Pass the Salt
The takeaway from last night's church service was blog-worthy.
Like all of His parables, Jesus' analogy of salt had multiple, profound meanings. Living near the Dead Sea (the lowest and saltiest place on earth), He was speaking to a culture who was keenly aware of the many purposes for salt.
The first and most obvious use is to add flavor to the otherwise tasteless or bland. We are to bring something special to the table, or as the Apostle Paul later put it, "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" Colossians 4:6.
The second use is as a preservative. The people of that day knew better than most of us how important salt was as a preservative since they didn't have refrigerators. They depended solely upon salt to maintain what they relied upon for sustainance.
Another important point regarding salt is that it burns when it gets in a wound. I told a story in a previous blog about being stuck on top of a barbed wire fence with the barbs embedded in my thigh and my mother placing me in a bathtub of warm water and Epson salt. I will not forget the pain when that water hit my gaping wound! But she knew it would encourage healing, even though I didn't fully understand her purpose. When we speak Truth to a wounded world, it stings. And it doesn't take much for the world to feel it. Yet we are told to always be ready to give a reason for the hope that lies within us..
The reaction to Jesus, the Truth incarnate, wasn't always positive. There were - and still are - many who did not welcome Him or want to hear what He had to say. That's because He is Salt in a deeply hurting world.
So salt was a very precious commodity. The only thing that could cause it to become useless was contamination. Then it was pointless to even keep it around. Spiritually, we can become contaminated by allowing the filth of lust, greed, jealousy, or hate - to seep into our hearts. Then what good are we?
Like all of His parables, Jesus' analogy of salt had multiple, profound meanings. Living near the Dead Sea (the lowest and saltiest place on earth), He was speaking to a culture who was keenly aware of the many purposes for salt.
The first and most obvious use is to add flavor to the otherwise tasteless or bland. We are to bring something special to the table, or as the Apostle Paul later put it, "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" Colossians 4:6.
The second use is as a preservative. The people of that day knew better than most of us how important salt was as a preservative since they didn't have refrigerators. They depended solely upon salt to maintain what they relied upon for sustainance.
Another important point regarding salt is that it burns when it gets in a wound. I told a story in a previous blog about being stuck on top of a barbed wire fence with the barbs embedded in my thigh and my mother placing me in a bathtub of warm water and Epson salt. I will not forget the pain when that water hit my gaping wound! But she knew it would encourage healing, even though I didn't fully understand her purpose. When we speak Truth to a wounded world, it stings. And it doesn't take much for the world to feel it. Yet we are told to always be ready to give a reason for the hope that lies within us..
The reaction to Jesus, the Truth incarnate, wasn't always positive. There were - and still are - many who did not welcome Him or want to hear what He had to say. That's because He is Salt in a deeply hurting world.
So salt was a very precious commodity. The only thing that could cause it to become useless was contamination. Then it was pointless to even keep it around. Spiritually, we can become contaminated by allowing the filth of lust, greed, jealousy, or hate - to seep into our hearts. Then what good are we?
“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 too was at this service. The perspective and power of the message allowed me to see deeper into just how well "tuned-in" Jesus was to those he was speaking to. Always tailoring His message so that the point He was making came across so clearly to each one in attendance.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that I have come to appreciate about each of your blogs as well, Robin. You can get your message across. Revealing your insight, without apology, and allowing those of us who read you to take in yet another, beautiful perspective of you.
John