Salt and Light (Part Two)

Salt and Light (Part Two).  In the ancient world, salt was very valuable. Where it could be mined from the earth, it was often compounded with other minerals and less usable. Thus, calling someone “the salt of the earth” was a compliment because salt was rare to find. Therefore, salt was often extracted from the sea before the innovation of modern industrial techniques.

Ocean water has a salt content (salinity) of roughly 3.5%. So, the math says that every quart of saltwater holds about half a teaspoon of salt. Evaporating saltwater to leave behind only salt crystals requires a lot of expense! The ancient historian Pliny recorded that the Roman government would sometimes pay its soldiers in salt instead of physical coins, giving a source to our word salary. As such, when a soldier did not perform his duties, others might say of him, “He is not worth his salt.” In remote, inland areas salt was more valuable than gold.

In the Scriptures, salt had three purposes which figuratively illustrate the impact of godliness in the community. Salt is a preservative, a flavor enhancer, and a sacrifice. Christians generally have a positive influence on society.

Because of the lack of refrigeration, salt was useful to preserve food. Redeemed citizens have a similar effect on their culture; like salt rubbed into meat and fish, they prolong the good elements while warding off the evil elements for the community. Redeemed inhabitants also play a role of “flavor enhancer” in their cultures. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:6) is an idiom that Paul borrowed from the world, meaning pleasant, flavorful, and refined.

Finally, redeemed people in the nation of Israel also had a tie to the salt used in the sacrificial system. “You shall season all your grain offerings with salt” (Lev. 2:13). To add salt was to add personal investment and value to the act of worship. Yet even that imagery could become corrupted when the required salt in a sacrifice became merely a performance and a hypocrisy. If “the salt has lost its saltiness” (Mark 9:49), then it has detoured from its original purpose to such an extent that it was no longer acceptable. Rabbinical literature said that unsuitable salt was good for nothing but to be thrown out on wet pavement for a little traction (i.e., “trampled underfoot” [Matt. 7:6; Luke 8:5; 21:24]). “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 14:34-35).