Considering Saltiness

I was reading this morning and I read something that has bothered me for years. In Matthew 5 Christ is speaking about salt that looses its saltiness. Following what I've learned in bible study -- if you don't understand, look closer -- I decided to really dig and find out what Christ was saying.

The confusing part is something that I learned in basic chemistry: table salt (sodium chloride) is a stable compound. It does not degrade over time. One ounce of salt today will be one ounce of salt in 100 years, if exposed only to normal air and humidity.

So... HOW does salt lose its saltiness? It doesn't change!!

Our salt -- table salt -- isn't the same salt that Christ was speaking of. The salt they used was a compound harvested from the dead sea. It contained a good portion of sodium chloride (table salt), but also had a mix of other salts and minerals. That compound was not stable. Over time, when exposed to air and humidity, the other salts and minerals would react to the oxegyn and water in the air and actually become other chemicals. Those other chemicals would actually erode the sodium chloride (the salty flavor) and make it bland, flavorless and useless to cook with.

So, how do you prevent that? There were two common ways to prevent degridation of this form of salt: 1) Use it. If you used it up quickly, it didn't have time to go bad. 2) The second way to preserve it was to bottle it up in air-tight containers. This was a very expensive method, since we didn't invent the TupperWare "burp test" for 1900 more years. Air-tight containers in those days (given their humid environment) was a very expensive luxury item.

But this also explained why Christ went on to expound in Matthew 5:14 about not hiding the light.

13 "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. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Don't put the salt in a bottle, but use it. Don't hide the light in a basket, but let it shine. Don't put God away in a corner, but let Him show in every aspect of your life.

God, forgive me for hiding you. For wanting to just put my salt in a box and hold on to my little piece of assurance. What good am I to you, if I do nothing? Forgive me for being useless, and make me useful.