OUT OF THE SALT SHAKER
Matthew 5:13-17
Introduction:
Some
time back, our denomination’s District Executive minister wanted to get to know
me, since I was a new minister in the region. He wanted to treat me to an
authentic southern breakfast, so he took me out to a Cracker Barrell Country
Store. He ordered “Grits.” I was dreaming about a delicious breakfast. The
waitress brought me back to the real world by placing a bowl of Grits in front
of me. I put a spoon full in my mouth, you should have seen my reaction. It
tasted awful, and bland like glue. My friend told me to add a pinch of salt to
it when I did that and with a bite of the beacon, it tasted I wouldn’t say
heavenly, but better.
Then
I realized how essential salt is! We don’t know the true value of salt until it
is not there. After delivering one of his powerful sermons, called “The Beatitudes”
or the sermon on the mount, in order to highlight their value, versatility,
purpose and the relationship of God’s children to the world Jesus called his
disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” He further went on to say, “But if
the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It’s no longer
good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”
You
may have heard this statement, “You are the Salt of the Earth.” The question
you need to ask yourself is, what kind of salt am I? Today we will unpack what
it means to be the salt of the earth. Can a Christian lose his saltiness? What
are the implications for us personally and as Hope Church to be the salt of the
earth? We will be looking into some of the general qualities of salt, the
biblical usage of salt and how Christians are to be salt in this world.
I
THE USE OF SALT IN THE BIBLE
During
my study I learned some interesting things about salt. When we think of salt, most
of us probably think of salt as simply a white granular food seasoning. In
fact, only 6% of all salt manufactured goes into the food.
Apparently,
we use salt in more than 14,000 different ways from the making of products as
varied as plastic, paper, glass, polyester, rubber, and fertilizers to household
bleach, soaps, detergents, and dyes, etc. Salt is actually a mineral in its
natural form, it is called rock salt. It is composed of sodium and chloride. Salt
is extremely important for the alimentation of all mammals, including humans.
Iodine (commonly found in dietary salt) is an important micro-nutrient for
humans and a deficiency of the element can cause a myriad of hormonal
problems.
For
this purpose, it was sought after commodity since before the Antiquity. The
first evidence of extracting salt (by boiling spring water) comes from Romania,
and there is evidence of saltworks in China in about the same period. It was
highly valued by the Chinese and Arabs, as well as the Romans and Greeks. Roman
soldiers were actually sometimes paid in
salt – this is where the word ‘salary’ comes from.”[1]
The Bible contains numerous references to salt. It was used as a seasoning,
a preservative, a
disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and as a unit of exchange. Consider the
following scriptures: It was used as a preserving agent. All the meat-and grain
offerings were seasoned with salt (Leviticus 2:13). To eat salt with one is to
partake of his hospitality, to derive subsistence from him; and hence he who
did so was bound to look after his host's interests. Ezra 4:14 “Now because we eat the salt of the
palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king’s dishonor, therefore
we send and inform the king,” (RSV).
God directed Elisha to use salt to
cure bad waters and the unfruitfulness of the land (2 Kings 20-22). God used
salt to make two important covenants one with the Levites and other with the
house of David. Numbers 18:19, “All the holy contributions that the people of
Israel presents to the Lord I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with
you, as a perpetual due.
It is a covenant of salt forever
before the Lord for you and for your offspring with you.” 2 Chron 13:5, “Ought
you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel
forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?
Here, a covenant of salt suggests an
agreement of enduring qualities. Salt is understood to be the preservative,
suggesting endurance. Coming back to our passage, where Jesus used salt as a
metaphor to explain the relationship of his disciples to the world. Jesus said,
“You are the salt of the earth.” Let’s unpack this impactful statement.
II YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH.
