Salt

Year B, Proper 21

Mark 9:38-50

Today’s Gospel = reading seems to be all over the place without a common thread.

· = The discipl= es seem jealous because someone else is casting out demons in Jesus’ nam= e

· = Jesus warns= about dire circumstances if we become a stumbling block to anyone

· = We have this amputation section, where Jesus warns us not to be a stumbling block to ourselves and we are warned to cut off all behavior that would condemn us to hell, where the worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. Aren’t we glad this passage = is not read during Lent?

· = Then it see= ms Jesus throws in this last bit about salt that seems to come out of nowhere.=

49 "For everyone will be salted with fire.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> 50 Salt is good; but if salt= has lost its saltiness, how can you season it?= Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." NRSV

Well I believe that t= his last sentence is the thread of this whole passage. It’s all about salt. Once we take a look at the importa= nce of salt in the scriptures we will have a better understanding of how todayR= 17;s reading comes together in a cohesive teaching on discipleship.

First a little inorga= nic chemistry: the chemical symbo= l for salt is N A C L, sodium chloride. It is a compound of sodium, an unstable m= etal that can suddenly burst into flame, and chloride, a lethal gas. Who else but God can take two dang= erous elements and combine them to form a substance essential for human life. Sodium, which the body cannot manufacture, is necessary for muscle contraction, as well as the transmissi= on of nervous impulses. Chloride= is essential for digestion and respiration.&n= bsp; Salt has to be constantly replenished in our body or we will die. Conversely, too much sodium is a contributing factor in High Blood Pressure, a major cause of strokes and he= art disease. It has to be balance= d just right.

There is another pass= age about salt in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. =

"You are the sal= t of the earth. But if the salt 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. [Matt 5:13 NIV]

So let’s look at today’s Gospel. The fir= st thing we learn is that someone, who is not in the close circle around Jesus, was casting out demons/evil spirits in the name of Jesus. This unknown person was moving int= o the Kingdom of God by releasing someone from the prison of possession. He was being salt.

The disciples seemed = a bit jealous so Jesus then gives them a little bit of wisdom – do not hind= er anyone in my name, do not be a stumbling block. Salt is associated with wisdom in scripture. Paul in his letter= to the Colossians seems to be responding to this very passage when he writes “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you ma= y know how to answer everyone. [Col 4:5-6 NIV]&nb= sp; Jesus had taught his disciples valuable wisdom and knowledge – this is the salt. He wa= rned them you are in danger of causing a believer to stumble, by trying to prevent him from exercising his ministry. You won’t let him, as it were, ‘g= ive a cup of water’.

This should challenge = us. We need to be careful and not be that stumbling block for others to do ministr= y in the Kingdom of God. Remember = it is the heart of the person that matters most, not if they are following the “correct” or the same formula for ministry that we follow.=

The next part of the g= ospel warns that we are not to be stumbling blocks for ourselves. Jesus, as a good Palestinian Jew u= sed graphic, real-life language like cutting off our arm if it sins, not to encourage us to mutilate ourselves, but to make a radical point about discipleship. Our whole life = is one of discipleship, not just part of it, and not just on Sunday. We do not get to cherish our favor= ite sin. We do not get to say “But I’ve always had a temper,” or “I’m always late.” There are no exceptions, we do not get to sin in moderation. Sin contaminates our life.

What does this have to= do with salt? The only way for s= alt to lose its flavor, its saltiness, is for it to become contaminated when it is mixed with earth, dirt. Dust = and dirt mixed with water and air can turn salt into something else. Such salt cannot be used in food, = but it can be used on gravel roads to bind water to the gravel in order to keep the dust down. Maybe that explain= s what Jesus meant when he said in Matthew salt that has lost its flavor is can on= ly be thrown out and trampled by men.

When our lives become contaminated with the ways of world, we don’t spread the true gospel,= the true news about Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. We have lost our salt.<= /span>

Finally we come to Jesus’ statements about salt.

“For everyone w= ill be salted with fire.” And = then …” Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Fire, s= alt and peace – how do they go together?=

These verses tie into= the Temple offerings the Levites offer as part of the covenant with God. There burnt offerings were totally consumed by fire. They were a= lso directed to add salt to the offerings:

Leviticus 2:13 “= ;Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.” NIV <= /p>

Salt here is being us= ed as a symbol of covenant, of a friendship, of a close relationship.

Many cultures today s= till use salt as a sign of friendship and hospitality:

· = The Finnish= take bread and salt on their first visit with a new neighbor

· = An open bow= l of salt on a meal table is still common in many places – my friend has o= ne on her table

· = Some Asians= have considered eating a pinch of salt together to be a token of friendship.

Jesus’ disciple= s would have been familiar with the references to salt. They knew salt was an important co= mmodity in their life. It was necessa= ry to preserve food, to be included in the temple offerings, to be thrown onto the ground when useless, it was necessary to survive. They knew Jesus was talking about = the Kingdom of God and what that meant to be His disciples, and now we know what that means for us.

We are not to be stum= bling blocks to others trying to minister in the Kingdom of God. Our testimony is to be maint= ained by not polluting it with the teachings of the world – remember we are= to be in the world not of the world. We are to be purified and offer our whole lives to the world to be a living witness of the Kingdom of God. We a= re to reach out in friendship, creating close relationships with God and with = one another in order for peace to reign.

Salt seems like such = a simple thing. Its simplicity is what makes it a perfect tool to remind us that we = are disciples of Christ. The next= time you pick up a salt shaker, remember that we are to be the salt of the earth= .