What does Jesus mean by –
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
Matthew 5:13
I always thought about salt’s uses- a preservative or taste enhancer. But, in other gospels, there is more context.
Everyone will be salted with fire.
Mark 9v49
If this is the salt of a fellowship offering, then salt indicates loyalty to God. The context of not causing little ones to stumble makes sense. Surely, that would be disloyalty.
In Luke, the context is the cost of discipleship,
… whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Luke 9v27
Jesus encourages his disciples to ask, Am I up to the challenge of following him?
The way the Father develops faith is through challenging times and people. The question is: Do I have the courage and fortitude to pray for help and await God’s grace in the face of trials? Am I willing to carry the cross that Jesus hands me?
Having salt in ourselves comes from a process where God has developed hope. Paul writes,
… we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5:3-5
So, we are the salt of the earth when we go with Jesus through life’s challenges, when we stick loyally to Jesus no matter the cost. We have gone through the situations that the Beatitudes explore, poor in spirit, mourn, meekness, … and through his blessing, we develop his character qualities of love, faith and hope.
How am I doing when life gets pressured?
How are you doing?
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