BE SALTY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“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 underfoot.”

Matthew 5:13

"Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Mark 9:49-50

“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.”

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

Luke 14:34-35

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

After dispatching with the Beatitudes, the opening to His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus starts to get down to the business of teaching the crowds who had gathered to listen to them. Specifically, He wanted to address the ways people were living and provide direction toward ensuring those ways were right and righteous.

The start of this guidance is found in today’s verse from Matthew 5. Look again at the words of Jesus here:

“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 underfoot.”  Matthew 5:13

In speaking with His followers, note that Jesus is letting them know the potential value they held. Each one of them was designed to be the “salt of the earth” and was expected to go forth and be the “seasoning” others needed. They were expected to be salty and that illustration of seasoning carried with it a couple of important illustrations.

First, think about the use of salt then and now. When people wished to add flavor to their food, they added salt and it changed the item it was applied to for the better. Jesus’ disciples were to be the salt of the earth, going to others and applying the “seasoning” of Jesus to make them better than they were before, the help them find salvation and become new creations in the process.

This leads to the other important purpose of salt for it was often used as a preservative by those in Jesus’ day. Most often, meat would be packed in salt to ensure it didn’t rot and be ruined. Jesus wanted His followers to be the salt of the earth and help preserve the lives of those who were unsaved by helping bring them to Jesus, saving them from the rot and ruin of destruction because of their sinfulness.

What was the alternative to this?

It was to lose “saltiness” which was akin to being useless when it came to serve to the Lord. You see, if salt loses its flavoring or preserving abilities, then it is of no use to anyone and it is easily discarded, “longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot”. This is the fate awaiting any believer who chooses to not be as Jesus commanded, to be the salt of the earth. Those who choose this way of life will hold no value when it comes to advancing the kingdom of heaven on earth by helping other come to know and trust in Jesus as Savior.

Perhaps this is the worst one could see from a Christ follower, to see they have lost their “saltiness” by choosing to live in a way that subtracts, not adds and contributes to the cause of Jesus and those He yearns to save.

Where do you fall on Jesus’ saltiness scale?

Would He consider you as holding worth for Him through the way you are obediently enhancing the lives of other?

Or would He view you as useless because of your sinful disobedience and non-compliance, no better than the salt that was no longer good for anything “except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot”?

My prayer is that you are seen as salty by the Savior, carrying out exactly what He commanded and demanded at the end of the Gospel of Matthew in what we call the Great Commission which went like this:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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