Do You Have Salt in Yourself?

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Mary Poppins—or The Sound of Music? That still confuses me sometimes. I like sugar and I know I’m not alone. Sugar can mask a lot of bad—or bland—ingredients. Salt, on the other hand, doesn’t overpower the flavor of food as much as it brings out what is already there. Salt also has the power to preserve—which is one of the reasons it was so highly valued in the ancient world. Roman soldiers were often paid in salt, which is where the phrase “he’s worth his salt” originated. Where am I going with this? Well today we hear Jesus say, “Have salt in yourselves,” and we need to drill down into what he means by this. I’ve found that it helps to contrast salt with sugar in trying to comprehend Jesus’ words.To this day, I prefer sugary cereals, even if it’s just a little frosting on the old shredded wheat. Shredded wheat without the frosting—you might as well chew a cardboard box. Sugar takes what is not so hot and makes it tasty.The devil and the world are well versed at this technique. They take things that are atrocious—things that, at their core are sinful and anti-God, and make them seem tasty! The sensation of pleasure we get from these sugary sins blinds us to the fact that we are eating garbage—that we’re killing ourselves with sinful behavior.
Never once does Jesus sugarcoat the problem of sin. In fact, listen to what he says:42 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 44 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 46 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ’where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
The way Jesus says this is unforgettable: it would better, He says, for you to lose a body part that causes you to sin than to end up in hell. Nothing sugary about that! Now did Jesus mean that literally? I’d have to say no—Jesus was using extreme language to get your attention—but now that he’s got it, pay attention to the message, which is that sin is serious business. I’ve heard it said that the hands Jesus talks about represent the sin which we do, the feet represent where we go to in order to sin, and our eyes represent what we look at in sin. The message then becomes: If you do things that lead you to sin, get rid of those things. The same for places you go, or the things you look at. Those things are like sugar that overloads our senses so that we willingly swallow the poison of sin. In doing so, we risk something the momentary sweet flavor will never be able to mask. Namely, hell. Where the worm does not die, nor is the fire ever quenched. The world sugarcoats sin, so that we can swallow the taste of hell. Do we really see sin as being so serious that we would chop off part of our life rather than let sin get a hold of us? Do we see sin as dangerous as swine flu? Or do we just accept it-- or worse, do we like the taste?Moving away from sugar-coating for the moment, I wonder how many of you remember the days of getting a cut, or a deep scratch, treated with iodine? Do you remember that burning feeling, as the iodine penetrated the wound? I remember being on an oceanfront beach one time. I had been hiking, with a few blisters on my foot that had yet to fully heal. Without thinking, I waded into the sea water and “youch” I was treated to the power of salt.For centuries, salt, in one form or another, has been used to treat wounds. That action causes the stinging sensation. And boy can it sting. In fact, it can hurt more than the wound that it treats. But that cleansing, that purifying, is so needed! Otherwise infection could set in.Where sugar-coating only hides the effect of sin, God’s Word acts like salt. It gets into our lives, ripping out the curse of sin, healing the wound and protecting it from further infection. It will sting a bit, as we realize the damage done. That is the way the Holy Spirit works. He is like a surgeon who not only removes that which is causing sickness, but also leaves life and health behind. Your life is purified by the salt of the Gospel—the news that Jesus absorbed the sting of sin and death on the cross, once and for all, for you. So you would never have to know what that sting feels like. You will never know that pain because Jesus experienced it instead of you. The law and gospel of Jesus is like salt in our deepest wounds—the knowledge of our sin stings—but it is quickly overwhelmed by the generous forgiveness of Jesus, which has the properties needed to heal our minds and souls.Having been changed in this way, we too become “salty.” We become living examples of how not masking sin, but being open about it and repenting it can change a person. We can become people who do not swallow the devil’s sweet lies, but instead flavor our conversation with the salt of God’s truth, in the direct and loving manner of Jesus himself.
In today’s Old Testament and Gospel lessons, people raise questions about who should be doing the work of God. The Lord’s response in both cases is the same; He essentially says: I wish all of my people were salty. I wish they all loved my truth and refused to sugarcoat it. I wish they all wanted to apply the healing salt of my Son’s Gospel to the wounds of the world, and worked to do so!
As Christians, our lives are to be seasoned with mercy, truth, and loving service. These are not qualities to strive for, but realities that are already within you, because Jesus lives in you. You have His salt in yourselves. Sprinkle it out. Share it. Savor the difference that Jesus makes.