“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Matthew 5:13
If you were a flavor, what would you be? Sweet? Sour? Salty? Fun as the metaphor might be, that’s not all that Jesus is talking about here.
Instead, you’ve figured it out. This verse alludes to faith. If we flavor our lives with something, it becomes part of us, a way that people might describe us. I’m a business consultant by trade. People describe me as “senior consultant,” “business guy,” “executive consultant”, “implementation SME.” If I gave that up, they’d describe me with other words.
Not only, but some things, like words, shape up, help define who we are. You know this: salt is used for more than just flavoring. Doctors tell us to cut back on salt, which is essential for life, because too much of this good thing is also harmful. Salt is used for preserving food, even for other things. It’s used for cleansing, used for cleaning (for instance, one of the best ways to clean a cast iron pan is to use salt). And, if you like ice cream, you like it because of salt, because salt is used to lower the temperature of water to where it’s still liquid but able to freeze ice cream churning in immersed tubs.
What would happen if salt were to lose those qualities that make it useful? If salt is mixed with other things, it loses its saltiness. If it is diluted with too much water, the same thing happens. If it is left out, exposed to air for too long, it can lose its saltiness.
What would happen if you were to lose – or give up – the qualities that make you pleasant, useful? That’s what Jesus is getting at here. Like salt, our faith can become diluted if too many things are mixed in with it. Not just sins: even too much of a good thing can take away our salty wisdom, focus on Jesus, and faith. Just ask any pastor. It’s easy to get burned out on ministry. Or, look at the evangelism groups that start out on fire – salted with fire, you might say – and many sputter out after becoming diluted or watered down due to lack of focus. You get the drift. How do we avoid that?
Eyes on Him. Jesus might well have said “eyes on me, guys,” because that’s how we avoid losing our faithful saltiness. He wants us to flavor, preserve, clean, and help the lives of other people, and for others to salt us as well. But that can only happen when we keep studying, keep reading, keep praying, keep following Jesus closely. Stay salty, my friend.
For more reading: Mark 9:50, Luke 14:34-35, Matthew 5:14
Lord Jesus, salt my life and help me to remain salty for you.
Practical Proverbs 