You are the salt of the earth !

In the Sermon on the Mount, after the Beatitudes, Jesus speaks to us about being the “salt of the earth”!

What did He mean by that? Matt. 5:13: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

Jesus knows the human heart; and this “but” warns and challenges us !

The verse comes right after the Beatitudes. In other words, the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the persecuted… are precisely the “salt.” “Flavor” is not a performance; it is the fragrance of the Beatitudes.

Jesus takes up the image elsewhere:
Mark 9:50: “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Luke 14:34–35 insists on the useless salt that is thrown away.
Col. 4:6 speaks of speech “seasoned with salt.”

Salt is composed of chlorine and sodium. Chlorine is poisonous, but combined with sodium it becomes salt, which serves to preserve food and also to enhance flavor. Salt has many properties, and many preachers have spoken about it. Salt heals.

In former times, people put salt on skin wounds; it burned, but it was effective! Today, the Christian—who is salt and light—also brings healing through presence and words, by showing the way of salvation. It can hurt very much at first to hear that we are sinners and lost, but the salt of the Word heals all kinds of infirmities: spiritual, moral, physical…and save us !

• Salt is precious ! In ancient times, salt served as a medium of exchange. Slaves were bought with salt; soldiers were paid with salt (hence the word “salary”). Likewise, the Christian is precious—has value! As long as Christians are here, they will keep the world from spinning out of control !

• Salt is a preservative ! Formerly, one would jar the garden surplus to enjoy it in winter, and salt was the preserving agent. In the same way, the Christian is called to be a preserver of the good Word of God and to encourage those who are in a dark season and wavering in faith ! He shows the way ! Especially in these times of apostasy, adversity, and the ups and downs of life that never fail to come. The Christian is a bearer of life! He helps his brother, his sister in difficulties.

• Salt gives flavor to food ! Without salt, dishes would be bland, tasteless. We put salt in bread and even in sweet cakes. What can we learn from all these examples?

Have you ever met “salty” people—people with savor? Their very presence fills us with joy and brightens our day ! Their radiance follows them wherever they go, for they carry the Spirit of the life of God, and it shows on the outside; it is felt. They carry life, not death. Let us watch over ourselves, keep our lamp burning, and be of good savor for others. Let us remember that at the start, salt is first a poison—chlorine—but with the addition of sodium, the blood of Christ, we have become children of God. Likewise, human beings are steeped in that deadly poison, sin, but the blood of Christ purifies us and gives us life!

• A few strong points emerge:
  -A serious warning. Jesus does not flatter His disciples by saying “you are the salt”; He also warns them: salt can lose its flavor. The Christian calling can be neutralized by compromise or indifference.
  -An indispensable role. Without salt, the world spoils, loses its savor, and lets itself be overrun by corruption. By their presence, their words, and their faithfulness, believers prevent spiritual and moral decay.
  -A strong parallel with salvation. Chlorine alone is poison, but united with sodium it becomes useful salt. Likewise, humanity marked by sin finds in the blood of Christ a radical transformation that makes it a bearer of life.

To be the “salt of the earth” is not optional ; it is to live out a double aim: to preserve the truth and to reveal the taste of life in God. It is a humble vocation, without which the world becomes bland and rots from within.

Franz