In our
diet, we humans only require less than a teaspoon of salt a day –from all
sources-- for our survival, and most of us take in much more than that. And my
doctors tell me that too much salt can lead people to be at risk of developing
high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and even some kinds of cancer. So people
who try to eat right quickly learn to look for salt not just in the shaker but
in all the ways salt is used to prepare and preserve food to get and stay
healthy.
I
think that the people in Jesus’ day would be astounded at how common… and how
cheap!... salt is in our culture. In addition to small amounts of salt for the
table, we can buy it in 50-pound bags for use in water softeners, we use it in
swimming pools, and (up north) by the dump-truck load to melt ice on roads and
bridges. We can thank advanced mining technology, railroads, and ships that can
carry huge quantities of salt in bulk for all this.
But in
Biblical times salt was rare, hard to obtain, and considered a very precious
commodity!
The
phrase “salt of the earth” means something very different today than when Jesus
said it. Today, when we say someone is the “salt of the earth,” we mean that
he’s a good guy, humble, down to earth, and honest. When Jesus says, “You are
the salt of the earth,” he did not mean that we are Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a
Wonderful Life.” He meant that we are as precious and as essential to life
as salt.
Jesus
says that we are the light of the world, and we are salt of the earth. Where
would life be without light? We are God’s light. We are God’s salt to the
world.
Again,
in our light-saturated culture, where we can barely see the stars anymore
because we generate so much artificial light, we forget how valuable and rare
light can be. A lone campfire lit by a shepherd on a hill could be seen from
miles away. Light shining in the darkness didn’t just shine. The smallest light
could pierce the darkness… not obliterate it as we know today… but pierce it
with pinpoint intensity. That’s why in the ancient near east, they’d light
fires on the top of towers so that ships at night could steer by it through the
darkness.
You
are the light of the world.
You
are the salt of the earth.
Imagine
a world where salt and light were special, extraordinary things.
In
this preaching and teaching, Jesus used ordinary images everyone could
understand to let us know that he expects something extraordinary from us for
the sake of God. He was telling his hearers that he places a high value on them
and on what he requires of his followers – just as in the first-century salt
was valuable, he is telling us that we are valuable, too! He taught his
followers to act for God in ways as important and varied as salt was in their
world!
So, let’s
follow the image of salt for a moment. We are salt to the world, Jesus says.
What does that mean?
Our
being salt to the world would help others learn to make life special and not be
the “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” existence described by the
philosopher Thomas Hobbes. Christian faith can provide spiritual seasoning that
gives life joy and meaning. To keep life from being bland and unrewarding, we
season it with Christian commitment and understanding of God’s love for his
children. Being salt to the world means adding flavor to life wherever and
whenever possible. It means adding a zestful spirit to life and love. It means
pursuing meaning in all we do and in all we encounter. It means acting in love
with all whom we touch.
In
Jesus’ day, salt was often connected with purity. The Romans believed that salt
was the purest of all things because it came from pure things: the sun and the
sea. It was used by the Jews to purify their offerings to God. If we modern
Christians are to be the salt of the earth, we must accept a purer and higher
standard in our speech, thought, and behavior – keeping ourselves unspotted by
the world’s self-centeredness. We use respectful language, we avoid slurs and
generalizations because we followers of Jesus attempt to heed his call to be a
cleansing presence, constantly witnessing to the good that is found in God’s
people and to express the values of God’s realm.
In
ancient times, salt was valued as a basic ingredient of a good life. As salt in
the world, we can serve as a basic nutrient for others. We can become nurturing
agents for those around us – caring, helping, enriching, teaching, and bringing
them to Christ.
Salt
was also used to aid healing. As salt in the world, we can promote healing
through prayer, caring for others, and supporting the least, the lost, and the
lonely – holding hands with one another and administering the holy oil of
anointing.
Salt
has, for centuries, served as a preservative to prevent food from spoiling. If
we, as salt in the world, become preservatives of God’s goodness, we can help
prevent spoiling and corruption wherever we find it. As followers of Jesus, we
are committed to preserving Christian principles that keep ourselves and others
from going bad.
Most
of the time, salt is mined from the earth or, more and more, dried from sea
water. Whether it is in a bag in the garage or a shaker on the table, for salt
to become effective, to do its work, it must be released from its container.
God can release us from what entraps us so we can truly salt the people of the
earth.
God
can release us to do the work Jesus commands us to do – to make a difference in
the world: giving hope where there is no hope; forgiveness where there is division
and rancor; to embrace others where there is loneliness and despair; tolerance
where there is prejudice; reconciliation where there is conflict; justice where
there is wrong; food where there is hunger; comfort where there is distress or
disease.
So
that’s what Jesus meant when he said that we are “salt.” Through his incarnation,
death, and resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, he empowers us to
purify, to heal, to nurture, to thaw the frozen, to preserve, and to season the
people of the earth. In Sacramental living, the power of God supports and
sustains us and stands with us if we risk whatever it takes to become salt to
the world. And when we fail in this effort, through prayer, Christian
community, confession and absolution, God raises us up and renews us and gives
us strength to persevere, again and again.
Unlike
many modern people whose health depends on moderation in eating sodium, we
“salty” Christians never need to go on a spiritual salt-free diet! In
fact, the world needs us to be salt! Our community is in desperate need
of the seasoning that we, from our branch of the Jesus Movement, can provide. God
is sending us to heal a broken world, be a sign of justice and hope, of
commitment and peace, to be people of prayer and faithfulness. To be, as Jesus said, salt of the earth.
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