Oh, she is the salt of the earth,’ we often say when we are referring to a person who is straightforward, honest and without guile: in the words of another saying, in such an individual ‘what you see is what you get.’ In today’s reading, Jesus’ description of his disciples as ‘the salt of the earth’ (Matthew 5:13) would have struck a chord and meant something very specific to his listeners. In Jesus’ day salt was a valuable commodity. In order to preserve food from decay in the heat salt was applied as a preservative. It also served to enhance the flavor of the food.
Those who heard Jesus speak would have understood the meaning and tradition behind the idea of being ‘salt of the earth.’ In the same way as salt prevents decay and corruption, so the witness of Christians who live a life in the power of the Holy Spirit protects the world and society from decay and corruption. It also adds much-needed flavor to society.
Jesus also calls us to be ‘the light of the world.’ In this way we are to be like our Master, for in John 8:12 Jesus describes himself as ‘the light of the world.’ We are to be countercultural, signs of contradiction, heralds of the gospel of life in a world, which, in so many respects, has lost its way.