“Salt of the earth,” from our Gospel today: an online definition of the expression uses the words “honest” and “dependable” in describing a person who is the “salt of the earth.” Other words used are “genuineness” and “humility”: a bit like “down to earth,” another expression we have. As it says in Genesis “you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19), and human beings don’t get more down to earth than that. A person who is the “salt of the earth” is not only honest and dependable but also unpretentious. My own gloss is that someone who is the “salt of the earth” is someone who is good all the way through.
Jesus, in our reading today, calls his disciples the “salt of the earth.” Here, in the sermon on the mount, Jesus is describing his followers, telling them what they are called to be and do. In Jesus’ time, salt was used as a preservative; in the time before the widespread use of refrigeration, salt extended the shelf life of certain foods, preserving them for later consumption. Here we can add to the list of words that describe the “salt of the earth,” the additional idea of “wholesome” or “fresh,” without the whiff of corruption that follows from being far past the “sell by” date. All describe the character of a Christian.
That’s the kind of salt that Jesus’ disciples are called to be: the salt that preserves the world, keeping it grounded and centered. The world has a tendency, like the things on our shelves, to go bad, and the salt of the Gospel is the remedy that keeps them fresh. As the early Christian preacher John Chrysostom put it, “it was the good work of Christ to set us free from the rottenness of our sins.” Christians are called to be salt that preserves and enhances, so that corruption doesn’t creep back in. As our preacher put it, “This is the very use of salt, to sting those who are corrupt and make them smart.” (John Chrysostom, Sermons on Matthew, XV).
Saltiness is part of our vocation as the Church. When corruption sets in, and things begin to stink in society, it’s time for “the salt of the earth” to do its work. We’re in need of saltiness in ourselves right now, in the context of the country we live in. Public servants need to be accountable, because we are all humble enough to be held accountable. From the perspective of Christian character, of honesty and dependability, vengeance and spite are dead ends that will lead nowhere.
Hatred of our enemies is a wound we inflict on ourselves. The love of God and the love of neighbor, the antidote to hatred, is the salt we Christians bring to the political mix. If you think things are rotten, then try a little honesty and dependability! It’s the preservative, the fresh perspective, that will save us all from going bad.
Here we bring Jesus’ words to bear upon ourselves. In our reading, Jesus asks, “But if salt has lost its savor, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot” (Matt. 5:13). We don’t want to lose our saltiness; to become worthless, and not fit for purpose.
Elsewhere, in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another” (MK. 9:50). If we wish to be the “salt of the earth,” we need to pay attention to our own character, to our own honesty and dependability. If we seek to be salt in the world, we need to have salt in ourselves, and live in peace with each other.
Speaking of saltiness, today a number of members of St. Matthew’s Church will reaffirm their baptismal vows, and receive the laying on of hands with prayer. Our baptism has set us free from the rottenness of sin, and brought us fresh to this point. In a moment, our candidates will be asked to reaffirm their renunciation of evil, made at baptism, and to renew their commitment to Christ. All of us will have the opportunity to renew our own baptismal vows together with the candidates. This is the way that we practice being the “salt of the earth,” at having “salt in ourselves.” God will give us the grace to follow through, in the program of saltiness! This is what Jesus is calling us to be and do at this present moment, as his followers in the world.