I confess I am a little liberal with the saltshaker. I suppose I picked up the habit from my father who salted everything. He said it brought out the natural flavors of a dish. He salted not only meat and potatoes, but cucumbers, melon, apple pie and peach cobbler. Later, when the doctors told him to reduce his sodium levels in his diet, he said that food has lost the appeal it once had for him. Though they offered him sound medical advice, I cannot help think now that my dad understood (perhaps unknowingly) the essence of what Jesus was trying to say when he told his disciples to be salt (Matthew 5:13). I never could understand or answer his rhetorical question, “if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” But I did understand (thanks to Dad) that salt added flavor to bland cuisine. Take potatoes, for instance. Without salt, butter, gravy, cheese, or ketchup, they are rather uninteresting. Consider other dietary staples of cultures across the world: rice, bread, tortillas, or pita are all infinitely better with salt in them or on them, be it salt, salsa, soy sauce or feta cheese. Salt makes life taste good. Which is why it is so interesting to me that Jesus called us salt and urged us to be salty. What on earth was he trying to say?
There are a lot of properties to salt that might send us down a variety paths, searching for ways we might be salt in the world. But Jesus clearly seems to be talking about taste and flavor in Luke 14:34-35. “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor the manure pile.” (NLT) What is our flavor to be? Psalm 34:8 gives us a clue. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” I know it sounds odd, but according to the Psalmist – the Lord has flavor. Something about the character of God is deeply satisfying to our appetites (of all kinds). So, I wonder if our flavor, our seasoning, our zest, comes from the character of God in us. When we are acting out the character traits of God, we are releasing God’s flavor, heightening that which makes life good into our community. Eugene Peterson puts it this way:“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?” (Matthew 5:13, MSG). I love that Jesus thinks we are the zest of life. We are the reason life will be good. We are the reason others will taste and see that God is good. But only if we do not lose our flavor.
I can’t think of a way that saltiness is reduced except by dilution. If the broth is too salty, add more water. I wonder if that was Jesus’ warning to us. Be careful not to dilute your God-given flavor or separate yourself from it completely. Do you ever think that the secular culture wants to water down our vibrancy, our fervor, our zeal? When we do, life gets very bland. It loses appeal. Worse, we seek other ways to make life palatable, though rather less beneficial. God heightens our pure passions, like salt on food, and we naturally want to share the bounty. But the world tells us, “tone it down,” “lighten up,” “easy, partner”. Our unique flavor is our exhilaration experienced in God’s creation, in worship or prayer. It is our wonder in the midst of true beauty, tears of joy for that which is truly good and right and pure. Our salt comes in tears of sorrow for the brokenness all around us, for the wreckage of evil in everyday lives. And if we are paying attention, all these attributes come pouring out of us in actions that others might call love – a general willingness and desire to make all things good. Be careful, Jesus says, that others do not try to water this down in you. Don’t let them tell you it is too much, or out of style, or embarrassing, or naïve, because they will. As Paul said, it is the fragrance of death to those who do not understand. But to others, our fragrance will be the essence of life. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16). Don’t listen to those who would dilute your God-given inclination to reach out, speak love, forgive freely, share joy, let tears flow, or to just plain worship. Be strong. Make a statement. Be zesty, spicey, piquante, in whatever ways God has inspired in you. Be salt.