Jesus, the True Salt
1 Jesus, the True Salt
'Ye are the salt of the earth' (Matt. 5:13). I believe there is a precious message for us in this fragment from the Lord's Sermon on the Mount This wonderful Sermon, contained in Matthew chapters 5 to 7, is well known in every part of the world. Even those who do not believe the Gospel often quote from it. There is no doubt that it contains a very high moral standard for mankind. You will find that the Lord, sums up the whole Sermon of three chapters in these few words, 'Ye are the salt of the earth'.
What does salt mean?
1. Taste: Let us consider what is the meaning of salt. Firstly, it adds to the taste. Human beings in every country like to have salt in their food. Any dish may be very well cooked, but if it has no salt nobody will like the taste. Those who have high blood-pressure, and there are many such nowadays, are advised not to take salt in their diet. You can imagine how much they suffer. Even though you eat a large quantity of food, if it is without salt, you are not satisfied. A small quantity of salt can give much taste to food. The Lord's intention is to gather to Himself a people who, like salt, can bring health and enjoyment to the whole world.
2. Faithfulness: Salt represents faithfulness. There is a saying in Hindi which says, Be not ungrateful to him whose salt you have eaten. There is a story of a thief who went to rob a house. As it was empty, he was able to open one box after another and gather much loot. He made a very large bundle of it and placed it on his head. As he was about to leave the house he noticed something on a shelf. He thought it must be sugar and put a small quantity into his mouth. It was salt. Then he said to himself, 'I have eaten the salt of this house, so how can I rob this wealth from here?' So, the story says, he left the whole bundle there and went away. Thus, salt is usually spoken of as representing loyalty and faithfulness.
3. Preservation: Salt is also used to preserve things. Generally butter gets spoiled if kept too long, but if you add a little salt to it, it keeps for a long time. In the same manner, if you put rocksalt in ghee it will be in good condition for many months; otherwise it will smell bad after some days. Salt is also used to preserve pickles. Fish, beef and mutton are also preserved with salt. Thus salt represents something that preserves things for a long time.
4. Friendship: Salt also represents an abiding friendship. In 2 Chronicles 13:5, we read of a ' covenant of salt'. In the margin it is rendered 'a perpetual covenant of friendship'. Every meat offering in the Old Testament was offered with salt (Lev. 2:13; Mark 9:49, 50). So salt represents eternal life, and faithfulness in friendship and love. These sacrifices were offered in order to obtain God's friendship.
All this helps us to understand why the Lord Jesus said to His disciples, 'Ye are the salt of the earth'. In all that He said and did He had one object, that through them He might provide salt for the health and enjoyment of the whole world.
Christ, the True Salt Without Christ this world is like food without salt. If you are given saltless food morning, noon and night, day after day, even though you may have a large quantity of such food and in much variety every time, you will get sick of it within a few days. You will say that without salt the food is no good. In the same way, the world without Christ is of no use.
1. He chooses a few to make them salt: Before the Lord Jesus came into this world, it was like a wilderness. There was no joy anywhere. There was only sorrow, suffering and misery. Then the Lord Jesus Christ began His public ministry. Before doing this, He was baptized in the river Jordan and was tempted in the wilderness. After this He straightaway went to Galilee. He said to some men: 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men, and straightaway they followed Him (Matt. 4:18- 22). You see that the Lord Jesus did not begin His ministry with a multitude. Was it because there was no multitude available there? No. Multitudes had come to hear John the Baptist as he preached and baptized in the river Jordan, near Jericho. To such a place the Lord Jesus came from Nazareth and was baptized by John. One might have thought that he would stay on in such a place and preach to the multitude. But He did not. He left the multitudes, and after forty days of temptation in the wilderness He came to the land of Galilee. He had to travel more than a hundred miles to do so. Why so? It was because the few men whom He wanted to make His disciples, were living in Capernaum. This was a wellknown town by the sea of Galilee, and Simon, Andrew, James and John lived there. Imagine, for the sake of four or five men, the Lord Jesus travelled such a long distance. Why? Because He was going to make these few men as salt for the whole world.
2. He draws all in need: After He had chosen these few men the Lord went about teaching in the synagogues in that area. Then the multitudes came after Him. He never called them, but they just came. As they saw the power and authority manifested through Him, they flocked around Him. They came to Him to receive healing and deliverance. They came to Him from all classes of society. They came from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and from beyond Jordan.
The people living in Galilee had everything in plenty. It was a fertile country. It was regarded at that time as a land of plenty. They had very good water, plenty of fruits, and corn and fish. As far as their earthly needs were concerned they had no lack. Inspite of all this there were people among them suffering from all kinds of diseases.
Decapolis means 'a group of ten cities'. It was about 80 miles from the river Jordan. These ten cities lay in a large valley. They had very grand buildings, for this was a district of beauty and luxury, with many activities intended to bring comfort and pleasure to the people. Inspite of all this, these people were unhappy, and they also came to the Lord Jesus.
Jerusalem was the centre of religion. The Temple was there. There were to be found the High Priest and many Levites who served in the Temple. There were prophets to give messages from God to the people. The people of Jerusalem could boast of their Temple, their prophets and their forefathers, but they were blind spiritually. Our Lord drew people from all directions. That is why we find that, as the people heard of the fame of our Lord, they came swarming around Him from different places right from Decapolis to Jordan. What was their state? They were all like food without salt. They had no real joy in their hearts or in their lives. They were absolutely useless.
3. I will make you salt': In chapter 5 we read that our Lord looked at the multitudes and began to deliver His message. He told them that they had come there for healing, but healing would not make them happy. He healed them, yet they were not happy. They were still miserable. They had no true joy. That is why He said to them, You need salt. Once there was a doctor in North India wh so, people called him Dr. Salt. I have found by experience how salt removes hoarseness of the throat. Whenever I have throat trouble I use salt. The Lord was telling the multitudes: 'You must depend upon salt for your happiness'. He was saying further, 'Firstly, I will give you salt, secondly, I will make you salt; you will become the salt of the earth'. We all know how a small quantity of salt can make food tasty. Our Lord was saying, 'When you become my salt, even though you are few, through you I will give true peace, joy and happiness to the whole world'. That is why He chose only a few men in the beginning. He never asked the multitude to follow Him, but He said to a few chosen men, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men'; in other words, I will make you the salt of the earth'.
Christ, the purifier of salt
Salt has to be purified before it can be used. Salt was manufactured in Palestine from the waters of the Dead Sea. It had to be purified before it was used for cooking. There are several stages in the purification of salt. We find ten stages mentioned in Matthew 5:3-12. Those who follow the Lord have to go through these stages and then only can they become true salt. What a joy it is to be like good salt bringing blessing to the whole world!
Salt without savour
Today we find sorrow, suffering and unhappiness everywhere. Men's lives are like salt without savour.
When salt is refined, it is separated into two parts; one has taste and the other is tasteless. The latter will be thrown out. Sometimes it is used to fill up the basements of buildings under construction. The salt which has lost its savour is quite useless. It is not useful either for trees or for human beings or for birds. Our condition will be similar to this if we become like the salt that has lost its savour.
Are you good salt?
Now consider your condition; can you be called good salt, or salt that has lost its savour? We will see later, how we can become good salt. Our Lord wants us to be good salt that we may bring new taste and new joy into many lives. The few fishermen who became the Lord's disciples, even though few in number, had more joy than the multitudes.
May the Lord help us to become good salt.