In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us, "You are the salt of the earth." (Mt 5.13a) You and I both know that salt adds flavor to the foods that we eat. Therefore, Jesus is telling us that we, as his followers, add flavor to the world in which we live. We make something that is dull, lively. We bring excitement to a bland life.
Salt is also used as a preservative for meats. So as salt, we preserve the true nature of life. Therefore we are to hold up what is pure, righteous and holy for the world.
Jesus also says, "But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is not longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." (Mt. 5.13b) I started reflecting on this statement. What does it mean for salt to loose its saltiness? Salt is salt! Salt always has the characteristics of salt. If it has lost its saltiness, then it is no longer salt. It has become something else. Maybe just sodium and chloride.
What does this mean for us as Christians? Does it mean that it is possible for us who are Christians to loose our nature or characteristics of a Christian? If this is true, then it means that we have chosen to display the nature of the world rather than the nature of Christ. This is indeed a hard pill to swallow if we believe that once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then our salvation is secure! This also is hard to hold onto if we believe that because we have been baptized, then our salvation is secure!
Being a member of a Sacramental Church, I know that some believe that if they receive the Sacrament of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, all is well. The only problem with this is that the scriptures don't back that thought pattern. I have had discussion with some that say, well they never believed in the first place. This may well be the case when many of us were baptized as infants and have never had an experience of God's saving Grace through His son, Jesus. I can understand that. I was raised in the Southern Baptist tradition and was baptized when I was around eleven. It was a "Believer's Baptism." Well, it was what one did when they were eleven, kind of like Confirmation or first Communion in the Sacramental Churches; you did it because you were suppose to at that age and your parents wanted to make sure you were part of the Church. But did it make me into SALT????? It didn't for me. I was already a priest in the Church before I had a life saving experience of Jesus. Is baptism important? Yes!!! Is the Holy Eucharist important? Yes!!! But both are intended to incorporate us into the Body of Christ, the Church. The Church doesn't save us, Jesus does. But you may say, the Church is the Body of Christ. And so it is. But you have to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and Him alone to be a member of the Church, His bride.
If we believe that Jesus died on the Cross for our Salvation, what does that mean? To accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, what does that imply? To say a few words and then do what we want to do? Is there not some responsibility on our part to adjust to a different way of life? Are we not suppose to live a different life than that of the fallen world? Are we not suppose to strive after the things of God? Are we not suppose to be obedient to the things He asks of us? Are we not to live a life of integrity?
How do we become the "Salt of the Earth?" Well, first of all, you can't want to be Salt and become Salt. We are like Sodium all by itself. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit to join us with Jesus (the Chloride if you will) to make us Salt. The only difference in this is that we have the free choice to be connected with Jesus or not. God will never ever take away our freedom to choose Him or not..............that is LOVE!!!! It's the loving thing to do. To let individuals make choices. Even choices that destroy their lives. And what is hard for us to believe is that God loves us so much that He allows us to reject Him and His nature to our own damnation. Too many people in the Church believe that because they are a member of the Church that they are Saved. And some believe that it is loving to allow people to remain in the ways of the world and therefore it is Godly or the Christian thing to do. They offer cheap grace, a grace that has no power to change lives from Sodium to Salt.
The Holy Scriptures have been handed down to give us the plumb line to show us the ways of the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and our Lord Jesus Christ; that which is pure, holy and righteous. It is God's desire for us to be the person He created us to be and the only way that this is done, is to allow Him to have His way with us. In that process He is the one who cleans us up for His purposes. He is the redeemer. He is our Lord. He is our Savior. He is our Lover. He is our Sanctifier. He is our "All in All." In Jesus Christ alone, are we the Salt of the Earth.
Fr. Joe
