Jesus Salted

What Did Jesus Do?

You are the salt of the earth...
Matthew 5.13

I had a minor procedure done at the doctor's office the other day, and they gave me instructions to apply some anti-biotic ointment daily to prevent any infection until the wound healed. From iodine to Bactine to Neosporene, we've all had bumps and scrapes, and sometimes bigger wounds, treated with some agent or another to keep the would clean and the flesh healthy while healing took place. In the ancient world there was no corner drugstore, and there were precious few medicines available. But there was an abundance of salt, and salt was known to be a preservative, effective at forestalling the corruption of flesh. The sad thing was, Israel, whom God had chosen to be his salt in the ancient world, had all but lost its saltiness. So the Father sent the Son, and the Lord observed a world full of mortally wounded people, people suffering from the corruption of the flesh, who would die in their sins if something wasn't done about it. So Jesus salted.

Now, rubbing salt into a wound might not be the most pleasant thing, but when the choice is between the sting of the salt and the loss of a limb or a life, it makes sense to apply the salt, however painful the application might be. Jesus plainly told His disciples that they were to be the salt He would apply to the wounds of the world. The Church is to be made up of salty saints.

The thing about salt is, like medicine past its date of expiration, there can come a time when it doesn't do the job anymore. Fortunately, there is an easy way to tell if your salt is still good for combating corruption, taste it. If your salt is still salty it's good for treating wounds, but if it's lost its saltiness, well, it's good for nothing.

It makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, if we were talking about salt's other use, as a flavoring, it would have no value whatsoever if it had no taste. If the soup needs salt, and the salt has lost its flavor, the soup will still not taste very good, no matter how much savor-less salt we add. Jesus warned His salty saints about what happens to salt when it has lost its saltiness:

“It is thrown out and trampled under people's feet.”
Matthew 5.13

I'm not sure what your take is on the condition of the Church these days, but my assessment is that many congregations have pretty much lost their saltiness, which means the saints themselves aren't being salted with the Word of God. This being the case, it isn't all that surprising that many folks decide that they have no use for church. When the Church is hard to distinguish from the world, well, there's not much saltines in it, is there? And if there's little or no saltiness in the Church, it isn't going to be of much use combating corruption, and the wounds of the world will grow worse, and the suffering of the wounded will increase. And the application of more and more unsalty salt will do no good.

Imagine that, the Church is not supposed to blend in, it's to stand out! Saints are not supposed to be indistinguishable from the world, they are to be world changers by virtue of their counteracting the process of corruption and death at work in the world.

Well, I don't believe that there is no hope for saints who have lost their saltiness. I am convinced that the Lord will salt those who both want to be salted, and who promise to go and be salt where salt is needed, even in the midst of God's people! That's what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4