Salted or Unsalted Chips?

Luke 14:34 says, ““Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?”

OBSERVATION: Jesus is walking down the road and a large crowd begins to gather along with his disciples. he’s giving them instruction on how to be his disciple. He lays out the big picture when he tells them that if they don’t hate their families they can’t follow him (he didn’t literally mean this because that would have violated the law, and Jesus taught to fulfill the law) so he was trying to make a point. He also talks here about the price of carrying the cross. He shoots off a few more of these powerful illustrations. But, I love what he ends with because he starts talking a language that all of us 21 century fast-food fans can understand…salt.

Salt was used for two important things in the days of Jesus…to make things taste better and for preserving foods (and human bodies…mummies).  So salt makes things taste good and it preserves. This is not the first time he has taught about salt. (Matthew 5:13 ““You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”) So the whole point of using salt as the illustration had a two part meaning.

APPLICATION: Jesus wanted his disciples to know that there are certain characteristics when it comes to being a disciple. Just as salt has specific uses, like making chips and french fries taste better, we are to bring about a good taste to the message of Cross to those around us. How? In the way that we represent the gospel. When I say “represent” think of it as “re-present.” We are presenting the gospel to those around us, but if we do not have the characteristics of a disciple, we will be useless and thrown out. What are the characteristics? It starts with submission, love, trust, and obedience. A disciple is a follower. What did Jesus say about being a follower? We see that he teaches many things about what it means, but the whole point is to be sold out in life for him. Salt makes chips taste good, so disciples bring life and preservation to those around us.

PRAYER: God, do I make the gospel tasty to my friends, neighbors, co-workers? Don’t let me loose my usefulness.