Salt of the Earth

Source: J. John
"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its
flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled
underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world - like a city on a
mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under a
basket, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let
your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your
Heavenly Father.'' (Matthew 5:13-16)

Jesus assumes the church and the world are different. If there is nothing
special about the church and her people then there is no reason to take a
message to the world. Salt is a preservative and light dispels darkness.
Jesus assumes the world is rotten and dark.

Jesus tells his followers that they are the salt of the earth. In those days
there were no refrigerators and the only way to preserve meat and keep it
from rotting was to pack it in salt. It stopped decay. Isn't our society
rotten today? Our morals are eaten away and it is up to Christians to stop
it. That means something very specific. We are to be involved. I remember
when AIDS was first discussed. Something strange was happening to the immune
system of men. For whatever reasons, their body just stopped fighting
disease. And so the little stuff that we normally just shrug off, a cold,
sore throat, for these people became life threatening.

When I look at the world I think we have a case of spiritual AIDS. The moral
immune system doesn't fight like it should. Too many of us Christians have
formed our own little communes. The world is big, bad, and ugly so we don't
want to go into it. We don't want our children to see that stuff so we
shelter them from it. We become protectionist. But when all the Christians
leave society, the moral immune system is gone and every little disease that
is floating around can suddenly multiply and get worse. If we want to be
salt in society, we must actively fight decay. We cannot remain passive.

Jesus says that if the salt loses its saltiness it becomes worthless. It is
impossible for salt not to be salt, but it is possible for it to become so
contaminated that it is useless. If I told you that your salt shaker was 75%
salt and 25% beach sand, would you put it on your dinner? It would be
worthless. In the same way if we allow ourselves to lose our
distinctiveness, then we end up ineffective. If we are so rotten ourselves
then we cannot stop the rot around us. We need to guard our lives and be
salt in a society that is rapidly decaying.

Jesus also says that his disciples are light. Salt has a negative role, it
stops decay, but light has a positive role, it illuminates and guides. In
Jesus' day they used lamps. And the lamps could show you just enough to take
the next few steps.

As Christians, we are to be a source of light. We are to be people who
dispel darkness. Jesus actually says we are the light of the world. No one
else has the light that we have. What do we do with that light? Jesus says
we are 'like a city on a mountain' - we cannot hide our light. God doesn't
want a hidden army of secret service agents. Any Christian in any occupation
can be salt and light. It's the Christian's job description.

One thing that is interesting about the Beatitudes is that they cannot be
practised in isolation. You cannot be meek by yourself. There is no way to
be merciful, alone. The beatitudes must be practised among people. They are
a witness to the change that takes place in us when we become a follower of
Christ. They are a mark of distinction. The job of the church is not to
impact the church, but to impact the world. Jesus says that people will see
our good deeds. Our good deeds include everything good that we do.

Without these good deeds, our gospel loses its credibility. People ask "Why
should I listen to you"? Your life is just like mine!
ISSUE
Note that Jesus says you ARE the salt of the earth and the light of the
world, not you could be or you will be once you get it right, but you are.
There is no reason to wait until later to speak up or do the right thing. We
are the light of the world - we must act like it.

So ask yourself. Are you salt? Are you light?
* Don't laugh at an inappropriate joke - be salt to those around you.
* Practice forgiveness at your workplace. Too many workplaces are poisoned
by cynicism, be someone who brings healing and peace.
* Those of you in School, either as a teacher or a pupil, speak out against
bullying and prejudice.
* Refuse to gossip.
* Never underestimate the power of a note of encouragement.
* We don't have to be perfect to be salt and light, just faithful. We don't
have to know exactly what to say to invite our neighbour to church.

Let's refuse to ever be a Clark Kent Christian - one in disguise!
SHALOM,

J John
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