How Salty Are You?

Mark 9:38-50

Think about the people you have known for a long time or maybe someone you recently met. Would you say that they are salty? Would you call them “salt of the earth people”? When I was a teen-ager I would often joke with my mom that she was the Queen of Cliches. She had a lot of pat statements for situations we faced in our everyday lives. Once in a while she would use the phrase “salt of the earth person” to describe someone we had encountered. I didn’t give it a lot of thought at the time, but I do think of her saying that phrase now when I consider some of the people that God has placed in my path over my life.

I have known a lot of salty people over my life and I consider that a blessing. I think we should all strive to be at least a little bit salty. When you meet a salty person, it doesn’t take very long to realize there is a real person there. They exude a strength. They have convictions. They think of others with a caring attitude. They are encouragers and listeners. They can be quick to hug.

In contrast I think about the people who aren’t salty. My husband and I do not add salt to our food anymore, so our saltshakers just sit on the shelf in the cupboard, holding a spot but not doing anything. There are people whom we all know who are just like that. They take up a spot but don’t really do anything.

Before the verses where Jesus talks about salt, he was talking about the Kingdom of Heaven. He reminds us that there is nothing of greater worth than our eternal life with him. I don’t think he literally means that we should cut off a hand or a foot or pluck out our eye, but I think he wants us to know that the Kingdom of God is worth whatever it takes.

In all circumstances Jesus sets the bar high so that we consistently strive to be better, to be more Christ-like in the way that we live. I think that we all know, in this human realm, we cannot totally attain that, but it is a goal to work toward. And I think we all know that this life here on earth will not be perfect. We will pass through difficulties, circumstances we could never have anticipated. And perhaps that is what Jesus alludes to here. It will not always be an easy path, but he will walk with us, showing us that nothing is impossible with our loving savior, and it will all be worth it.

There was an idea made popular by Malcolm Gladwell called “The Ten Thousand Hour Rule”. His thinking behind this was that if you wanted to become great at something you must work at it and practice ten thousand hours.

What if we all approached life the same way? What if, as Christians, we practiced every day with passion and intent? We could read our Bibles, pray, worship, serve others, share our faith, and do the things Jesus calls us to do, knowing it will take at least ten thousand hours before we get good at it. Jesus is telling us that the Kingdom of God is worth that and so much more. Life with Jesus is worth whatever it takes. It’s free but it’s worth giving up our lives for. It’s grace, but it’s costly grace because its value is priceless.

Jesus reminds us in this gospel passage that grace is free, but it still asks something of us. We are called to repent, to resist temptation and evil, to keep steadfast in our faith.

Our salvation was costly to God. Shouldn’t we do everything that we can to thank God for this gift? Shouldn’t we spend at least ten thousand hours or more to become the best Christians we can possibly be? That is how we can thank God for the gift that is priceless, the gift that is more valuable than any other.

We need to be saltier in the way that we live our lives. Jesus says at the end of this passage that salt is good. The Holy Spirit calls us, gathers us and equips us for all that we encounter. We need to use that creative energy everyday to build up God’s Kingdom here on earth. Everything we have and everything we are is because of our Lord. Try to get a little more salty every day and may we always appreciate this priceless gift.