At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus compares his followers with salt of the earth. In Matthew 5:13 (NIV) he says: “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 underfoot.”

Salt is often underestimated in our days, perhaps because we have so much of it.

At the beginning of the 19th century the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm collected fairy tales and folk stories to preserve them for the future.

One of them is the fairytale of Princess Mouseskin. A king had three daughters. One day he asked them how much they loved him.

The first said she liked him more than the whole kingdom, the second more than jewels and pearls, and the third said more than salt. He was so upset she compared her love to him with something so ordinary that he ordered to have her killed in the forest.

A servant took her to the forest but had pity on her and let her run with a dress from mouse skin, that made her look like a boy. At a neighbouring king’s court (s)he became a servant, although because of a smart answer one day, the king had doubts about Mouseskin and had her observed by the other servants, who found a ring among her belongings that was too valuable for a servant, so they accused her (him) of theft.

Now she had to show her true identity and the king fell in love with her and made her his queen. For the wedding her father was invited, however, all the food for him was without salt, and he shouted he would rather be dead than eat such tasteless food.

That was when the princess revealed herself to him, saying: "Well, now you say you can't live without salt but when I said I loved you more than salt, you wanted to have me killed."

The king was sorry and asked for forgiveness and they embraced each other and lived happily ever after.

So yes, salt gives taste to many things. I love to bake sourdough rye bread. You can vary the ingredients, however, you always need salt, otherwise the bread tastes like nothing.

Before the modern era of ice machines and refrigeration, like in the mediaeval and biblical times, salt had even more functions. It preserved foods. Adding salt to cabbage makes sauerkraut for the wintertime to have a source of vitamin C, you can pickle other vegetables with salt as well, and fish and meats such as hams can be salted to keep for months without cooling. Salt thus was a very expensive commodity and often called the white gold.

Ancient civilisations including Egypt, Greece, and Rome used salt topically to clean wounds, treat skin conditions, ease digestive ailments, and reduce tissue swelling. Still today, salt solution is used for IV drips and many other medical applications. When I have a blister in my mouth, I put a bit of salt on it and try to keep it there for as long as possible. It helps, just like rinsing the nose with a salt solution in a neti pot can help shorten a cold, give relief from allergies and reduce inflammation and swelling.

One of Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent protest actions was to have the Indian people make their own salt instead of having to buy it from the British.

So yes, salt is important. It might be cheap nowadays and if you eat a lot of processed foods you might get too much of it in your diet and might get hypertension, but no salt is not good either. However, have you ever tried to eat even a quarter of a teaspoon of salt by itself? If you haven’t, don’t try. You will spit it out.

Salt is there to be added to other things. It is best to influence what is there, to change it, to enhance it.

That is also the task of Christ’s followers. Faith might be personal but it is never private. I think that is one of the things Christ tried to say here. A little bit of salt can awaken other things that may be present but lay dormant. It enhances and influences the world around it, just as we are called to influence, enhance and awaken the people around us.

Salt has a purpose and so have Christ’s followers. Christians who do not influence the world around them, who do not preserve the world, or enhance the taste of life or heal the wounds, are useless like a salt that has lost its saltiness. Yes, we look for edification of our own soul as well, but the goal of our faith lies beyond ourselves, it is to make the world a better place.

So who around you could use a little “salt”? Whose life might need enhancing, flavour or healing? Our relationships often need a little spicing up. We are called to bring God’s love to the world, so that the good in people may be awakened and brought forward. We are called to heal the wounds of others through our faith. The Kingdom of God wants to widen, reach to the end of the earth.

That is why Jesus, at the very end of Matthew in chapter 28 (Verses 18-20, NIV), gives the great commission: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

That is what the salt of the earth is called to do. It is inclusive, worldwide and it has a purpose. Let’s not be shy or timid, lets not be complacent, but let us pass it on. Let us reach our family, our children and grandchildren, our neighbours, colleagues, and if we have the opportunity or means, even reach out to all people of all nations.

Be the salt of the earth.