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480 Marion Street, Denver, Colorado, 80218
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REFLECTIONS
'"YOU ARE THE 'SALT OF THE EARTH'"
By Ron Wood
(Excerpts)
December 2007 Herald
(Family magazine of the Community of Christ)
"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." Matthew 5:13-14
As I sat pondering a successful missinary weekend, the words of a familiar hymn rang through my mind: "You are the salt of the earth , O people." I remember growing up in the church and hearing those words spoken about those who displayed a rare form of godliness in their daily walk. This phrase usually was rendered in a complimentary form, to note respect and recognize a goodness in someone's life...
Durign his earthly ministry Jesus singled out a commodity that many of us take for granted--salt. Back then, people used salt in a different way from today, however. Unlike most modern folks who use salt for cooking and flavor, people then used it as a preservative. Does this mean that when we call someone the "salt of the earth" we are stating they are a good presevative of the moment? Preserving goodnes is an admirable trait, and I'm sure Jesus had that in mind. There was however, a deeper message that Jesus was hinting at as he singled out this important ingredient.
The writings of Christian pastgor Dietrich Bonhoeffer during World war II give us a glimpse of an amazing person. He brought words of hope and encouragement deep inside a space and time where death and despair had an intense impact on the lives of the Jewish people, in particular, but on others also. In a place of deep, oppressive pain came an author whose words have echoed across decades. They have provided hope and ministry to those whose mission appeared to be overwhelmed at times and whose hope was shattered.
This man was key to keeping those around him filled with a sense of God's love and goodness, even when the basic ingredients of civilized life were nonexistent. I cannot imagine how I would react in such circumstances. Nevertheless, Bonhoeffer remained steadfast, proclaiming God's sovereignty and love even in one of the worst periods of genocide the world has known. I ask myself, What was his role during that time? He was a preserving force, bringing hope and peace amid horror. This is the "salt" Jesus was speaking of.
Another use of salt in Jesus time was to prevent decay. By applying salt to meat, not only would the food be preserved, but the natural decaying process would be retarded, if only for a short time. Similarly, when salt was applied to a human corpse, the body would be preserved for at least a short while so others could prepare it for burial. Perhaps this allowed people time to engage in their individual grief and thus find at least a measure of healing.
If Jesus was indeed referring to us as being the "retarding agent" for decay in the lives of others, by our mere presence we give the Divine time to intercede with great power. ...
Jesus' declaration that we are the "salt of the earth" comes not so much as a compliment as it does as a call to be "preserving" agents of faith in a world of hopelessness and decay. The call to be a people who act as beacons of light is needed today just as it has been throughout human history. Many voices call for our attention daily and seek to destroy our mantle of faith and beliefs....
The need for hope and vision begins to call us to a cause much nobler than ourselves. The greatest even in human development occurs when people engage in this way and are known as "salt of the earth."
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