You are the salt of the Earth

Jesus speaking to the Church called us the salt of the earth and the light of this world. It's an easily overlooked precept that's actually central. That's because it points to the Kingdom of God within us.

To further understand this, we can look at the value of salt in the times of Jesus. Today, salt is one of the cheaper household commodities. So it's easy to take it for granted. In that time period, salt was a big deal.

Back then, salt was actually currency. It was sometimes used to pay soldiers because of its high value. The word “salary” has its roots in the Latin word “salarium,” which means “pertaining to salt.”

Being quite scarce due to the time and effort required to harvest it, it reflected competence and worth of wages. That's where you get the saying, "he's worth his salt."

At an everyday level, salt is used in food. The unique taste of food doesn't show up until salt is applied. Traditionally, it's also used to preserve food. Back then, and even now, salt is used to cure wounds, helping them to dry quicker.

Finally, salt works silently, dissolving quietly into whatever it is applied. It's a substance that is highly effective and yet works completely undetected.

What can we compare salt to, having all these useful values, and yet within our grasp? Jesus calling us salt means it's something we have access to. It'll be worth looking into in depth, and this we'll do tomorrow, as God permits.

#Grace

#Faith

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#Gospel

#Goodworks