“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. ‘Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’” (Luke 14:33-35)
In this passage from Luke Jesus reminded His followers of the cost of discipleship. We have seen this same teaching in this week’s readings from Philemon and Deuteronomy. If we want to be His disciples, we must count the cost, we must know what is required of us. As disciples of Jesus we must forsake all that the world values and teaches us that is contrary to the Word of God. We cannot compromise with the world if it means putting Jesus and the values of His Kingdom in second place to anything or anyone.
Jesus reminds us of the need for steadfast loyalty with His reference to salt. In ancient times as now, salt was a preservative that kept food from rotting as well as a flavor enhancer. Christians are to be like that salt, living lives of righteousness and peace that prevent the world from succumbing to the rottenness of sin. In addition we are to be tasty to the world, that is, we have to be loving believers who manifest the love and mercy of Jesus through our worship and good deeds which will lead people to respond positively to the gospel.
And yet we must realize that our profession of faith in Christ will not be acceptable to most people. Our acknowledgement of salvation in Christ alone will engender hatred and violence as those who oppose the Lord seek to silence us. Nevertheless we must never forget to preach the pleasant taste of grace in balance with the sting of the law. To be effective Christians we cannot take the sting out of the gospel. We cannot mix God’s truth with the ideas and feel-good philosophies of the world. The truth is going to make people uncomfortable. It will make them feel guilty. It will make them angry. It will not win us friends but we can’t remain silent about the deadly nature of sin. Our influence in the world depends on our remaining distinct from it, not something that looks like it. When we Christians are indistinguishable from the world we have become useless like tasteless salt. Let us take stock of our own lives to see where we fall short, where we have compromised the truth of the gospel. Then let us ask the Lord to enable us to live in total dedication to Him.