Salt of the Earth
Posted By Amazing Moments Staff on February 10, 2012
By Amazing Moments Staff
Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV) 13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Thoughts and Reflections
This passage comes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Jesus teaches His followers about discipleship. A multitude of people were gathered, and He went up on a hill so that they could hear Him. Jesus begins His teaching with a reference to salt. Today salt is common. It is readily available and has few uses other than seasoning our food. In Jesus’ time, salt was scarce and much more valuable. In fact, Roman soldiers received a portion of their pay in salt. That portion was called salarium, the root form of what we now call salary. Salt was also used as a preservative. Only recently with the advent of modern refrigeration has salt been replaced as the most widely used method of preserving meat.
Today when we hear the phrase “salt of the earth” we may think of someone who is genuine and helpful. Perhaps when we hear it, we envision a hard working person, or someone that is useful in tough situations. These are all very good qualities that we should strive for. Notice, however, our modern understanding of the term makes no mention of Christ or the preservative qualities of salt.
When Jesus says we are the salt of the earth, He is telling Christians to be preservers of the world around us. We all have certain people in our lives that make us straighten up when they are around. It could be a pastor, a teacher, our parents, or the police, but is it you? Are you the type of person that is a good influence on the people around you?
Jesus goes on to say let our light shine before others. This means proclaiming Christ as LORD, and taking a stand for what we believe in. It also means not following the crowd, and minimizing the sin in our own life as well as not allowing certain sins to be done in our presence. It can be a difficult position with much responsibility.
If salt is to be a preservative, there must be contact between the salt and the material it preserves. If light is to illuminate, the light must be near that which it illumines. It is impossible for us, as Christian believers, to fulfill the charge that our Lord has given if we make no contact with the world around us. May God help us, who have been given the marvelous grace of salvation, act as salt in our society by making contact, and act as light by getting near and next to those who do not have what God, in his marvelous grace, has given to us.
The next lesson will be February 17th, 2012
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