[Jesus told his disciples] “You are the salt of the earth.” Matthew 5:13a
Jesus, the Great Disruptor (part 3)
In 2018, I (Pastor Dorn) led a tour to the Holy Land on behalf of Trinity. One of the “must see” stops on our tour was Israel’s Dead Sea, which has the highest concentration of dissolved minerals of any body of water on earth. The shoreline around the Dead Sea is literally a pile of salt left behind when the sea water evaporated. The dissolved minerals make the water so heavy that swimmers float without any effort. In fact, significant effort is required if you DON’T want to float!
Jesus might have had this image in mind when he compared His followers to salt. Everyone’s familiar with it; sodium chloride is one of the most common and useful minerals in God’s creation. Salt enhances the flavor of otherwise unpalatable foods and has been used for centuries to preserve foods without refrigeration. Humans will die without a moderate level of daily salt intake, and it is so highly prized that history records that salt has been used as a currency. Today, it is used in a wide variety of industrial processes, from manufacturing paper to preserving leather. Interestingly, salt can also act as a chemical catalyst—under certain condition, the mere presence of small amount of salt can cause a chemical reaction to take place that wouldn’t otherwise happen.
I wonder if THAT’s what Jesus had in mind? Is the mere presence of Jesus-followers in our businesses, families and politics sufficient to change hearts, demonstrate love and make the world more palatable?
Jesus biographers in the New Testament tell us that Jesus was often a disrupter of the political, social and religious status quo in first century Palestine. He cleansed the Temple, called the religious left (the Sadducees) harsh names, regarded the religious fundamentalists (the Pharisees) in even harsher terms, and tripped up the scribes and lawyers with ideas that blew their comfort zones out of the water.
This weekend at Trinity Downtown we’ll be discussing how WE might continue following Jesus’ example by being a catalyst for change in a world that is upside down. Being salt and light in a world that is often compartmentalized and dark, we can show what it’s like to experience the joy of following Jesus. We can be an example of how being a Christian isn’t just a sterile exercise in following certain rules, engaging in certain rituals, or believing certain creeds. Our “salt” is demonstrating how everyone can engage in a life-long relationship-building journey with Jesus.
Come and hear what Jesus wants to say to you about the areas in your soul that are poverty-stricken, the parts of your heart that mourn or the parts of your behavior that are meek and misunderstood. Your kids won’t want to miss our “Kingdom Quest” pre-school and student gatherings, and you’ll enjoy making new friends and learning more about your faith in our expanded array of adult bible study classes, all held at 9:30 am on Sunday.