“You are the salt of the Earth!” Jesus tells us. We’ve heard it before, so much, in fact, that it is easy to forget what Jesus is really saying to us.
Salt, in the ancient world, was an essential item to survival. Think about your car, running water, your refrigerator. By comparing us to salt Jesus is saying that we preserve, flavor and come from the world and in turn we should be preserving one another, bringing brightness to everyone, and knowing we are all equal.
Jesus is speaking directly to his disciples and to us today! He also offers us a warning, not a threat, just a plainspoken example. What is the point of salt that has lost its saline property? What is flavorless salt? It is pointless. It’s essentially sand or dust. Likewise, what is our faith if we are Christian in name only? What are we if we are not serving one another, accepting one another? What’s the point of Christian living? If we don’t take seriously the call to serve, what are we doing calling ourselves Christians? It’s as absurd as flavorless salt. Now, this may sound like one of those “doom and gloom” threats, it certainly isn’t! In fact, I think Jesus is being pretty funny here, and if you don’t think so, look what he names us next!
“You are the light of the world,” Jesus says, using a very primordial and important image. Light plays an essential role in the imagery of all religions. It is a primary symbol for hope (“the light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5)); importance (“He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light” (John 1:8)); and creation, using God’s first words in the Bible (“Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3)).
So, basically, we’re a real big deal! God is placing us on the same level of importance that we place Him. That’s not to say we are God; it is to say that He equates us as important to Himself, as we have placed Him in importance to us. We worship Him and He embraces us back with equal love, if not more!
So turn on the lamp and pass the salt! Have a great week!
I’ll be seeing you,
Elliot