"You are the salt of the earth"

Matthew 5:13

Pastor Tom Johnson, Feb 9, 2014

Salt. Sodium chloride. Morton Salt Company, which has a long history and roots in Chicago, can be found right down Division Street from here next to the Kennedy expressway. In one of their pithy ads, they call salt “the White Wonder.” According to Morton Salt’s history, there was an endless demand for salt that fueled the Gold Rush in California, the salt industry helped rebuild Chicago after the Great Fire, and salt helps sanitize and preserve water systems.

Salt breaks apart water molecules. Recently, we can appreciate how salt will even break apart water in its frozen form on steps, walkways, and roads. The harsh and snowy winter has resulted in a shortage of salt in many areas. Salt was no less important in Jesus’ day when he calls his disciples “the salt of the earth.” In a desert climate, the human body rapidly loses its salt through sweat. This body salt, called electrolytes, must be replenished since it prevents dehydration. Salt prevents water from penetrating into fresh food. Without water, bacteria is unable to live, reproduce, and spoil meat. Salt was the way to preserve food before the advent of refrigeration. Salt also brings out the flavor of otherwise tasteless food. Add just a touch of salt to cooked spinach and it quickly becomes edible and, in my opinion, delicious. And salt comes in many forms, not just in refined, white granules.

Like Jesus suggests in our Gospel, there is good and bad salt. Salt gathered at dried up sea beds and places like the Dead Sea would have had a range of quality. Just as certain salts have a good reputation today such as French gray sea salt and Himalayan sea salt. We have our choice of granulated salt, flaky salt, crunchy salt, colorful salt, smoked salt, chocolate salt, as well as many other varieties.

The one kind of salt that really matters is God’s salt—you and me. “You are the salt of the earth,” Jesus says. “But if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot.” We are called to be the good kind of salt—the kind of salt that is not contaminated and undeniably useful. This call is as clear as any other in Scripture that the Church is called to have a positive impact on society. We are God’s flavor-enhancing agent to the world. We are the moral preserver and guard against spoilage and decay of humanity. We are called to bring out the unique and delightful taste of every human being we are privileged to encounter. If we lose our saltiness—if we lack flavor—if we fail to bring goodness to and out of people around us, we are good for nothing. It like Jesus’ words in John’s Revelation, that if we are lukewarm—neither cold nor hot—he will spew us out. That is a pretty sobering charge—that if God’s people lose their saltiness, we are useless. When we fail to lovingly interact with our communities, coworkers, friends, and family, we make ourselves irrelevant and inconsequential. We have become like salt that is so contaminated by other minerals it was used to pave roads and patch up ancient floors. It was only good for trampling underfoot. And even worse, this low grade salt was used to spread over the fields of enemies so that no crops could grow trampling not only their roads but their livelihood underfoot.

One early church father said “Jesus’ disciples must not lose their delightful taste” (Hillary of Poitiers, AD 315-367). We are the salt of the earth. It was the salty Church in ancient Rome that adopted children who were considered dispensable and discarded. It was the salty people of God that elevated and brought out the value of women in societies that saw them as mere property. It was the salty Christians in England and the United States that called for the abolition of slavery. And today, where is our saltiness? Where can the salt of the Gospel be sprinkled in our communities to bring out the very best of the human experience?

We are the salt of the earth! We are stewards of the unconditional love of God that come to us through the salty sweat and salty tears of Jesus on the cross. His saltiness eliminates the stench and contamination of sin and brings out the delicious forgiveness and savory promise of eternal life. Like salt that brings out the unique flavor of food, the good news of God’s love through Jesus also brings out the uniqueness of every human soul. Every person has worth, gifts, talents, and strengths just waiting for their opportunity to emerge. We are the salt that God sprinkles to bring out the exquisite character of humanity. God is the Master Chef who has a palate for a rich variety of flavors. And we are the salt that he spreads out into the world to draw out the very best.