Text: Matthew 5:1-13
In his translation of the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, Eugene Peterson concludes the Beatitudes with these words:
“Let me tell you why you are here…”
You see, this sermon from Jesus is full of instructions for the people of God.
It reminds us of the attitudes we are supposed to carry with us into the world.
Jesus tells us what to do and how to live and how we can serve his Kingdom and what our purpose is for being.
“Let me tell you why you are here…” he begins. “You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth.”
I must admit, when I dove into studying salt into the scripture, I thought that I would just find these passages from the New Testament about being salt and light in the world.
But salt is woven throughout the Bible as God forms a relationship with the Hebrew people!
In the Ancient Near East, salt was often a part of covenants between two parties – as they broke bread, and signed deals, they also ate salt, as part of their promises to fulfill their responsibilities.
So when God makes a covenant with the people, they were also salt covenants.
In Leviticus 2, Numbers 18, and 2 Chronicles 13:5, we find this language of the salt covenant.
As Margaret Feinberg writes, “In each instance, God is asking the people, priests, and kings to enter into a permanent commitment to his purposes.” (Taste and See Bible Study, page 83)
This covenant was remembered through the regular grain offerings, but even in the post-temple Jewish faith, during the Sabbath meal, bread is dipped into salt and then eaten. It remains a symbol of God’s covenant.
What is that covenant?
Well, there are quite a few covenants in the scriptures, but all of them have to do with our purpose.
In Genesis 9, God makes a covenant with Noah after the flood, renewing the blessings of creation and reaffirming that all people are made in God’s image. God promises to preserve humanity – an expression of love and mercy. Our purpose is to bear God’s image and be God’s caretakers for this world.
Just a few chapters, but many years later, we read about the covenant God made with Abraham. It is the promise of land, descendants, and blessing, and through this family, God’s blessings would extend to all the earth. Our purpose is to be a blessing for all the world.
In the book of Exodus, the story of God’s people continues with liberation from oppression in the land of Egypt. God rescues his people and establishes a covenant through Moses, saying “I’ll take you as my people, and I’ll be your God” (Exodus 6). Part of what it means to be God’s people, holy and set-apart, is to live a certain way. God promises blessings if we obey his commands, and consequences if we don’t. Our purpose is to commit ourselves to God’s ways because they are the ways of life!
There is also a covenant with David, a promise that God would lift up a descendent that would make the promises of Abraham and Moses a reality – a never-ending kingdom dedicated to God. Our purpose is walk in the way of the Lord.
And then, we have the new covenant. Spoken of in scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, God sees all of the ways that we have failed to hold up our end of the deal. But rather than give up, God promises to write these commands on our hearts, forgive our sins, give us the Spirit that will finally allow us to be God’s people, and renew the heavens and the earth. Our purpose is to accept the gift of God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that will allow us to do all of the other things that we had promised to do and to be a witness to all the earth.
These covenants, whether officially “salt covenants” or not, all remind us of our salty purpose.
Our job is to point to the hidden work of God in this world and bring it out.
We are supposed to help the world taste and see and feel and experience the blessings of God.
We are God’s people.
We are the salt of the earth.
I must confess that I have watched more than my fair share of cooking shows.
And one of the things that I notice is that salt is vital for good food.
Whenever a dish is being judged, whether or not it has enough salt seems to be essential for its success.
When you sprinkle salt on watermelon or tomatoes, the flavor of those fruits become sweeter and more crisp.
When you add salt to soup, it becomes rich and deep.
When added to roasted vegetables or French fries… let me tell you – you almost can’t have enough salt on French fries.
Salt takes what is there and brings out the flavors.
And that is our job.
We are called to be out in the world and point to all of the ways that God is moving among us.
Our purpose is to bring out the “god-flavors” of the earth and to help others get a taste of heaven.
But what God is doing in this world is about more than just some spicy good deeds and blessings.
It is about salvation, healing, and abundant life, too.
Which seems a bit ironic, since too much salt can destroy land and turn it into a barren waste.
We talk about rubbing salt into a wound as if it is a bad thing.
But salt is an agent of healing, preservation, an anti-septic, and is essential for life.
