Matthew 5:13
Key Verse: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” (Matthew 5:13 CSB)
In Ancient Rome, one of the ways that soldiers were paid for their service was with salt. The word “salary” is derived from the word “salt.” Salt was also used for medicinal purposes, especially in cleaning wounds. For example, when Napoleon and his soldiers were retreating from Moscow in 1812, it is recorded that thousands of soldiers died from their wounds because of the lack of salt available to treat them.
One of the most important historical uses of salt was for preservation. Because people didn’t have refrigerators or freezers, the only way to keep meat from rotting was to pack it in salt or a salty solution. Without the presence of salt, everything would begin to rot and decay. In modern times, one of the primary uses of salt of course is to add a little flavor or taste to our food. Where I live, we also put it on the ground to melt ice and snow in the winter. The bottom line is that throughout history, salt has continued to be a valuable commodity and played many important roles.
With that all in mind, what does Jesus mean then when He says to His disciples, “You are the salt of the earth” (v.13)? Jesus is using salt as a metaphor to describe the mission that we have been given by Jesus in the world. He is calling us to consider how we as His followers relate to the world around us and the difference or impact that we ought to make.
Take a moment and think about it. In what ways are you like salt to the world around you? Because of your commitment to faithfully follow Jesus, does your presence function as a preservation tool against the moral rot and decay that is happening in this world? As people meet you, are you like salt creating a thirst in those around you for Jesus? What difference are you making in your neighborhood, workplace, school, and family for the sake of Christ?
As we pursue His mission, Jesus also warns us though to be careful not to become ineffective or to lose our saltiness. As we seek to make a positive difference in the world around us in the name of Jesus, we need to ensure that we don’t allow the world to negatively influence us or lead us astray. When we become too much like those around us, we lose our ability to be salty and to be effective in our mission for Christ. An “unsalty” Christian is an ineffective Christian. “It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”
Today, ask God to give you opportunities to be like salt to those around you. Invite Him to increase the saltiness of your life, so that others will come to know Christ and share in all that you have received from Him.
Prayer: Jesus, help me today to be like salt in the world around me. Use me today to create a thirst in people for you. Enable me to be a tool to preserve what is right and good, as I faithfully follow you. As I seek to fulfill your mission, guard me from becoming ineffective or too much like the world around me. Amen.
