Jesus called us to be salty. What could he have possibly meant by that? In modern-day, the term being salty is look at as such a put down for having a bad attitude, but what did Jesus mean when he said it?
We look at salt today as a mere seasoning to sprinkle on food to make it flavorful. Yes, in biblical times they used salt to season food, but it was so much more than that. They used salt for seasoning, preservation, disinfectant, for ceremonial offerings, and for a unit of exchange. Jesus was so intelligent he spoke to them in ways he knew they would understand. Salt was such a great part of their daily life.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” – Matthew 5:13
Jesus tells his followers: You are the salt. God sees us as the most precious thing in the world. We are so valuable and we preserve this world. We should be a preserving fruitful influence on the world. Without our fruitful influence, the world would spoil with evil. God calls us to preserve the goodness of this world.
Jesus also tells us to be full of flavor. “But if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled.”
In biblical times, if salt lost its flavor or preserving abilities, they threw it away on the streets and it would be walked on, because what good to them was it? None.
Jesus is warning us as Christians, if we lose our flavor (fruitful influence) in this world, we are no longer valuable for His Kingdom.
No longer valuable for His Kingdom… That’s not a place I want to find myself, and I’m sure you don’t either.
So how can you be the salt of the earth? Constantly pursue a relationship with God! A relationship requires interaction. This is done by reading His Word and speaking to Him openly and honestly through prayer. We are here to be the salt of the world, a blessing to His people. We cannot do this without showing them absolute love as He did.