“You are the salt of the earth”- Matthew 5:13. This seems so poetic, but, what does it mean? Salt is a chemical compound of sodium and chloride. Together the elements create a flavor for food making it much more desirable. It’s also a needed mineral for electrical conduction “especially in the brain, nervous system, and muscles, (which) require electrical signals for communication”(https://www.medicinenet.com/electrolytes/article.htm). Too much salt and it creates dehydration. Too little salt and the body cannot retain enough water. Salt is quite complex that way. It is essential to maintain osmotic pressure and to regulate the amount of water that’s available in the body. So, when Christ says, “you are the salt of the earth”, what is He really saying? You add flavor? You maintain proper water balance? You conduct electricity? I suppose in a sense we could answer ‘yes’ to all these questions. We have the ability to conduct power as a vessel of the Holy Spirit. When we obey and submit, God’s power is given permission to ‘conduct’ through us. When we are careful with the words we choose to speak, we allow for wisdom to ‘change’ minds and cause people to re-think their ways and beliefs.
When we speak wisely, as Christ leads us to, we create thirst in the hearer. They become thirsty for more truth, understanding and clarity.
The body is rich in defense mechanisms that send signals to help maintain homeostasis. Thirst is one such mechanism. Too much salt creates a thirsty sensation telling the body it needs water to dilute the over-abundance of salt. Our speech and actions can leave people thirsty for more just as a salty meal leaves us thirsty for water. When we speak wisely, as Christ leads us to, we create thirst in the hearer. They become thirsty for more truth, understanding and clarity. Salt is a compound. It is the culmination of two elements; sodium and chloride. The bond between the two is what makes much human metabolism possible. The bond is a metaphor for how we are to join in thought with Christ. As we do, that bond creates “salt” in our speech. Our thoughts clear, our beliefs become challenged and refined, our knowledge gets sorted and weeded through. That bond with Christ is like sodium bonding with chloride. Without that bond we do not have the power to conduct ‘electricity’, we are flavorless, and we cannot retain water.
In Christ’s Spirit, the bonds of sin are broken and new bonds of life are formed. Old things (unhealthy soul ties) pass away, and new, Godly ties are formed. So, when Christ says “You are the salt of the earth”, perhaps he is saying that you create thirst in people. Christ’s answer to that thirst is the living water. It is the living water that provides a continual source of life. The Holy Spirit is continually available to lead, guide, cleanse and fulfill just as a spring spews forth clean water from within the earth. The source never depletes, is never defiled, and is always available to cleanse. We are vessels meant to use speech that creates thirst for the living water. What a beautiful thing, yet, what a responsibility. May we steward that well and enjoy the journey.