Release Date: April 8th, 2026You Are the Salt of the Earth, O People
- by Annika Krause
Recently I was doing the children’s story at my church, and I was trying to explain why Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth in Matthew 5:13. In the minds of most people salt is ordinary, basic, and boring. I mean, sure, salt makes foods taste better, and maybe in an indirect way Jesus is telling us our job is to make the world a more palatable place, but that doesn’t quite hit the mark.
Jesus is calling his followers to become an essential part of providing people with what they need
The reality is that, in the days of the Roman Empire, salt was essential for food preservation. It kept meat and fish from going bad, allowing people to keep their food safe to eat over an extended period of time. There is even evidence that pickling foods in vinegar and brine was part of both the Roman and Israelite food preservation practices of the day. Salt gave people easier access to nourishment and ensured they weren’t making themselves sick with spoiled food. As a result, it was something that helped kept people from malnutrition and illness.
In this passage Jesus is calling his followers to become an essential part of providing people with what they need, practically and spiritually. He is calling us to be the ones to work to ensure the basic needs of the people are met in the name of God and to do work of keeping them safe from the things that seek to treat them harmfully or unjustly.
Given that we have refrigeration these days, the metaphor doesn’t hit us in quite the same way, so allow me to suggest a different angle: a few days ago, an ice storm hit parts of Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces. In Montreal, where I live, the storm quickly covered the roads and sidewalks in black ice, making it difficult for most and impossible for some to get around the city. People were encouraged to stay home. There was a high risk of people falling and getting injured.
Be a source of safety and care that allows those around you who are vulnerable to walk into the world feeling more secure
Once the storm was over, we were left with a glittering but dangerous metropolis. Quickly, the municipality, businesses, and residents started sprinkling salt on the ground. Trucks went down the roads, leaving trails of grey crystals in their wake. Little specks of blue salt were scattered on sidewalks. The ice began to melt where the salt fell, and soon people were able to get back to their daily lives.
Perhaps for our time and our geographical location, when we think about what it means to be the salt of the earth, we can think about being like the salt that is spread on the ground in the winter to keep our neighbours safe. Be a source of safety and care that allows those around you who are vulnerable to walk into the world feeling more secure, without fear of harm from the elements, and without fear of falling. “You are the salt of the earth, O people: salt for the city of God.”
- Annika Krause is pastor at Mennonite Fellowship of Montreal