As Jesus sat down with his disciples to teach them on the mountainside he said, “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
There are 14,000 uses for salt! Did you know that? As I’ve reflected on this scripture in the past, it has always been my impression that Jesus was referring to the “flavor” his followers should add to the culture and community that surrounded them. But salt goes so much deeper than just adding flavor to our food; it has Kingdom principles that can be associated with many of it’s practical uses too.
Salt and Old Testament Covenant
I’ve recently learned of the “Salt Covenant” in the Old Testament (Leviticus 2:13, Numbers 18:19 & 2 Chronicles 13:5.) The covenant of salt had several aspects;
1. It makes that which is of bad taste or no taste palatable.
2. It binds people together or people to God.
3. It speaks of preservation.
4. It speaks of healing.
5. It speaks of purifying.
6. It speaks of its continuance.
7. It speaks of loyalty.
(http://www.wholeperson-counseling.org/grace/salt_covenant.html)
More Salt for thought:
- Salt was once so valuable it was used as money. The word salary comes from the salt used to pay soldiers who were “worth their salt.” Soldier comes from the French word solde, meaning to pay, which was derived from the Latin word for salt sal.
- The adult humans have about three or four saltshakers’ worth of sodium chloride in their bodies. “Chloride is essential for digestion and in respiration. Without sodium, which the body cannot manufacture, the body would be unable to transport nutrients or oxygen, transmit nerve impulses, or move muscles, including the heart.
- To the Egyptians, salt was not only necessary for life, but for life after death. Mummies were kept because eternal life could be maintained best with a preserved body. Packed in salt for 70 days, the Egyptian dead would dry out and be preserved for the next life.
- On Friday nights, Jews dip the Sabbath bread in salt. In Judaism, bread is a symbol of food, which is a gift from God, and dipping the bread in salt preserves it—keeps the agreement between God and his people. Loyalty and friendship are sealed with salt because its essence does not change.
- The Quest Study Bible explains that salt typifies the allegiance to Jesus required to be a disciple. But another understanding might be that Christians are the evidence, the proof, of God’s continuing care for humanity. If through Jesus, God provided salvation for the world, then the church might be the visible seal of that offer for eternal life.
( Excerpts taken from Christianity Today review of the book “Salt : A world history” by Mark Kurlansky, published by Penguin books.)
Being Salt of the earth
So what did Jesus mean when he told his disciples (and us!) to be the “salt of the earth”? Did he mean for us to add flavor to the community and world that surround us? I do believe that is part of it…but it doesn’t end there. The church, where ever she is, should be a source of hope to all nations. She should be the transforming agent of change that purifies, preserves, provides healing and proves loyal, through God’s grace, to those she serves in Jesus’ name. She is also called to connect people and bind them to God.
The Good News doesn’t stop with a message of salvation. The Gospel is meant to be good news for all aspects of life; spiritual, physical, social, emotional and intellectual. The Gospel is meant to be good news for the “whole” person; all people, all nations (tribes and tongues). Jesus came to reconcile all of creation to a healthy, connected, right relationship with God as He had originally intended life to be.
Being Salt for all aspects of life
As a religion, Christianity often deals only with the spiritual aspect of our being. As a “relationship”, our beliefs ought to impact all of who we are and extend to the societies that surround us.
In India, in a region where they give the most towards evangelical missions, dowry is still practiced; even within the church. The practice of dowry puts a price tag on the boy and a heavy financial burden on the girl’s family; de-valuing them both and creating a practice that causes harm to girls. (There are many manifestations of “harm” caused by this practice, as shared with me by local nationals, but that will be saved for another article.) Is the good news only for my personal salvation? Or, is the Gospel message “good news” for the girl child child that lives in a Christian home too? What does it mean for the church to be “salt” in a community where dowry is a an age old cultural practice?
What impact could working with local churches, transforming mindsets and ideas, have on a nation? In one city in India, I found a group who is seeking restoration in their local community to change the way society thinks about girls. One of their goals is to see a society in which there is no discrimination against the girl child and where all children are able to live and achieve their God given potential. It starts with changing mindsets that cause and perpetuate “gendercide” in Northern India. It begins with the local church. An estimated 10 million girls were aborted in the nation of India over the last two decades, creating a gender imbalance of nearly 10% less women then men. But more than mere statistics is the harm it causes the unborn baby girls and their mothers.
This is just one of their many passions for India. This group seeks to impact the local church; equipping and empowering them with a vision for the “whole” Gospel. Their vision is to transform world views with an end goal to transform their nation. They live this out by serving the local church and society; offering reflection and application of love and truth in all areas of life.
They truly are “salt” and light to their community!
