Luke’s Gospel: Salt

Jesus chose this image to illustrate how those who follow Him act as preservatives in a most sinful world.

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Salt is strong stuff. God has provided lots of it in this world because lots of it is needed.
Salt preserves the precious. The meat of animals can feed the family for months if it is preserved and salt does that. The body needs salt in order to make all its functions work. Jesus chose this image to illustrate how those who follow Him act as preservatives in a most sinful world.

Hate Your Parents?
I recommend a book called “Hard Sayings of the Bible.” (You can find it at Amazon.com: https://tinyurl.com/y7tkmtx8) This statement ranks a place of honor. Here’s what Jesus said: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”

Doesn’t this fly in the face of other things Jesus said? Looking up the original language doesn’t help, either, for we discover that the word used for “hate” really means, well,—hate. How can we square this with the rest of Jesus’ teaching?

Scholars say that Jesus was setting up priorities. As important as family relationships are—and they are at the heart of things as the family is a primary image for the church—the priorities of the Kingdom of God must have a greater pull on the one who follows Jesus.

Parents Who Believe and Those Who Do Not
When we take up our cross to follow Jesus and our parents support us in this, there is no reason to “hate” them. We know it is important to build a heritage of faith in our families. When our parents stand against us following the will of God for our lives, we must act as though we hated them. It hurts because we really do not hate them—we love them and seeing them in rebellion to God breaks our hearts. However, we know that when we stand before the Lord and give an account of our lives, we cannot offer the opposition of our parents as a reason to fail God. Such an excuse will never stand the fires of the judgment of God on our life’s work. (1 Corinthians 3:9-13)

Salt gives us courage when we must take such drastic measures. If we shrink back from the call of God because of parental opposition, it will do them no good. If we follow Christ at the cost of offending our parents, the Kingdom of God will advance and the Holy Spirit will have a tool to use to bring our parents around to a Kingdom view. What a victory that would be!

Salt in Action: The Cost of Discipleship
To follow Christ is to find God’s will and set about doing it. This is a costly, if blessed, way to live. As would an entrepreneur who builds a tower for greater business, we must count the cost of this life. When we begin serving God intending to finish our job on earth, we must count the cost. This avoids mockery of starting well but finishing poorly. To follow Jesus is to engage in spiritual warfare. This, too, involves counting the cost if one is to wage a victorious warfare.

Salt Is Good
Salt is good if it does its job of preservation and preparation. If we attempt the mission or go into battle with salt that has lost its power, we will fail. If we keep the salt supply in strength, we will save ourselves and those who hear us.

Scriptures:

Luke: 14:25-35
Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it —lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, as I pray this morning, the salt of Your Word is preserving my life and purifying my soul to serve You more excellently. Thank You for this gentle, thorough preservative. Cure my heart of sinful motives and base desires. Let spirit rise above soul and body in my life. Help my life be a strong preservative in this world as I stand for You, follow You, and love You in ways the world around me can clearly see. Help me wage a holy and effective warfare. Help me to finish the tower of my life so that all can see You in me! Amen and amen.

Song:

I Am Thine, O Lord
Words: Fanny J. Crosby; Music: H. Howard Doane

1. I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

2. Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Refrain

3. Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
Refrain

4. There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
Refrain

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About the Author

Full of passion for Jesus Christ, Stephen Phifer is a third-generation minister with more than three decades of experience as a pastoral artist, worship leader, and conductor.