth".
Salt is perhaps the most common seasoning known to man. But in the days of Jesus, it was even more, it was a preservative. I think that’s the emphasis Jesus is using here. His followers were to have a positive, perserving influence on those around them. There were to be a good influence in society, just as Jesus was.
How is this done? What can Christ followers do to influence society for good?
Well the answer is in the words of Christ prior to His "salt of the earth" statement. The passage of the Bible commonly referred to as "the Beatitudes", a series of "blessed are" statements.
You’ve heard many times that "blessed" in the King James Version of the Bible means "happy". Preachers have often told us how we can be "happy" if we follow these teachings of Jesus. I’m not trying to knock that idea or even oversimplify it. But I want to challenge you to consider this proposition:
What if Jesus was also trying to get us to become a blessing, not just receive a blessing? What if He intended for us to make others happy, and in so doing, we become happy?
Two reasons why I believe this is plausible:
1. What happened before Jesus made the "you are the salt of the earth statement". In Matthew 4:25 the Bible says great crowds of people followed Him. That was because of His teaching, preaching, and healing. (Matthew 4:23 - This is an interesting order, by the way - teaching first, preaching second, healing last.) Then Matthew 5:1 says Jesus saw the crowds. In other words Christ was motivated by people! He was motivated by their needs and as His disciples sat at His feet His address was geared toward meeting the needs of people.
2. What Jesus said after the Beatitudes. He makes two statements to His followers about their position in society. "You are the salt of the earth", and "You are the light of the world". Jesus is teaching them that in order to be "the salt of the earth", they have to practice the Beatitudes.
THERE’S THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION! "What can Christ followers do to influence society for good and thus make people thirst for the Water of Life?"
TEN WAYS TO MAKE PEOPLE THIRSTY FOR JESUS:
(This will be quicker than any sermon on the Beatitudes you’ve ever heard.)
1. Make other people feel important. (Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven".)
Call it humility, call it dependence on God. I call it not being so self-absorbed that you don’t have time for anyone else.
Michael Deaver, who served as served as Assistant to President Ronald Reagan tells this story about Reagan in his book, "A Different Drummer".
"Many people have pondered the secret of Ronald Reagan’s immense success. I’m convinced it’s really very simple: He knew who he was. My first realization of how comfortable Reagan was in his own skin came during the late 60’s. He was in New York to give a speech and wanted to go for a walk. Within 10 minutes, a middle-aged fellow approached us with a beaming smile. "Hey, I know you from television, and you’re the best", he said. "You’re Ray Milland!"
"Without embarrassment, Ronald Reagan obligingly signed an autograph "Ray Milland", and the man walked away happy.
"Why did you do that?" I asked, "You’re the Governor of California. Why didn’t you tell him?"
"Mike", he said softly, "I know who I am. Don’t ever worry about me."
2. Share the hurts of others. (Matthew 5:4 - "Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.")
Jesus didn’t say here that we were only to mourn over our own troubles. The Bible instructs us to "rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." (Romans 12:15)
This was clearly Christ’s greatest strategy for winning people to Himself, and it certainly wasn’t a forced or rehearsed attribute.
Think back over your life. Who are the people who mean the most to you? My guess is they are the people who helped you in tough times.
3. Have a mild disposition. (Matthew 5:5 - "Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.")
You know this stuff is from God ’cause it sure isn’t what they teach in Harvard Business School!
There’s an awful lot of direct and indirect influence in society that sells the idea of getting ahead by beating the competition. Jesus was a rebel. He bucked the trends of His day. He taught His followers to be meek and mild, not proud and harsh.
PEOPLE PREFER TO FOLLOW THOSE WHO HELP THEM, NOT THOSE WHO INTIMIDATE THEM.
4. Live a consistent life. (Matthew 5:6 - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, For they shall be filled.")
A perfect life is unattainable for all but Jesus.
A consistent life, on the other hand, is an attainable goal. That’s why the analogy of hunger and thirst is so fitting. The sincere follower of Christ has a DESIRE to do what is right, they want to obey God, and it shows.
5. Have a forgiving spirit. (Matthew 5:7 - "Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.")
If you are grudge bearer forget about having very much influence on leading others to Jesus. We certainly become the "salt that lost its saltiness" when we fail to forgive others.
This can be tough. Everyone of us has been misunderstood and mistreated.
The Ken Burns PBS series on jazz music has a terrific quote by jazz great Duke Ellington. Duke was asked about his feelings at not being able, as a black man, to stay in the guest rooms of the hotels he and his band performed in because of segregation. He said, "I took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues."
His attitude had just as much to do with his success as his great musical ability.
6. Keep your heart pure. (Matthew 5:8 - "Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.")
This is the part of you nobody sees but God and yourself. However, the results of a pure heart ARE VISIBLE, and that’s where your "saltiness" comes in to play.
Phony motives will eventually give you away. We begin to manipulate people instead of loving them. The harboring of "secret sins" like jealousy, lust, greed, bitterness, etc., causes us to treat others with selfishness and disrespect.
7. Be easy to live with. (Matthew 5:9 - "Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.")
Ask yourself this question: "If I were someone else, would I want to live with me?" Be honest. We can all think of some things that need improving. If you can’t think of anything, just ask an honest friend or family member!
8. Avoid having a martyr complex. (Matthew 5:10 - "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.")
Jesus marks it as a sign of honor to be mistreated because you are His follower. He doesn’t teach us to be sorry for ourselves. He doesn’t teach us to complain.
Martin Niemoeller, a World War I hero in Germany, was imprisoned for eight years by Hitler. He spent time in prisons and concentration camps, including Dachau. Hitler realized if Niemoeller could be persuaded to join his cause then much opposition would collapse, so he sent a former friend of Niemoeller’s to visit him, a friend who supported the Nazis.
Seeing Niemoeller in his cell, the onetime friend said, "Martin, Martin! Why are you here?"
Niemoeller replied, "My friend! Why are you not here?"
(Rev. AMose S. Creswell, "I’ve Told You Twice", Vigo Press, 1995)
9. Endure unfair treatment. (Matthew 5:11 - "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.")
How far are you willing to go for Christ’s sake? If you are willing to allow yourself to be mistreated and not retaliate, it will have a tremendoous impact on your credibility as a follower of Christ.
10. Be positive and excited! (Matthew 5:12 - "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.")
Our family and friends who have not yet made a commitment to Christ are not going to want to do so if we act like following Christ is a dreaded disease.
Sure, we may pay a price to be a follower of Jesus. We need to be sure we don’t act like that’s a bad thing - because it isn’t! Any price we pay for following Christ is well worth it, because Christ is worth our all!
That attitude will cause others to become thirsty for the Water of Life - Jesus.
All of these attitudes will produce that result.
Now look back over the list. Take inventory. If you come up short, just ask God to "please pass the salt".
