Salt Life: Matthew 5:13-20 - Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

[Jesus said:] 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.
  ¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
  ¹⁷“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (NRSV)

Salt by Kevin Dooley on flickr. CC BY 2.0

Do you have the willpower to go to the movies and NOT buy snacks and drinks from the concession stand?

I don’t! I always go in determined not to buy anything; but by the time the movie starts, I’ve bought a 48-ounce drink and a bucket of popcorn that costs more than a Delmonico Steak. And the theaters don’t make it easy to resist buying food.

The endless barrage of ads and trailers will certainly include commercials for the concession stand, with vivid visual and audio imagery to stoke your appetite. You’d be a fool to buy a bucket of salty, buttery popcorn without a sweet drink.

The human body naturally craves salt—and for good reason: salt is essential for life. You would die without it. It’s vital to the formation of muscle tissue and the functioning of your central nervous system.  But it is highly-addictive, and the average American eats way too much of it. Over-consumption of salt can lead to hypertension, which increases your risk of stroke or heart attacks.

In order to understand Jesus when he says, “you are the salt of the earth,” you need to think outside the saltshaker.

Salt is one of the most vital minerals to human civilization. Salt has been (until recently) the most sought-after mineral in history, even more than gold.  Wars have been fought over the control of salt resources.  Roman soldiers were actually paid with salt, which is where we get the word salary.

In a world without refrigeration, salt is the perfect preservative—because it absorbs bacteria-breeding moisture, particularly in bread, meats and fish. And of course, we like salt because it adds flavor to our foods.

Salt is also an antiseptic, which is where we get the word saline.  All in all, salt is essential to human civilization.

So, when Jesus says, “you are the salt of the earth,” he is declaring that you bring life to the world. That’s your purpose. And notice how Jesus says, “you are salt.” He doesn’t say, “do this” or “believe this and you will become salt. He says, “you are salt.” This is what God accomplishes in you through faith.

“You are the salt of the earth.” You are not salt for your own sake, but the sake of God’s purposes. You are an essential part of God’s working in the world.

Baptized into Christ, living in the world, among God’s people, you bring out the flavor of God’s righteousness. You make the invisible God visible and knowable to those for whom God is unknown.

How else will people know about Jesus Christ unless you proclaim his love? Not just speaking the Word, but doing what it says?

It only takes a few shakes of the saltshaker to bring out good taste. Just the same, it’s not necessary to do big, loud, dramatic things to touch people’s lives. We are not a big enough church to operate a homeless shelter or a medical clinic. But consider how many people have we helped to ease the burden of clothing themselves and their families? 46 grieving persons were served by GriefShare last year. How many children have we served with VBS, the Easter Egg Hunt, and the game nights? 100? Maybe more? We can’t fix Leechburg—but we’re already salting people’s lives with God’s gracious love!

Consider salt’s cleansing properties… As the salt of the earth, you practice forgiveness: giving it and asking for it. You don’t bear grudges, but you seek reconciliation with those whom you are at odds. You love your enemies and pray for your persecutors. These fundamental acts of faith function like saline, helping to heal wounds and restore broken relationships. Never underestimate the power of a little bit of mercy to stop the destructive power of fear, prejudice, and hate.

But like salt, your life can be misused and abused—at great harm to yourself, your neighbor, and God’s creation. Salt loses its saltiness the instant it’s not being used for what it was created for.

Nobody in their right mind would eat a plate of salt. That would be toxic. But if you fail to recognize that you’re salt of the earth—that you exist for service to God’s world, (rather than it the world existing for you), you’re no different. You are living a toxic existence. Think of how destructive salt can be, corroding our vehicles and our infrastructure. An excess of salt will make fertile fields as barren as the moon. It makes water undrinkable.  If you think it’s easy to eat too much salt, it’s even easier to dump out your life on the altars of personal success, power, popularity. When we live for ourselves and not for each other, what you get isn’t life. It’s death.

But it only takes a few shakes of the saltshaker to bring out the flavor of God’s love and righteousness. So next time you reach for the saltshaker, consider what people you know who could be blessed by a little bit of salt from you: some love, some generosity, some patience, some forgiveness. Are there needs that you can meet? Wounds that you can heal? Messy situations you can make clean?