COMMON BUT VALUABLE
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
September 26, 2004
Text: Luke 14:25-35
Poking fun at how government bureaucracy works - or doesnt work -
humorist Gene Weingarten one day dropped into the offices of the Salt
Institute. I never knew there was a Salt Institute, but it sounds like
there is. He interviewed Salt Institute President Richard L. Hanneman.
"In your professional opinion," asked Weingarten, "is there any food that
could not be improved in taste by the addition of salt?" "I cannot think
of any," said Hanneman. "Really?" "Really." "How about bananas? Wouldn't
that be weird?" "My job description does not permit me to find any use of
salt to be weird." "Are there any overlooked potential commercial uses
for salt?" "We hope so." "What are they?" "They wouldn't be overlooked if
we knew what they were. We have 14,000 known uses, but we really need
that 14,001st. For growth. Do you know of one?" "I am thinking maybe of a
military use," suggested Weingarten. "Maybe we could rub it in the wounds
of our enemies." "I don't think the Geneva Convention would allow that,"
concluded Hanneman. (The Washington Post, April 8, 2001)
I know that I couldnt list anywhere near 14,000 uses for salt. I am
perplexed as to what they might all be (but not perplexed enough to find
out). But if you know of any additional use beyond the 14,000 known ones,
you know that you can contact the Salt Institute. Someone there will want
to hear from you.
In our day, salt is plentiful. It is common. It is a commodity that
requires very little of our personal budget. Yet, as those who have had
to go on no-salt or low-salt diets can attest, it is a valuable
commodity. All of us no doubt know the result of leaving salt out of a
recipe. The descriptive word frequently used is bland.
Yes, salt may be common now, but it was not always so. In ancient times,
entire trade routes and many of the first roads were established for
transporting salt. In Europe, salt was reserved for the monarchies and
high officials. Many ancient civilizations levied taxes on salt. Salt was
considered so precious that it was traded ounce for ounce for gold.
(Imagine if we could travel back in time with a box of salt and return
with a box of gold!) In ancient China, coins were made of salt. In the
Mediterranean regions, salt cakes were used as money. Ancient cities such
as Genoa, Pisa, and Venice became thriving market centers because of
salt.
We know of the dependence of colonial America on mother England for tea,
but they were also dependent on England for most of their salt as well.
After the Revolutionary War, the United States developed saltworks along
the Atlantic coast for boiling sea water. Most of us probably recall
learning something about the construction of the Erie Canal. I dont
remember ever learning that the Canal was initially built because of
salt, but that is the case. Salt springs were discovered in New York,
near where the city of Syracuse is today, so the Erie Canal was
constructed in order to transport this valuable commodity to market.
Finally, in the mid-1800s, underground mining of salt deposits began.
("The topic: Salt," 42eXplore Web Site, 42explore.com, retrieved April
16, 2004)
It comes as little surprise, then, that Jesus used salt as an
illustration to underscore the importance of discipleship. Luke records
that Large crowds were traveling with Jesus
It was common among both
the Hebrews and the Greeks for popular teachers to draw large audiences.
If a person liked a particular teacher, he or she would call himself or
herself a disciple of that teacher. We know that Plato had disciples and
that Socrates had disciples and that certain rabbis had disciples.
Jesus was not flattered just because he had followers who called
themselves disciples, because he knew that self-defined disciples fell
away when things got tough. John 6:65-66 provides one such illustration.
He went on to say, This is why I told you that no one can come to me
unless the Father has enabled him. From this time many of his disciples
turned back and no longer followed him. We even know that one of his own
Twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, betrayed his teacher. Knowing all of
this, then, Jesus teaches a lesson about the cost of discipleship using
references to family, the building of a tower, and going to war. Then, he
summarizes his lesson with the salt comparison.
Jesus begins with family. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his
father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes,
even his own life - he cannot be my disciple. This one is the toughest.
