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Point of Reference
by Fred Price
As commonplace as salt is considered today, it’s scarcity was just as profound years ago. Except in places in close proximity to the sea or to a salt source such as the Salt or Dead Sea in Israel, salt was hard to come by, even dangerous to collect. Europe had an abundance of people but a significant lack of almost all spices, including salt. Men risked their lives and made their fortunes by traveling great distances to find and secure spices to send back home. This trade spanned continents and crossed the seas to island countries, helping fuel the desire for new lands such as the North American continent. Salt was used to preserve food for these voyages of discovery and in the packaging of food sent to people settled there. It also had a purifying quality; a mixture of salt and water - called brine - could be used to ship meat in, the salt warding off decay.
Our bodies consist in large part of water combined with various other chemicals. Salt is one such chemical and its medicinal significance was realized early in man’s history, adding to its value. As such it was traded for and bartered over, searched for and fought over between peoples and countries. It was mined from salt flats and exported over land and over sea with great loss of life and at great expense. It became an important medium of exchange in commercial ventures across the Mediterranean, Aegean and Adriatic Seas and has been subject to severe taxation in Oriental countries throughout history; in the form of salt cakes, it served as money in ancient Ethiopia and Tibet. In fact, the English word salary, derived from the Latin word salarium refers to the salt allotment issued to soldiers of the Roman army. It’s past and present use as seasoning and as a preservative for food-stuffs, either in the home or for transportation to other centers of civilization, served as an essential ingredient for the support of mankind’s advancement to a stationary, civilized lifestyle. It brought both pleasure to the palate and a certain amount of ease and leisure as people began to divert effort away from the daily search for food to the development of arts, crafts and other pursuits of interest.
Yet salt - an essential ingredient in our lives - is often over-looked because of it’s familiarity. Much of scripture and our call to be the salt of the earth is over-looked in much the same way. Jesus declared, “You are the salt of the earth,” as well as the, “…light of the world.” Matthew 5:13,14 We are indeed called to preserve of the word of God; believing when others don’t, keeping the faith when others won’t, sharing it with those who will. We can be an agent of change in the world as we exemplify the vibrant life in Christ that the world needs and maybe even unrecognizably yearns for as we add spice to life in an otherwise unappetizing world. The main ingredient to that seasoning is Christ and His word, which gives an ordinary, even dull life meaning, excitement, energy and joy. And yes, we should have a cleansing effect which can sometimes irritate as we point the way to proper lifestyles and dedication to Christ’s will. (Two other aspects of salt’s usefulness were as a cleansing agent, and a means of punishment. Pots and utensils were often cleaned with salt as an abrasive while a captured city would sometimes be destroyed and then sown with salt. This made the city and surrounding countryside too alkaline to foster growth and support life, ensuring its eradication for years to come. See Judges 9:45)
“Salt is good. But if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again. It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Luke 14:34 Salt has some very specific properties and capabilities, yet it can lose its ability to interact with what it is added to, either by sitting around unused and becoming “stale” or by being recklessly thrown around and misused; losing it’s impact and usefulness. (Matthew 5:13) So can we as Christians! A note of caution must be expressed though. In the realm of physical health, too much salt can be a harmful thing; some people are on a salt restricted diet. The same could never be said of the “salt” of Christianity - could it? That might depend on how the salt was applied. We can’t pour it all over everything and everybody we come in contact with. Confronting people with the truths of Christianity in a way they would never be willing to listen to is pointless. As Peter says, we must, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. BUT DO THIS WITH GENTLENESS AND RESPECT,…” 1 Peter 3:15 (See also Colossians 4:6)
We live in a supposedly health conscious society today. Diet, exercise and feel good books abound; while medical professionals report more stress and diet related illnesses than ever. Compounding this is the fact that more of us are dying of self-inflicted diseases from smoking, drinking, illegal drugs, abuse of legal ones, and improper intimate practices. Some of us work too much, while others waste their lives by working very little. Some find solace in eating to excess while others purge their bodies and their problems by barely eating at all. Our religious condition is much the same. We have access to more churches, religious study material and freedom to express ideals and concepts than any other nation at any other time. We even have more “religions” to choose from. Yet the majority of people still grope about searching in vain for meaning to life and a way to live life abundantly. The salt of the gospel, as spice and preservative is just what we need. Life can be lived, as food can be eaten, without; but what a difference a little bit of salt makes! Perceived as a common ingredient, it still does uncommonly good things.
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Fred Price - married (50 years), father of two grown children, grandfather of six.
Fred retired earlier this year after 42 years as a factory worker. He has always had a heart for young people and the challenges they face today. Over the years Fred has taught Discipleship Groups for High School and college students.
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