A New Way of Being: 10 Lessons From the Sermon on the MountSample

Day 2: Being Salt

Today our devotional passages focus on how disciples of Jesus should live with those around them.

Many misunderstand the function and responsibility of disciples. Jesus explains that his disciples should be agents of change to help bring people into right relationship with God.

Jesus says that his disciples are to be like salt. Why does he use this illustration? In the 1st century, salt was incredibly important. It was the most common of all preservatives. Israel was an arid climate and salt was used to prevent the decay of meat.

Because of the brokenness of the world, Jesus’ disciples are to help preserve the world, and through their lives provide godly flavor.

There are two particular ways disciples can be salt in the world. First, disciples can be a source of true flavor. People around us are busying trying to find happiness and fulfillment. They invest in relationships, community status, movies, music, and many other sources to find fulfillment. As disciples, we must be a source of joyous contentment that stems from our relationship with Jesus.

Second, disciples must be a catalyst for spiritual thirst. Salt provides flavor, but salt also causes thirst. In the 1st century, when Jews gathered at the temple for the feast of tabernacles, the priests poured large amounts of water on the altar as a sacrifice. At the end of this ceremony, Jesus stood on the southern steps and told his disciples, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water (John 7:37-38). As followers of Jesus, disciples are to be the salt that causes people to become thirsty for Jesus.

Questions to ponder:

How am I preserving those around me by the way I love them? Does the way I speak and act make people thirsty for a real relationship with Jesus?