To the first-century Jew, there was virtually nothing more valuable than
family. I think that we can safely say that family is still regarded as
valuable in our day. Jesus words are not an invitation to despise your
relatives - no matter how tempting that may be!
To get his point across, Jesus was not afraid to use some exaggeration.
In fact, such a technique was common among Jewish thinkers and teachers.
Even though the word hate is used in Lukes account, the meaning is
along the lines of Matthew 10:37. Anyone who loves his father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter
more than me is not worthy of me. It is a matter of degrees of devotion.
In the ordering of kingdom priorities, discipleship comes before all
else. Jesus used the concept of family to drive the point home.
Jesus then told the crowd to consider the building of a tower. Bible
scholar William Barclay notes that the tower which the man was going to
build was probably a vineyard tower. Vineyards were often equipped with
towers from which watch was kept against thieves who might steal the
harvest. (William Barclay, On Counting the Cost, Luke 14:25-33, The
Barclay Daily Study Bible Series - New Testament, Westminster John Knox
Press, CD-ROM version) If that was the case, everyone who knew the man
would know that he wasnt smart enough to figure out that he didnt have
enough money to start building in the first place. An unfinished building
is always a humiliating thing. Everyone can see an unfinished tower or
building languishing. Everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying,
This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.
Then Jesus continues his lesson with a quick word about a king preparing
to go to war against another king. The people in the crowd knew that it
made good sense for the king going to war to figure out if he can defeat
his enemy. Otherwise, he needs to quickly figure out how to agree to a
peace treaty. Jesus important lesson to keep in mind here is not family,
building a tower, or going to war; it is about discipleship. In the same
way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my
disciple.
Now we are back to salt. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness,
how can it be made salty again? Anyone here ever had their salt go bad?
Lose its saltiness? I havent. It seems to last forever. But Jesus was
still right because of the differences between his salt and our salt.
Modern table salt doesn't ever lose its "saltiness" because impurities
are removed and chemicals like anti-caking agents are added. Salt in
Jesus' day was somewhat less reliable. Dr. Robert Shephard, a professor
of chemistry, offers this explanation: "Most, if not all, commercially
available salt in biblical times was produced by evaporation of either
sea water or brine from salt wells or salt lakes, such as the Dead Sea.
All of these sources contain other salts besides sodium chloride, notably
calcium salts. When the brine is evaporated, these calcium salts combine
with dissolved carbon dioxide and leave behind calcium carbonate, chalk.
On standing for long periods exposed to moist air, the soluble sodium
chloride will absorb water and leach away, leaving mostly chalk." (Is
There Salt in Your Shaker? Homiletics, vol. 16 no. 5, p. 18) In other
words, salt that was simply left lying around unused and exposed would
eventually lose its taste, leaving behind something that's great for
blackboards but useless in your food. Jesus drives the point home:
Disciples are only valuable, worth our salt, if we allow the Lord to use
us!
Salt enhances the flavor of food; there is a difference between food that
has salt on it and food that doesn't have salt on it. There is a
difference between a world that has Christian disciples serving Jesus and
a world that doesnt have Christian disciples serving Jesus. Obedience
and commitment to Christ enables and empowers us to be more fully human
than we would be without that commitment.
To be a disciple is to allow Jesus to use us according to his will. We
are to let him sprinkle us around those places that need salt. When we
pray, "Lord, use me," it's a guarantee that he will. The more we are
used, the more valuable we become, and the closer we are to realizing the
incredible purpose and fullness of life to which we are called.
Where is Jesus wanting to use you? Who are the people around you who
could use your time, your talent, your treasure right now? The
alternative is that we sit tight, clump together, and go bad. If that
happens, the only alternative is to be thrown out.
God has created us, equipped us, molded us, and energized us for divine
use. We are "the salt of the earth;" common but valuable; simple but with
more than 14,000 uses. When Jesus calls us to follow him, reaching for us
there on the table or in the home, at work, in our church, or even
someplace we've never imagined, will there be real, tasty salt in our
shaker? He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN
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