In fact, many fertilizers incorporate sodium or potassium chloride as ingredients and salt is needed even in manure placed on crops because it breaks it down so that plants can absorb the nutrients.
If you head to the hospital, one of the first things they will often do is hook you up to a saline drip, because salt is critical to the functioning of our cells, enables our nerves to transmit impulses and stimulates our muscle fibers (Taste and See 103).
My husband and I will often watch the History channel show, Alone, in which ten contestants are dropped off in the wilderness to survive on their own for as long as they can. They can choose to bring with them only ten survival items and for the first time in nine seasons, a contestant has chosen to bring a block of salt. So often, that salt deficiency has played havoc with the health of contestants who are pulled before there are ready to quit.
Feinberg recounts in her book about how the Romans saw salt as vital to the expansion of their empire. As the armies were sent great distances to conquer new lands, salt deprivation was impacting their efficiency – causing “confusion, seizures, even brain damage.” So the Romans, “began including salt, sal in Latin, in their soldier’s pay. This is where we derive the word ‘salary’.” (Taste and See, p. 103-104).
We find this in our scriptures as well.
Elisha tosses salt into a cursed spring in order to purify the waters.
Ezekiel describes how newborn babies are rubbed with salt after they are born – a cleansing practice as salt serves as both an exfoliant and disinfectant.
In the incense for worship at the tabernacle and temple, salt was an essential component and the scent played a role in reminding people of their relationship with God.
But, therapies related to salt inhalation have also been used since the 1800s, and is seen as beneficial for breathing, stress, and your immune system… so I do wonder what positive impacts such practice might have had for the people.
And the very root of salvation, is that same Latin base word, sal.
Salvare means to save.
To preserve.
To rescue.
When Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth, he reminds us of our purpose.
“Let me tell you why you are here…”
Jesus is asking us to be his hands and feet in this world.
To be his people.
To serve his Kingdom.
And what God is doing through us is bringing life, healing, blessings, renewal, and salvation to this world.
Feinberg shares in her book some wisdom from the Talmud that says:
“if someone is suffering and in need, and you can take away 1/60 of their pain, then that is goodness, and the call to help us from God…. Your one little grain of salt can help with something someone else’s grain can’t. And when all [our] grains get mixed and sprinkled together, preserving and flavoring and helping others flourish occurs everywhere.” (Taste and See p. 114).
Friends, I know that this country is starkly divided about a lot of things.
There are major conversations happening as we speak about rights related to abortion, guns, and human sexuality.
In some of cases we are expanding those rights and in so many places, laws and work is being done to curtail them.
And I keep thinking about the role of salt.
Too much can be deadly and it can destroy a land.
But a healthy dose is necessary for life.
I keep thinking about my sisters who have had to have procedures that in some places would be illegal in order to preserve their lives or to care for their bodies in the wake of a miscarriage or even delivery.
You have to pay attention to what someone or something needs and be able to respond with the right kind of care to provide for healing, blessing, renewal, and salvation.
My colleague, Elizabeth Brick, shared some words yesterday that I wanted to borrow and adapt to share with you.
As your pastor, but also as a fellow Christian on the road with you, “I will drive you to your medical procedure, no matter what it is, and I will care for you afterward if you need, because that is what love looks like.”
I will support you as you seek the opportunities that bring you life… whether it is playing sports or getting married or simply holding down a job… no matter your gender or gender identity, because you are a child of God.
And in all of our decision-making, I promise to hold you accountable and set before us all the vision of responsibility and care that God has invited us to practice towards one another.
“I will be there for you, as you have been here for me, as together we will be there for others, because this is what a healthy community looks like.
This is how we continue to create, grow, and nurture a world of mutuality, compassion, and joy, not just for ourselves, but for those who follow behind us.”
God is working through us to bring life, healing, blessings, renewal, and salvation to this world.
We are called to preserve the teachings of Christ and carry them forward.
We are called to reach out and point to the sweetness, hope, and joy of a life with God.
We are called to influence others, bring out new life, and offer mercy and compassion and love.
But we don’t do it alone.
It is God working through us.
It is us pointing to God already busy and active in the world.
And just like with salt added to a meal, even a little bit makes a difference.