Have you ever wondered why Jesus says in (Matthew 5:13): “You are the salt of the earth…” To fully understand what being the salt of the earth means I think it would be helpful to look at the various uses of this commodity in ancient times.
First, salt was used as a seasoning and was meant to be a flavor enhancer. Second, salt was used to help preserve foods, especially meat. Since there was no refrigeration in ancient times salt was added to meat to keep it from spoiling. Third, salt was used as a disinfectant. It was used to treat wounds and disinfect them by killing bacteria. Fourth, salt was used when sacrificial and ceremonial offerings were to be made to the Lord. For example, we read in (Leviticus 2:13): “Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.” And fifth, salt was sometimes used as a unit of exchange. In fact, because of its high value, especially as a preservative in meats, Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt.
Thus, by looking at the uses of salt during biblical times we see how Jesus meant for us to emulate its uses to the people we come in contact with. For example, as a seasoning we should enhance the lives of the people Jesus places in our paths. As a preservative we need to preserve and uphold biblical values. Salt as a disinfectant speaks of us as being agents of healing. As far as sacrificial offerings go, I think (Romans 12:1) gives us the picture of what our role as Christians should be: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Finally, salt as a unit of exchange, means that you are of high value to God, and we need to let everyone we come in contact with know that they too are of high value and importance to the Lord.
Thus, as Christians it is imperative that we act as salt to a world that desperately needs direction, meaning, and Jesus! John Stott shared the following question the church must come to grips with when he said: “We should not ask, ‘What is wrong with the world?’ for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather we should ask, ‘What has happened to salt and light?’”1
Sadly, many Christians don’t act very much like salt, let alone light. Too often, we let our salt stay in the shaker, and as a result, we make little impact on our society for Jesus. Again, John Stott adds insight here on our role as believers when he shared: “God intends us to penetrate the world. Christian salt has no business to remain snugly in elegant little ecclesiastical salt cellars; our place is to be rubbed into the secular community, as salt is rubbed into meat, to stop it going bad. And when society does go bad, we Christians tend to throw up our hands in pious horror and reproach the non-Christian world; but should we not rather reproach ourselves? One can hardly blame unsalted meat for going bad. It cannot do anything else. The real question to ask is: Where is the salt?”2
As Christians we realize that God could have taken us home to be with Him as soon as He saved us. However, His plan was to use us here on earth as His ambassadors to represent Him to a world that desperately needs Jesus. We are to be salt and light to a world that has no hope outside of Jesus. Our daily prayer should be for God to use us like salt and light to impact the world for Jesus!
1 TOP 25 QUOTES BY JOHN STOTT (of 160) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
2 TOP 25 QUOTES BY JOHN STOTT (of 160) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)