Salt
Jesus said: “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavour, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.” Mark 9:50
As we all know, salt is incredibly powerful, and that fact has been known for thousands of years. It does three main things and Jesus applied each of these to his followers. Firstly, it gives flavour. Food producers make massive use of it. Indeed, British Salt produces over 400,000 metric tonnes of salt every year from its site in Cheshire. But salt only has any influence when it is used. Sitting in a salt pot it will have no effect at all. The message is clear for us today. We are not called by God to sit in our churches pontificating about the evils of the world, but to get involved, adding flavour to our society.
Since ancient times it has been well known that salt is a very effective preservative. In the days before fridges, salt could be relied upon to preserve fish and meat for long periods of time. Jesus was calling on his followers to have exactly that role in society. Our calling is to stand up for moral principles. Through living a life of love, grace and forgiveness we show the world what the kingdom of God looks like and help to spread the good news of salvation.
Salt has always been valued for its purity. I believe that that’s what Jesus was encouraging in his followers. He wanted the world to see their purity through the quality of their relationships with one another. Through living peacefully and lovingly together, people would get an insight into the new life that Christ came to bring. No wonder Jesus wanted his disciples to be like salt.
QUESTION
In what ways is your local community touched by the influence of Christians?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, help us to have the qualities of salt, so that those around us will get to know what you are like. Amen