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Salt Shakers
From Matthew 5: 13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
I love the Sermon on the Mount. I love teaching it in a Bible study setting perhaps a bit more than preaching on it. And the reason is that Jesus shared so much in these passages known ad the Sermon on the Mount that we can miss much in a sermon while a Bible study allows for an in-depth look at what the Lord was sharing with us. The first part that we studied last week was His invitation and welcome into the Kingdom of God. Jesus shared the wonderful things available to us if we would but enter into a loving and trusting relationship with Him. This week's passage is to share with us what is expected of us as we become citizens of this radical kingdom.
The first is to become salt. We've heard or used the expression, "He or She is the salt of the earth," when we mean they're wonderful people. Jesus said, and did not ask, that we are the salt of the earth. Yet, He also says that we should not be flavorless salt for then our purpose is lost. We know the importance of salt in our foods and especially when we cook. Some of us may have heard a lecture or two from our physicians who have told us not to use table salt and to try to limit our salt intake. But to cook a meal without salt is to prepare something beyond repair. I should know I have been there. I was trying to be helpful to my beloved and I tried my hand at making carne guisada. I had all the ingredients cut up and ready by the stove and I put in all that I had seen her put in, and I stirred and I simmered and I served. Yuck. I had forgotten the salt! Nellie was gracious and we tried to salvage it with table salt but it was not the same. Salt when it is cooked goes into the meal and becomes a part of the meal. And everyone can tell. To receive a plate of unsalted food is to receive something that is beyond help.
Our Christian actions and service should be the cooked in flavor of society. As we strive to be spouses, parents, children, workers or bosses, we should strive to show Christ in our actions. We should be people of love and compassion, service to others, devoted to learning more about God's love and sharing that with as many as we can. Christians can flavor the world for better. William Barclay in his commentaries on this passage shares the other uses of salt. We've seen the old Westerns where meat was covered in salt as a preservative. The meat would last longer without refrigeration if it had this salt coating. Can you think how Christians can be the preservatives of life? Salt also served as insulation. During Jesus' time salt was used to line the bottom of the ovens so that as bread was baked or meals prepared in them the salt would evenly spread the heat to allow for better and quicker cooking. Once it was used several times, the people knew to throw it out and people would trample on it with their feet. (v. 13). Christians can serve as insulation for others especially when they go through difficult events in life. Our daughter was called after church yesterday to go and visit a friend and fellow nurse who told her that while attending their church, she and her boyfriend heard a sermon from a pastor that said to get rid of the things holding them back in life, so the boyfriend dumped his girlfriend. Our daughter's listening and caring ear was the insulation and comfort that her friend needed during that time. I saw two men who at our church service were grieving; one his wife's passing some months ago, another whose wife is battling cancer. A hug and a sympathetic word are the preservatives our friends need.
Tomorrow we'll discuss being light and the day after, that of what Jesus meant about the Law and the prophets.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for allowing us to be the salt of the earth. There are several ways in which we can be salt and we invite the presence and power of Your Holy Spirit to make this possible. Let my saltiness for You shake the world for the better. This I pray in Christ Jesus, the source of all things, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
