Matthew 5:13 “Ye are the salt of the earth…”

This must have amazed the people who heard it. They were not among the world’s powerful or elite, or in any way in a position to think of themselves as able to impact the world.  However, Jesus knew something about both the world and them that is not always readily apparent.

The statement reveals something about God’s people.

To understand what Jesus reveals about God’s people, now we must understand some things about salt.  Salt is a preservative – rubbed into meat, for example, it prevents the meat from decaying, and keeps it good to eat.  Salt is an antiseptic – dissolved in a glass of water, it helps kill the germs that cause a sore throat.  Salt is a seasoning agent – sprinkled on bland food, it helps to enhance the flavor. 

When we make the application of this image of salt to the people to whom Jesus spoke, it becomes clearer what Jesus wanted his disciples to do. 

We are to function as a preservative in the world.  This applies specifically to the tendency of the world toward the rottenness of sin.  We do this by being different from the world in which we live.  I think you see this effect when a godly man or woman makes his or her presence known to the world.  Often, the fact that a godly person is present stops the trend toward sin and worse sin.

We are to function as an antiseptic in the world.  I think you see this effect when our involvement in life not only stops the trend toward sin but turns the trend back toward God.  We do this when we have opportunity to help set the pace and the agenda by which the world lives.

We are to be a seasoning agent in the world.  This applies to the fact that without God, life becomes dull and bland and causes people to seek the ever-elusive thrill.  Without God, man is on a never-ending quest for meaning and satisfaction.  You see the salt-effect in the changed lives, values, meaning and purpose in God’s people.  We do this by helping people see there is an alternative to the constant downward spiral of despair.

We are called to change the world in which we live.  We do it by being different from that which is normally found in the world.  We do it by practicing the life of God in the midst of a sinful world.  Here is where we need to begin making some real examination of ourselves.  Is there a clear distinction between your life and that of the people who live around you?  Are you indifferent to the condition of the world and to your responsibility to affect your part of the world for good?

Matthew 5:13 “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”