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"You are the salt of the earth!" Amazing and mysterious words from Jesus himself to those who had chosen to follow him. Since I am preaching on this on Sunday, I figured I better work to get to the bottom of the meaning of this phrase! And so here is my humble list of observations about what it means to be the salt of the earth.
1. Salt tastes good! Have you ever ate mashed potatoes without salt? French fries are better with salt . . . but really I rest my case on the awesomeness of salt based upon one key fact . . . bacon is full of salt. Enough said!
Jesus points to salt's ability to impact flavor as the thing that makes it a worthy comparison to his people. We are that which provides spice to the world . . . and I say, really? So many Christians I have met are more like the lemon juice of the earth . . . or vinegar of the earth! Jesus said if salt loses its flavor it is "no longer good for anything."
Salt brings delight, and joy to a mundane meal. How salty are we?
2. Salt just doesn't do much in the shaker! But truth be told, most of us little salt cubes kinda feel comfortable with other little salt cubes. It is easy to hang out with people who are like us! But for salt to have any benefit, it needs to get out ot the shaker and onto the food of real life. So many would like to cloister themselves into Christian sub-culture buried under layers of protection and lies like, "We just don't want the evil of the world to rub off on us."
As the salt of the earth, we need to get out into the world and spread some zest! Are you involved in real life in your community? Are you using your gifts and talents to make life better for those around you? You have been shaken out onto the plate to mix around a bit a have a positive impact!
3. Lastly, The thought of salt losing it's flavor is absurd! NaCl tastes salty . . . if it doesn't taste salty then it ain't salt! So what is this business about salt losing it's flavor. Jesus wasn't in need of a high school chemistry class! He is stating something absurd with intention . . . a rabbi around the turn of the first century AD was asked, how can one make salt that has lost it's flavor salty again? His reply was that it should be salted with the afterbirth of a mule. The absurdity of course, being that mules have no offspring and therefore don't produce afterbirth. He was answering an absurd question with an absurd answer.
The point being, then, that followers of Christ are NOT asked to do a better job being the salt of the earth. It is a truth that is DECLARED of them. If we don't get out and flavor our community . . . we must genuinely ask ourselves if we are salt . . .
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