Before we begin taking bows for this accolade, perhaps we should be clear about what salt is all about.Let's start with table salt. Makes stuff taste good, especially chicken soup. Too much contributes to high blood pressure but it is critical for continuing health. Around the world, various compounds are added to salt as an easy delivery system for iodine, folic acid, iron and fluoride which address a variety of health issues. It can preserve fish and meat, it can purify water. In the Old Testament, it was offered as a sacrifice.
The salt trade was an important source of wealth especially during the Roman Empire when 'salt roads' were built to get the commodity to the market. Now a days, a salt road means safer driving in the northern climes.
You are the salt of the earth. So which one is Jesus pointing to? Purification? Sacrificial offering? Chicken soup seasoning? Road salt? Valuable commodity?
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is teaching about the kingdom of heaven. It is a place where the poor in spirit are blessed and the meek inherit the earth. It is a place like none we know now; for many of us it is a place where we would like to dwell. That is where the salt comes in.
We are to function like salt - bringing a new taste, a better taste to the world we all know. We are to protect the weak as a preservative and offer ourselves as a sacrifice when necessary. We are to be purificators - focused on living as Jesus' followers, insisting on the right and the just. It won't take a whole lot of us to make a difference in the world - a difference that can bring health and wholeness.
Being salt in Jesus' eyes equals being that bit of seasoning which can turn a dull dish into a delicious one. We are to be the active ingredient in this world to carry the truth of the world that is coming.
We are to follow 'on the way' as children of God, our own salt road which will bring the treasure of heaven to those who join us.
So, what happens when salt loses it saltiness?
Exactly.
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