The salt benefits
The Old Testament prophets were called the salt of the land of Canaan, but Jesus called his disciples the salt of the world. The call to reach out further than their neighbourhoods seems far-fetched. But, because salt is such a powerful substance, it is known as omnipresent; it can reach unlimited places at the same time. Salt does not need large amounts to be effective. 1 table spoon is all that the human body needs to function. All foods have salt. Without the proper dosage of salt, the human body will develop sicknesses such as Hypothyroidism, dehydration, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hyponatremia, which is a loss of function of nerves and muscles, cystic fibrosis, cognitive delay, and many more. Salt leaves the body as easily as it comes in. The effects of salt not only benefit the body but also those near it. It is a substance that needs to be monitored regularly. Jesus told his disciples that they needed salt within them and peace (Mk 9:49-50). For the salt’s impurities to be removed, the salt goes through a process called recrystallisation. As believers, we too are passed through a similar process where the holy spirit removes the things that are not pleasing to him.
Matthew 5:13
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Jesus told his disciples, the 12, that they are the salt of the earth. The salt benefits were going to be dispersed to everyone, drawing all men to the savour of the gospel. Paul told the church that our conversations needed to be full of grace, seasoned with salt (Col 4:6). Our choice of words adds sweetness to our relationships (Prv 15:1). The scriptures tell us that what comes out of our mouths needs to be things that edify (Eph 4:29. They were the table spoons of salt for the earth’s population, drawing all men back to God. In the Old Testament, salt was used to bind a promise. Two parties would cast salt over their shoulders as a sign of making a covenant. God promised the Levites, his priests, to provide for all their needs as a salt covenant (Num 18:19). Salt has been used in many cultures as a valuable commodity. The word salary comes from an ancient word meaning “salt-money,” referring to a Roman soldier’s allowance for the purchase of salt.
Can salt lose its savour? Science says that Sodium chloride does not. In Hebrew and Aramaic, the languages Jesus spoke, salt, the verb tāpēl, had a double meaning. Salt was a metaphor for taste and wisdom. If salt loses its savour, it becomes tasteless and foolish. Salt was used as a fertiliser and to decompose manure, but if it lost its nutrients during harvest, it could have lost its savour.
Mark 9:40-50
49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Colossians 4:6
6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Numbers 18:19
All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee.