Salt of the Earth kosher

Transcription

1 Salt of the Earth Since my daughter gave me a meat dehydrator last Christmas, I have been making a fair amount of beef jerky, and I have been trying a number of different recipes out of a jerky cook book. A couple of weeks ago, I was following a recipe that called for various spices, and it specifically directed that I use kosher salt, but I used regular salt instead. Well, the jerky was completely lacking in flavor, so I tried again this week, only this time around I used kosher salt. Kosher salt is the real thing it s potent, not diluted. And, when I took the time to follow the recipe and used the right ingredients, the jerky actually turned out to be pretty good. What a difference real salt made! I got to thinking about this when I came across an article in this month s issue of Christianity Today magazine entitled, You are the Manure of the Earth and this article suggested that these were the words of Jesus. And I said, Wait a minute that is not what Jesus said! Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth, not the manure of the earth. What kind of crazy liberal theology is being peddled here? So I started carefully reading this article. It was written by an associate professor at King s College in New York by the name of Anthony Bradley. He made some interesting points that we ll be getting to in a few minutes. This morning I want you to think about what Jesus meant when He said that we are the salt of the earth. All three of the Synoptic Gospels focus on Jesus references to salt, and each one provides a slightly different perspective. But for our purposes today, let s consider Matthew s Gospel as well as the Gospel of Luke. Matthew 5:13 (ESV) states: 13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people s feet. But, it is the Gospel of Luke from which Professor Bradley comes up with his conclusion that we, as Christians, are the manure of the earth. In Luke 14:34-35, Jesus statement regarding saltiness goes like this: 34 Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 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 (ESV) Now I had never really focused much on Luke s version and this reference to the manure pile but there it is: Jesus does, in fact, mention something about manure. So what is Jesus trying to tell us in these Gospels when He says that Christians are the salt of the earth? and why this reference to manure? Well, I think that Jesus is telling us quite a few things and all of them are important and extremely relevant to our Christian walk today. As with any biblical text, if you are trying to interpret it, it is prudent to try to understand the context in which it is given. And here, the context that Jesus is concerned with involves the cost of 1

2 discipleship. In other words, Jesus is teaching His potential followers that they cannot become His true followers unless they first consider exactly what it will cost them to become a Christian. Darrel Bock in his commentary states it well when he tells us that Jesus is making it very clear discipleship is not easy rather, our accountability to God and the rigor of the task require that we understand the commitment [needed] to walk successfully as his disciples. 1 And, within that context, it makes perfectly good sense that Christians should be the salt of the earth. Salt is a preservative, so it could well be that Jesus is trying to tell us to preserve His Word in its pure and unadulterated form. In other words, do not change God s Word by diluting it. Sometimes false preachers and teachers will do exactly that in an effort to make the Scriptures more acceptable to the secular world. They re-interpret Scripture and compromise its meaning to the extent that things that were once clearly considered sin are no longer looked upon as sin. The issues of gay marriage and abortion immediately come to mind. But when Christians do that, they are no longer preserving anything and their salt loses its true flavor and is cast out as a worthless substance. That is one interpretation of what Jesus means by this saying. Another interpretation closely akin to the one we just considered again emphasizes the preservative nature of salt in the sense that Jesus followers prevent society from degenerating into something worse than it already is. 2 Again that is a good, solid interpretation and is consistent with a focus on the cost of discipleship. One of those costs is to be prepared to stand firm against those elements of society that reject God s commandments particularly as they relate ethical and moral values. There s a cost in making such a stand but that is what Jesus requires of all of His followers. Unfortunately, if this interpretation is one of the central themes of Jesus proclamation that we are the salt of the earth and I believe that it is then it appears that Christians in America have failed miserably in preserving even a semblance of morality among the general population. And because of that, we are at a very dangerous time in our history. Our founding fathers were very much aware of this potential danger. Not long after the U. S. Constitution became a reality, John Adams made the following comment: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Adams had the insight to recognize that our constitutional freedoms would not last unless the vast majority of our citizens acknowledged a higher power than the state to whom they were responsible and accountable. 3 The downward spiral of morality in America today bears out Adams fears. The Christianity that dominated President Adams time engaged in the worship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It has been replaced today by many people who worship their own personal trinity composed of I, Myself, and Me. 4 If the people of our nation continue on with that 2

3 kind of self-worship, then this country is headed for disaster. We need to ask ourselves as Christians what we can do to avert such a calamity. And with this in mind, maybe we need to explore another possible option for what Jesus may have meant when He said that we are the salt of the earth. That s the option that I read about in Professor Bradley s article in Christianity Today. That s one that makes the reference to the manure pile. Now, let me just say that I have never been a very good gardener I don t know a lot about gardening. Flo won t let me on her garden and for very good reasons if I touch something there that s green, it s probably going to wither and die. But, I do know a little something. I do know that manure can help soil. After all, farmers spread cow manure and chicken litter with all their unpleasant aromas to improve the soil conditions of their fields, and consequently grow better crops. And farmers do this because they know that manure is an excellent fertilizer. Could it be that when Jesus says we are the salt of the earth that He is referring to salt as being a fertilizer? This is exactly what Professor Bradley claims in his article he argues that in ancient times salt was, indeed, used as a fertilizer. So I wanted to know if he was right. And to verify what he was saying, I checked on this in three of the following ways: #1 does this make sense when examining the words that Jesus used? #2 is this true from a historical standpoint, i.e., did ancient people really use salt as a fertilizer? And, #3 does it make sense for us as Christians to be referred to as fertilizer (if not manure)? So, let s take these three questions up one by one. First, let s consider the language that Jesus used. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology indicates that salt is usually associated with being a preservative, but when Jesus said that Christians are the salt of the earth, He meant exactly what He said in a very literal way. Jesus didn t say we are salt of the meat or salt of the fish if He did, then the meaning would be restricted to understanding salt as being nothing more than a preservative. But, because Jesus specifically said salt of the earth, He is more likely referring to salt being applied to the soil like a fertilizer. In fact, the Greek word that Jesus uses is in Matthew 15:13 for the word earth is γῆ [ghay] which literally means land, ground or soil. 5 So, the thought that Jesus seems to be communicating is that we are the salt for the soil. 6 With this being the case, Professor Bradley s interpretation does make sense when considering the actual words that Jesus used. In other words, Jesus says what he means and means what He says. But, does it make sense from a historical perspective? Did people during Jesus time actually use salt as fertilizer? Well yeah believe it or not, they apparently did. In an article written by Eugene Deatrick and published in Biblical Archaeology, entitled, Salt, Soil, Savior, it successfully argues that 3

