"Sans Saline"
EPISODE 112
Stay Salty in Your Service
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Late-night infomercial hosts are usually peddling products with multiple functions. "It slices! It dices!" But what happens when those kitchen gizmos break and fail to perform any of their intended tasks effectively?
"Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Luke 14:34-35).
Through this short, but powerful example, Jesus teaches us a critical lesson in fulfilling our function as his disciples.
No Use
Little has changed since Jesus' day with how we use salt today. It's used in agriculture, as a preservative, and most commonly, enhancing a food's flavor. Watch any cooking competition show, and you'll likely hear complaints about the lack of seasoning at the judge's table.
As disciples, we have a specific function in this world. Without stretching the metaphor too far, we promote growth, seek to preserve the lives of the lost, and extend a satisfying message of salvation to the world. But what happens when we stop serving our purpose?
Beyond Repair?
Jesus rhetorically asks, "... how shall its saltiness be restored?" (Luke 14:34). It's not to say that, like the prodigal son in the next chapter, we can't come to our senses and return, but it'll be an uphill climb! And Peter warns that those who turn to Christ but then go back to the world are in a much worse state than they were before (2 Peter 2:20).
If you're unwilling to serve your function as a believer, that's a huge problem! How can God use you if you're too stubborn to obey him? Jesus warns us all that there's only one thing left to do with functionless former followers.
Thrown Away
Saltless salt isn't even useful for the dirt or the manure pile. Yikes! So, what's left, but the trash can? While we live in a "throw-away society" today, the idea of dumping something in the trash was a much bigger deal in the first century. Even those who lived through the great depression could probably teach us a lesson or two about re-using and recycling worn-out items. But at some point, there's no value in keeping something around if it's beyond repair.
How would you feel if Jesus called you "useless?" It honestly makes me cringe just thinking about it. And unless we want to be discarded, as so many of Jesus' parables about judgment illustrate, it's time to start doing our jobs in his service if we're not already!
So, the next time you reach for the salt shaker at dinner, think about your role in the kingdom, and whether or not you're doing your part as a useful and functional member.
