pretzels don't need salt - they already have it

I've been reading through Jesus' parables, and this is what I read today:

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:13-16

These are some of the questions I asked as I read this: What does it mean to be salty? To be light? What is the dullness and darkness where the salt must season and the light must shine? How does it do so? And what would it look like to neglect to do this? These are questions that may seem obvious, but it was good to ask them again as I read it.

This parable is preceded by the beatitudes, in which Jesus tells his disciples that those who are blessed are essentially the humble, pure, and the suffering:

3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I'm going to start with the question of where the salt and light must enter, i.e. where is the dullness and darkness. If we want to bring change to our world, it is essential that we acknowledge that the world is broken. The most significant suffering is that which is closest to us - the suffering we endure personally and that we see in our friends and family. To avoid it or ignore it allows it to continue to control our lives.

Sometimes, however, we get so caught up in our own suffering that we don't realize the extent to which people suffer in the world around us. We live at a safe distance from the wars and poverty that afflict the most distressed places. And even if we've visited areas of extreme suffering, we don't experience it in the same way as those who cannot leave it. To ignore and neglect this darkness is a severe danger, but we often don't realize that we do it. We are too distracted and busy.

But brokenness also occurs in the power and wealth of our world. Nelson Mandela says "The oppressed and oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity." We will never be satisfied when we are preoccupied with possessions, and we will grow bored and dull when we seek comfort for ourselves. There is no life in selfishness - we just continue feeding a consumer who will never be satisfied.

This world is broken in the land of the poor and rich, and meanwhile Jesus tells the disciples that they are the light and the salt of the earth. What a tragedy it would be to lose that saltiness and to hide that light under a bushel! Without the salt and light this world remains dark and dull and without hope. Keith Green said "The world is sleeping in the dark, that the Church just can't fight, because it's asleep in the light." Those who follow Jesus must see darkness in the world as their problem and their responsibility. Jesus came to wipe tears and suffering from this earth, and for some crazy reason, he called human beings to be the agents of that change.

Reading the parable of salt and light as it follows the beatitudes illuminates the idea that living as salt and light must take on a position of humility, suffering, and purity of heart. In assuming that the salt- and light-bearers will be poor, will mourn, will be persecuted as stated in the beatitudes, Jesus implies that to bring salt and light is to enter in to the broken places of the world. Thus, being the salt and light begins with awareness, and is followed by action. But the action is not assuming power and domination and fighting wars - it is through meekness and humility. The ways of the kingdom of God are counter to the way this world works. In the same way that Christ humbled himself to become a human being, we are to humble ourselves to become like those who suffer. We are to enter in to the poverty and serve - not patronize - but serve those who are hurting. We are to regard them above ourselves. And the way we bring peace is not through dominance, but like Jesus, entering nonviolently into the violence.

If the beatitudes said "blessed are the successful; blessed are those who live in a warm house; blessed are the safe; blessed are those who have landed a good job; blessed are those who get selected in high business, government, and Church positions; blessed are those who get their writing published, etc." then perhaps we could shine light and season their earth by achieving the American Dream. But this is the point of what I'm saying: The nature of the beatitudes insists that living as salt and light requires the imperative of entering in to suffering. Using a flashlight at 3 o'clock in the afternoon on a sunny day is kind of pointless, and nobody wants more salt on a pretzel because it's already salty. Our salt and light needs to enter in to the places that need it.

There is one extremely important part of entering suffering that we must cling to: hope. Entering in to suffering is not something that is to be done grudgingly, or simply because it's what we're supposed to do. Rather, we enter suffering because we believe that salt and light truly brings redemption to the world. Seeing the redemption that we have received in our own lives by the suffering that Christ endured, we take on that cross as the Church and spread the good news of hope with our lives. As Jesus says, those who bring salt and light are blessed. And that it is a blessing that we not only receive in the future, but right now. My greatest moments of joy have occurred when I have seen the emancipation of those who are suffering. That kind of beauty exceeds any new car or promotion. As it says in Hebrews 12, Jesus suffered with "the joy set before him." So let us take joy in the hope of seeing the problems in this world cease, and enter in with faith that we can bring redemption, through Christ, to broken places.