13 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. (Matt 5:13)
The Collect
Tuesday in Whitsun Week
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RANT, we beseech thee,
merciful God, that thy Church, being gathered together in unity by thy Holy
Spirit, may manifest thy power among all peoples, to the glory of thy Name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same
Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
Pentecost (Whitsunday)
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GOD, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful
people, by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same
Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his
holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and
reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Over the past week, we have studied certain Old Testament parables selected for their beauty and meaning. We have not covered all of them for there are many; however, we have covered a small selection to remind us that the OT does present parables for our understanding. We will now turn to the New Testament Parables most of which I plan to cover in the coming year. Perhaps it might be helpful to review the meaning of `parable.' According to Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language (1828 ed), A parable is an allegorical representation of something real in life or nature, from which a moral is drawn for instruction; such as the parable of the trees choosing a king in Judges IX, etc. There are parables in the Bible which we might not realize are parables until we have considered the natural, as well as spiritual, meaning attending. Such a parable is being considered today in Christ's Words regarding `salt.' Though He is the Maker of salt and knows its composition and nature better than any other, He uses the compound to reveal a deeper spiritual truth that has a likeness to that physical nature of salt.
First, let us look at the Collect for Whitsun Week: We will immediately notice that the entire petition is directed to the glory of God with no personal request for material benefits. The key element of this Collect is our gathering for worship "in unity by the Holy Spirit." Have we thought this one through carefully? Why are there divisions in the church? It is simply because some individuals, or many, are not listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. His Voice is single and not divided. If we are studying the Word under the Light of the Holy Spirit, how can we be divided? If we understand clearly the mandate of Holy Matrimony from Scripture, how can we be divided on marriage as existing solely between one man and one woman? When the church is Bible-centered, there will be no division, and the power of God among all of its people will be made manifest. When we pray the Collect, do not be guilty of `vain repetition.' Pray with conviction and understanding!
The single-verse parable we are studying today relates to a physical property of a physical compound calledSALT, or NaCL. Christ does not randomly choose His subjects, but He does so with a fuller knowledge of the nature of the matter than the collective minds of all of our greatest scientist combined. Salt is a very valuable compound not found everywhere in abundance. It is valuable because it is essential for life. The term `salt' derives from the Latin `salio' from which we get the term `salary.' Salt was so valuable during the Roman Empire that it was used as payment for soldiers.
Chemically, salt possesses some surprising characteristics in the combining elements of sodium and chlorine. There are a variety of benefits we may gather from simple table salt. It is a preservative of foods, and was applied between the boards of ships to preserve them from, decay. The Christian testimony of those living among a world of the lost also helps to preserve the better natures of society. It may be used to melt ice and, so, Christians, too, are those who break the ice when hateful speech may be uttered, or spiteful behavior demonstrated. Salt also creates thirst (i.e very salty popcorn in cinemas to encourage the further purchase of a soda). The life of a Christian should be such as to create a thirst (as the Woman at the Well) for the Water of Life. Salt also helps to speed the healing of wounds and sores. Christians, too, must be a healing balm in society. Salt brings out the flavor in foods. So should the Christian make the better way attractive to those around him?
Ye are the salt of the earth. There is no other salt of the earth but those whose faith unite them in Christ. Christ chooses His Words wittingly knowing every facet of the nature of salt. But if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? How does salt lose its savor, pray tell? How does regular table salt, for instance, lose ITS savor? The two combining elements of salt compound are sodium, a silver, soft metal never found in its pure form in nature. Like the sinner, it is always joined to some other if not joined to God (Chlorine). Sinners are never pure in form until they have that imputed purity of Christ. When salt is placed in bags upon the earth, it will not be a very long while before the element of sodium (the sinner) begins to separate from the Chlorine (God) and takes on a union with one of the lesser elements of the earth. It is interesting to note that Sodium is poisonous for our consumption, yet it joins with another deadly poison – Chlorine – to form a compound essential for life. Chlorine is an odorless, invisible gas that is so deadly that it was the first chemical used in Chemical warfare during World War I. Without God (Chlorine), the sinner (Sodium) will always be deadly and joined to the world. Contrarily, if we are not joined to God (Chlorine), we are dead in trespasses and sins. An example is given by the Rev.Theodore L. Cuyler, LL.D.: "A merchant of Sidon, trying to escape paying a duty to the government, carried off an immense cargo of Cyprus salt and stored it up among the mountains in fifty or sixty stone cabins. There were no floors to the cabins, and the salt, by lying next to the ground, became utterly worthless. Bushels of it were shoveled into the road and `trodden under foot of men.' That Sidonian merchant's experience with his salt stored away next to the damp ground is full of warning to us. Grace is never given to us to be stored away; it will soon lose its pungency unless it is used, and leave us wretchedly insipid. Scatter your salt, brother, for `there is that scattereth and yet increaseth.' Jesus will give to thee all the more abundantly." It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
If we view table salt under a microscope, we will observe that it is comprised of perfectly cubed crystals, and it is white in appearance. We, too, must be four-square in our dealings with others, and we must be pure in Christ. If we crush a cube of salt, it will maintain its structural integrity by simply forming several smaller perfect cubes of salt. Do we maintain our Christian integrity even under pressure and persecution?
Salt must be applied modestly and evenly. As Christians we do not go out pronouncing judgment on every sinner we meet. We are kind and gentle in our approach just as was Christ. Actually, our life, more than our words, will draw the lost to inquire of the mystery. Did Christ ever tell a depraved sinner that he was bound for Hell? Though He was quite harsh with the Jewish rulers in telling them that they were of their father the devil, He never used such words with the woman taken in adultery, the woman at the well, or the poor lepers.
We might consider the Church to be likened to a salt shaker. Salt in kept in the shaker ready for use. Small holes are made in the top of the shaker so that we do not over-salt our meals. Those who are led to Christ must be led with simplicity as babes or lambs – not with an overly enthusiastic appeal to all of the counsel written in Holy Scripture. They must have the milk first, and then, as they grow stronger in faith, the meat. But what happens when the salt in the shaker goes unused for long periods of time. What happens when we get so buddy-buddy inside church with our social meetings and fellowships that we disregard those without? The salt forms lumps in the shaker and cannot be applied when needed. So we must be active in seeking those who need our salt and we must be ready to be used in its application.
Christ tells us that we must have the nature of salt in preserving, healing, making thirsty for the Water of Life, in improving the appeal of the Gospel through our living testimonies, and being used sparingly to the benefit of the Gospel. Remember, it is not the salt that is the essential, but the Bread of Life which it seasons. Have you been salt today?
