The Salt Of The Earth

The Salt of the Earth

Key Points

Jesus preaching on the mountain

Tells his followers that “You Are”

We are Salt and Light

Its not negotiable, not a “gifting” to be claimed or ignored

Its not earned or as a reward

Its not a denominational calling

If Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, you are

We are

We are Salt and Light

So we will not lose our saltiness or hide the light that shines bright

We are!!

Salt and Light

Consider Salt

Salt is a key component of life, we all have about of 120 grams salt in each of us, necessary for our bodies to function, muscles to work, blood to circulate, food to digest you get the idea essential

That’s why sick people get saline (salt solution) infusions

Salt also flavours, seasons, preserves and purifies, very important compound is salt, nearly as vital as water

Consider Light

Light, without it is darkness

Without it is a lack of vision a not seeing

Plants would cease to be, life on this planet would not be without light

Darkness does not nourish, light brings life, light brings vision, light brings hope and warmth

Salty

What does Jesus mean here to be like salt, the salt of the earth?

Have you ever drunk salt water, I remember one instance particularly vividly,

Think of Deal beach in Kent in England, on a sunny winters afternoon, crisp and clear

I was five and running fast away from my parents, just did not understand the word stop. As I ran I was just trying to get around that long wooden things called a breakwater, just wanted to run through that puddle on the end, it only looked to be an inch deep and ran into it and whoosh, down I went, tried to breath and got a lung full of salt water disgusting, then I remember looking up seeing a giant hand come down and yank me out, boy was I sick, relieved and happy, for my Fathers hand saving me, but I could not even smell seawater for a long while after that without feeling sick

Ever got salt or sea water in a cut, you know when you do it stings, I mean really stings, cut myself on the rocks fishing recently I can testify to this it stung!

So did Jesus mean were to make people sick, nauseated by our presence and sting them into submission, we have ways of making you believe…type salt?

No that’s not it

Think of food and its flavour and preservation, that’s the key here, that’s why salt was a very precious commodity in time Jesus was speaking, highly valued for it properties

Thrown on the manure heap if it lost its salty ness, worthless salt

Salty truth

As few weeks ago I was again up at the gym exercising for a few hours, burning thousands of calories, don’t worry I have many to burn!

Smug in my amazing prowess I made my way to my locker to change

Passing a young lad and his father, I hear the lad say to his dad “look that man has those bits like mummy!”

That’s truth salty style, no sugar to make it more acceptable, the truth as it is

The lads dad nearly sat on the poor boy to shut him up, after all as the youth had observed I am somewhat large!

Christians need to tell the truth, we know what is in the bible we know what would please Jesus and what would not, we should tell the truth with judgement and discernment, we are not called to cause hurt or pain we share in the Sprit of love and life

We need to show the truth in our lives, the purity in our hearts and ways of being

Flavour and Preservation

Jesus tells us we are the salt of the earth, salt brings out flavour in food and preserves it

So what flavour do you imagine yourself as them, if we were to “taste” you (in the biblical sense of course) so to speak what would it be?

Sweet, Sour, Spicy, nothing, a lingering taste developing slowly into something exotic and wonderful or a sharp bitterness

What would it be?

Me, well it depends on me unfortunately, rarely sweet in the true sense of the word, more often than I would like more of a bitter note that would not stimulate another bite! Or be an acquired taste, as Mena my wife will no doubt testify very acquired on occasion

Jesus is calling believers to carry his flavour to the world, his character, what’s that like you should ask

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, turning away from our sinful natures, that’s the taste of Jesus