Are You Salty? part 1

Have you ever thought about this statement? “We have been saved to then be sent.” 

There are people all around us who have never heard the Good News. There are innumerable others who have heard but have not surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

How do you and I then respond to the first statement – that we have been saved to then be sent? Perhaps you and I have come to the Lord for such a time as this to be world changers, or maybe we could call ourselves “salty saints!” 

In Matthew 5: 13 (NKJV) Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

So the question might be better put to us as this: Are we living a life as a Jesus follower that is actually seasoning, purifying, and affecting others for the Lord’s sake? Are we a valuable addition to the world around us?

Let’s start our discussion by looking at how SALT was valued during the time of Jesus. Jesus referenced “salt” so this commodity must have given meaningful context to His teachings. (Matthew 5:13)

Salt was considered extremely valuable in Jesus’ day. This is completely opposite of the value placed on salt in our world. We grab a handful of salt packets at McDonald’s and think nothing of it. When there is snow and ice, we spread salt on our sidewalks and highways. To us, salt is very commonplace and inexpensive.

In contrast, salt was an extremely precious commodity of the Roman Empire. Slaves were traded for salt. Roman soldiers were paid with salt. Did you know that the phrase “being worth one’s salt” comes from this very practice! The Latin word for salt is “sal” and this is the derivation for the English word “salary.”

We can now better understand why salt was considered precious and valuable in the world where Jesus lived. A container of salt at that time was valued at more than a day’s salary.

In Matthew 5: 13 when Jesus says, “You are the salt of the Earth” He is more deeply saying to each of us:

• You are precious!
• You are valuable!
• You are not only precious and valuable to Me but to the entire world!
• You have influence in your neighborhood, at your school, and in your workplace!
•  Isaiah 43:4 (NKJV) – Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life.
• God declares this in the Old Testament and again in the New Testament – We are precious to Him!

So as those who are precious to the Lord and also as those He now has positioned in the earth today, our assignment is to be “salty!”  We are the salt of the earth!  Next week we will look at some of the characteristics of salt and discover how those characteristics relate to us and our earthly assignments. 

Have a blessed week and stay salty!

Dr. Sharon Predovich