Pass The Salt
From my reading of Matthew 5
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” vs 13
A part of my family heritage is salt addiction. There are many meals where you will find several salt shakers on the table. My mom even salts her fruit. I used to be embarrassed when people would comment on our salt consumption. But then I’d see them eating a Twinkie and remind myself that we all have our vices!
At one point in my guilt phase I tried to give up salt, despite the fact that medically I didn’t need to do that. My food was horrible. It completely lacked flavor. Granted, you might say, “Well, Angela, maybe you should enjoy the natural flavor of the food?” And to you, I would stick out my tongue and say, “pfffttt!”
Not to mention, I’ve taken several cooking classes and every chef recommends the use of salt because it doesn’t change the flavors but elevates them. Seriously, french fries would be horrible without salt. Even you salt naysayers have to admit that.
How does salt work? Let’s ask our science friends at http://www.sciencefocus.com/qa/why-does-salt-enhance-flavour
“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.”
Salt during Jesus’ day was perhaps even more important. They didn’t exactly have the greatest methods of preserving foods so a lot of the times the salt was there to cover up a not-so-pleasant taste. We all know rancid meat tastes better with salt. (Kidding. It doesn’t. Please don’t try it and then sue me for food poisoning.)
Jesus was telling His followers that we have a purpose when we are living in obedience to Christ. Since Christ’s teachings are aimed at helping us live in the beautiful world God intended, our presence (if we are obeying Him) means that we will influence the world for good, just like salt changes food for the better.
But does salt really “lose its flavor” as the verse states?
According to www.askascientist.uk.com it actually can lose it’s saltiness. How?
“As it is so chemically stable, sodium chloride will not lose its saltiness, even after being stored dry for many years. However, there are ways in which salt may appear to lose its saltiness.
Historically, salt has been obtained from crude sources such as salt marshes, and minerals such as rock salt. This contains the stable sodium chloride plus other components. Sodium chloride is readily water-soluble, so if this crude salt were exposed to condensation or rain water, the sodium chloride could be dissolved and removed, and the salt could in effect lose its saltiness.”
Ah, very interesting.
I’m not a math genius by any stretch but I sense some “if/then” mumbo jumbo coming on. Salt is chemically stable. As God’s beloved creation we are meant to be stable as we walk the path He intended for us. If salt is exposed to liquid, then it loses it’s effect of being salty. Likewise, if we allow ourselves to be eroded by things that are not good for us, then our happiness and effectiveness will be diminished.
The verses states that salt, once damaged, “Is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” I visited Turkey a few years ago and stopped at a huge salt lake. It was so dense there were tourists out on it. There was no way I wanted to try any of the salt the people had been trampling on. That would have been gross.
The good news for Christians is we CAN become salty again. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you are permanently damaged beyond repair. There’s not one person out there who hasn’t lost their saltiness along the way. I, in fact, do it more often than I like to admit.
Thank God for His abundant grace. Unlike me with my kids, He is always patient and eagerly waiting for us to ask Him to purify us white as snow — or salt — again!
Now, where are those French Fries???
These are reflections from my Bible study, in particular as I work my way through the New Testament. I’m not a Bible scholar. Just a regular girl seeking an awesome God! Please share my journey with me and let me know your thoughts.
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