4 Jesus comments appear to apply to salt s agricultural applications as a fertilizer, as well as its preservative function in keeping meats from soiling. Deatrick writes that agricultural literature abounds in references to the use of salt as a fertilizer... The value of salt in small quantities appears to have been well known in ancient times. 7 And Deatrick was well qualified to speak to this subject professionally, he was the former head of the soils department at West Virginia University. And apparently the use of salt as a fertilizer wasn t something limited to the ancient world. During the Second World War, there was a shortage of potassium fertilizer which forced farmers in Britain to resort to this ancient practice of using actual table salt good ole sodium chloride as a fertilizer. They found it particularly useful in producing beet crops. 8 Therefore, this interpretation of salt as being a fertilizer seems to be well founded. Finally, and most importantly, what about that third question: Does it make sense for Jesus to refer to His followers as salt in the sense of fertilizer? What would His point be in doing that? To answer that question, look at Luke 14:35. Think about what Jesus said about salt that has lost its saltiness. Jesus said: It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Salt that can t fertilize the soil or even be added to other fertilizer like manure has no purpose. It is useless. In other words, Christians who have become so inert, so comfortable, so lazy, so complacent that they no longer help things to grow are useless. But, if you are a true Christian, you will help to promote the growth of Christianity all around you in your home, in your community, in your workplace, wherever you happen to be. You see Jesus is telling us that it is not enough just to preserve the status quo. Rather, we are to plant and water and yes, fertilize the crop if we are ever to expect a harvest. I love the way Professor Bradley put it in article. He says: Christians are not to merely season or preserve the world from decay. The followers of Jesus Christ are sent on a mission to stimulate growth in the parts of the world that are barren, and to be mixed into the manure piles of the world so that God can use the fertilizer to bring new, virtuous life. But if those same followers are not committed to the radically countercultural message of Jesus Christ, they lose their saltiness, which is the unique witness to the power of the Gospel that brings the Kingdom of God to the messes of the world, stimulating life and growth. If we lose our saltiness, we are no longer good for anything and cannot be the agents of change that Jesus intended for His followers to be. 9 And he s so very right. That s a cost of discipleship that Jesus demands of us we are to get down into those messy parts of life those areas where nothing is presently growing because no fertilizer has ever been sufficiently spread on that barren soil. In many ways, we truly live in a dry and barren world in need of fertilizer. When the Apostle James tells us to be doers of the word and not 4

5 hearers only, 10 we could take that same thought and apply it to our saltiness as Christians. We need to be fertilizers for Christ and not preservers only. If we are the salt of earth, then we need to start acting like it boldly, fearlessly spreading the Good News of Jesus on this earth and in the soils of people s hearts in our community. Our community, our nation and our world are in need of Jesus now more than ever. The people all around us need hope. Jesus Christ through His death on the Cross gives us hope: Hope of new possibilities, hope of answers to our pleas for help, hope of new growth. And that hope of new growth can be a reality now. We are coming upon a time of year ripe for Christian fertilizing. We have our upcoming fellowship during Bingo-Chili Night, we have our Men s Breakfast, we have our Prayer Table at Family Dollar, we have our Wednesday night bible study, we have our Sunday School, we have this worship time every Sunday there are so many opportunities for spreading fertilizer for the growth of God s Kingdom in the here and now. If we are to be the salt of the earth, Jesus demands our participation. If you are to be good fertilizers for Christ, then reach out to a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a coworker and bring them to these events bring them into God s House so that they have an opportunity to know Jesus and grow in Him. After all, what good is salt that has lost its flavor, but to be cast out and trampled under the feet of the world that is Jesus message to all of us today. Let us pray. Forest Hill Baptist Church October 9, 2016 Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor Darrel Bock, NIV Application Commentary, The Luke: From biblical text...to contemporary life, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Don Garlington, The Salt of the Earth In Covenantal Perspective, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 54, no. 4 (Dec. 2011), WORDsearch CROSS e-book: Barrett Duke, Being Salt And Light In An Unsavory And Dark Age: The Christian And Politics, Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 11, no. 4 (Winter), WORDsearch CROSS e-book: Barrett, Ibid, James Strong, Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary, (Austin, TX: WORDsearch Corp., 2007), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "1093". 6 Alan Kreider, Salty Discipleship: Bringing New Worlds to Life, ( ). 5

6 7 Anthony B. Bradley, You are the Manure of the Earth: Jesus s famous metaphor about salt is actually about fertilizer, CT, Christianity Today, October 2016, Vol. 60, No. 8, p Alan Kreider, Salty Discipleship, Ibid. 9 Anthony B. Bradley, You are the Manure of the Earth, p James 1:22 (HCSB) But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 6