Vs 13, “3 “You are the salt of the
earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It
is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under
people's feet.” Let’s pay attention to what Jesus is saying, he is not saying
you should be the salt of the earth or you could be the salt of the earth, but
you are the salt of the earth. It is a fact. Whether
you know it or not, like it or not by virtue of accepting him as your Lord and
Savior you become the salt of the earth. The word “You” here in the Greek is
plural which means it applies to all believers and to the whole church. When Jesus said you are the salt of the
earth, he wanted his followers to exhibit the qualities that are found in
natural salt. He wanted his disciples to endure in trails, preserve the
society, heal the broken hearted and bring taste or flavor to the people they
come in contact with and much more. Without exception, we all are called to be
the salt of the earth. The only choice is what kind of salt do we want to be?
III OUT OF THE SALT SHAKER
When Jesus said, to his disciples,
“You are the salt of the earth,” he affirmed the fact that through their lifestyle they were to get involved in all aspects of life and make the world a
better place. As we know salt is useless unless it comes in contact with the
substance it is impacting. For example, you cannot enjoy saltless
food just by looking at and admiring the salt in a salt shaker. Unless the
salt comes out and mixes with your food, it remains tasteless and flavorless. Similarly,
Christians who are called to be the salt of the earth remain in salt shakers
(churches) what impact would they have in the society? Only when they go out
and connect with people and share the message of the gospel in practical and
most relevant ways.
Jesus challenges us not to lose our
savor—our saltiness. In other words, he wants to us to be like the useful salt
and not like the useless salt which is only good to be thrown on the wayside. In
God’s sovereign providence he gave several commandments and moral laws to the
Israelites to obey and conduct their daily affairs, matters of business and
justice.
Consider these commandments: ‘Do not
murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not
defraud, honor your father and mother, etc. If they followed them they will be
preserved as a nation, live in harmony and become prosperous. But if they
violated them they will reap the consequences. History tells us what happened
to ancient Israel.
It looks like, in the 21st
century we are repeating the same mistakes as ancient Israel did in their
rebellion against God. Unlike never before, morality is declining in our times
rapidly. Instead of following the moral laws of God people are following their
own vices and manmade philosophies. As a result, people are hurting and the
hurting people are hurting others.
God is calling Christians to be the salt
of the earth and not to abdicate their responsibility, instead to take up their
position and preserve this decaying society. May I suggest a few things as we seek to be
the salt of the earth? Firstly, we cannot give what we do not have. We can
only give from what we have received from Christ. Therefore, it is imperative that
we let God work in us, change us from the inside out and empower us by His Holy
Spirit to be effective witnesses in our communities and workplace.
Secondly, as we go into the world,
let’s have this attitude to understand, before being understood. We can begin
this process right in our neighborhood. Find out who lives next door to you and
get to know them. If they are from other culture or religion be interested in
them. Ask questions to find out what their cultural values and religious
beliefs are. Be friend them, by inviting them over to a meal or a BBQ in your
yard. Summer is a great season for such initiatives. I know it is not easy, but
why not give it a try. By doing so we are obeying one of the greatest
commandments of Jesus, “love your neighbors as yourself.”
Thirdly, “let your words be seasoned
with salt.” Colossians 4:6, “Let your
speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you
ought to answer each person.” In Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the
power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” Where there is
so much of harshness and derogatory speech these days, Christians are called to
be gracious and kind in their speech. Maybe you are the only Christian in your
workplace when everybody around you swears and curses, you don’t follow their
way, instead, be an agent of healing and comfort through your words that are
seasoned with salt.
Finally, do something practical to
meet the needs of people. Needs can be overwhelming. The DR outreach team can
vouch for that. They realized they can’t meet all the needs there, but they
took a step to do something practical, they spent a week in packaging and
distributing over 2000 food packets, in addition to ministering to children and
building relationships with people.
That is being the salt on the earth.
I encourage you to go on a mission trip next year. Why wait until next year,
you can join the team that is ministering to the Homeless every third Saturday
of each month. Or you can help us with the upcoming Ice-Cream social in the
month of August. If you have the desire to get involved in outreach please talk to
one of us after the service.
If we have eyes to see and ears to
hear and heart of compassion we can find people with dire needs all around us.
While we cannot meet all the needs, but we can certainly try to meet some of
them. In closing, I want to give you a challenge. What kind of salt are you
today? Are you locked in like the salt in the salt shaker? My prayer is that
God will shake you and spread you into the world where you can make a
difference by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
