“You are the salt of the earth.”
— Matthew 5:13
When somebody says, “Please pass the salt,” you know that person wants a little more flavor on her hamburger or her French fries. Back in Jesus’ day, salt was also used for preserving food, the way we put ours in the refrigerator to keep it from going bad. Salt was valuable because without it, supper would be a rotten affair.
When Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth,” he meant that you are important. You can give life “flavor,” make it fun and interesting, show people love, be who you are. And you can also keep the good things going. By being honest and compassionate and brave, you preserve those values the way salt preserves beef jerky.
“But if the salt loses its saltiness,” Jesus said, “how can it be made salty again?” In his day, the salt used in Israel was from the Dead Sea and was full of impure stuff that caused it to lose some of its flavor. The people then would have understood that Jesus was saying, “Don’t be sinful and impure, or you can’t be what you were put here to be — a giver of life and a saver of goodness.”
More to Explore: 1 Peter 2:12
Girl Talk: Do any of your friends need a little “salt” in their lives? How can you give them a taste of God?
God Talk: “Jesus, please use me to help others and to bring your ‘salt’ to the world. I want to keep the good things going and preserve all the values that you love.”
From That Is So Me by Nancy Rue