Every wonder what it means to be the salt of the Earth? Jesus told us we are salt of the Earth, but what does it really mean? Many of us when we think of salt think of the seasoning or people being “salty” or salting the Earth. And I won’t lie, for many years I didn’t even fully understand what Jesus meant when He told us to be the salt of the Earth. So let’s dive into the Bible and history and find out what it really means to be the salt of the Earth.
The Salt Of The Earth
I think most of us have heard the phrase “ye are the salt of the Earth.” And there are tons of Christians memes about Jesus saying to us that we are the salt of the Earth, but choose to be salty instead. But what does it really mean? Like I said, most of us thinking about salt think of 1-3 things like:
- Seasoning
- Salty People
- Salting The Earth
Salt references all of these things, but being the salt of the Earth is MUCH different than all of those things. But to understand what Jesus meant when He said this, we have to look at both the Bible and history.
Matthew 5:13- Jesus Said You Are The Salt Of The Earth
Bible time! So where in the Bible does Jesus said this? In the book of Matthew. Matthew 5:13 is the verse to be more specific.
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Bible Gateway
So, the Jesus says two things right here. That 1.) we are the salt of the earth, but 2.) if the salt looses its savour (flavor), it’s not good for anything. So, what does this mean?
The History Of Salt
So, let’s start with history. Did you know salt was so valuable many, many, many years ago that Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt? That’s where the saying “Not worth his/her salt” comes from.
Salt has been used for other things throughout history from ancient times to now. It’s used for flavor, preserving, and even to help in the winter. It’s also used in medicine as well. In ancient times salt was also considered a symbol of lasting concord.
Did you know majority of the salt used in Israel actually came from the Dead Sea? The salt actually contains impurities and those impurities can cause the salt to lose its flavor if not treated right.
Now that we understand this, let’s move on.
Ye Are The Salt Of The Earth…
The Bible repeatedly tells Christians to walk the path Christ walks and to become Christ-like and not to become jaded and be like those who embrace the fallen world. We should be joyful, loving, peaceful, patient, kind, good, long-suffering, meek, modest, chaste, and have self-control. These are the fruits of the Spirit. These are the things that help people see God in us.
So when Jesus says “ye are the salt of the Earth” He is saying you are bringing out the flavor of God into this world.
We are worth our salt, we are valuable, and we bring God’s flavor to the world. This flavor is something that all can taste in the sense of they can experience and see God through you.
But If Salt Loses Its Savour…
But what does the latter half mean? Can salt lose it’s flavor? Yes, salt can lose its saltiness. It happens when it has impurities or too much fluid is added to it. It’s diluted and its has less concentration. And did you know iodized salt has a best by date?
In that case, the salt needs to be tossed. You can’t make it salty again and weird flavors come out of it (in the case of iodized or lite salt). So, what is it good for? Not a lot.
So what is Jesus saying? Jesus is saying that if we lose our salt that we’re no longer useful to the Kingdom of Heaven. That sounds harsh, doesn’t it?
Yes, it is harsh, but sometimes we need tough love. And if we aren’t following God, growing the fruits of the Spirit, and bringing the flavor of God to the world, then we are following the evil and wicked ways of the world. We are destroying the good things in ourselves, our relationship with God, and destroying good things in the world. We are no use to the Kingdom of God until we turn back to Him.
In the last part, Jesus is saying we’re not good. I see it like Matthew 16:23 where Jesus said “Get behind me, Satan!” Unsalted salt gets trampled on… who else gets trampled on? The serpent in Genesis which leads me to believe the latter part of this phrase is talking about if you no longer serve God, then you’re the son of evil (Acts 13:10, John 8:44) and therefore should be tossed out.
I don’t mean you literally be yeeted into a trash can, but you no longer have a place at the table, at least until you come back to God.
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What do you think about being salt of the Earth? Did you understand what it meant? Any thoughts on the subject? I’d love to hear from you!