“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 (NIV)
Who was Jesus speaking to? This verse is part of a much larger teaching called the Sermon on the Mount. It appears that Jesus began by gathering his disciples up on the mountainside, away from the crowd (Matthew 5:1), but the multitude gathered around them and He began teaching to a wider audience (Matthew 7:28–29). I have come to the conclusion that these words were primarily directed towards the disciples, and is applicable to anyone thereafter that would choose to be a follower of Christ. In my opinion, the “you” Jesus is speaking to would not have been someone, or anyone, who did not desire to be like Jesus. Jesus called each of the disciples into a very specific relationship — one in which the end goal was to imitate Him.
Understanding the symbolism — what comparison is Jesus making? In a nutshell, Jesus is saying, as salt is to food, you (as one of my followers) are to the world. We know this because Jesus poses a hypothetical question, “If salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?” Salt is only salty in relationship to taste. Salt has other beneficial properties and uses, but its saltiness is specifically limited to taste.
What effect does salt have to food? Here is what one BBC science magazine had to say:
Salt is used as a universal flavour improver because at low concentrations it will reduce bitterness, but increase sweet, sour and umami, which is desirable for sweet recipes. But at higher concentrations it suppresses sweetness and enhances umami, which is good for savoury things. It’s also easily obtained in a pure form without any interfering flavours. (1)
In short, salt is meant to change and modify the flavor of food. Therefore, we can conclude, that as followers of Jesus, we are to affect the world in the same way. We are to change and modify the world and the people around us. In relational terms, we call this influence. We are meant to influence people and circumstances in a very specific way.
What does it mean to be salty? How should we be influencing the world around us? The culmination of Jesus’ relationship with the disciples is seen when He tells them to “go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:18–20). Every person from that point forward has been called into a similar master/apprentice or teacher/student relationship with the end goal of imitating Christ.
When Jesus tells the disciples that they are the salt of the earth, he is telling them that they change and influence the world as they come in contact with others. By teaching and demonstrating to others what they have learned about being like Jesus in the context of their own teacher/student relationships.
What does it mean to me? If you are a follower of Jesus, you are the salt of the earth for this generation. Be committed to learning everything you can about what it means to imitate the character of Christ and teach what you know to others. Our learning and our teaching is meant to be in the context of deeply personal relationships — which is an element of discipleship that seems to be absent in Christianity and many churches today. You can be the exception. Build the necessary relationships for your own growth and accountability and then pass it on to others.
- Why does salt enhance flavour? https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/why-does-salt-enhance-flavour/