What does Matthew 5:13 mean? (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning behind Matthew 5:13? ›

Jesus' call for followers to be "salt of the earth" carries those uses, symbolically, into our spiritual lives. As salt preserves meat from rotting, believers in Jesus, distributed around the world, help to preserve humanity from falling into godlessness, immorality, chaos, and the resulting judgment.

In many religious practices and cultures, salt signifies preservation and the binding of a spiritual covenant. The use of salt in rituals, like sprinkling during ceremonies or forming protective barriers, showcases its significance in warding off negative energies and evil spirits.

Being referred to as “the salt of the earth,” Jesus is telling us we should be affecting our fellow humans with joy for life that comes from the Lord. As salt affects food for flavor, believers in Christ should affect the world by the way we live and act toward one another.

If salt is exposed to water, or diluted, the sodium chloride can be dissolved and removed, and the salt will lose its essence, or saltiness. It still looks like salt, but it's no longer useful.

Here we learn that we are actually light in the Lord. Just as God takes away our sin and puts His righteousness onto us, He takes away our darkness and puts His light into us. When we are saved, He lights the lamps of our hearts.

Lord, what do you ask of me, to be light or salt, to shine in public, or to work invisibly? Make me easy in the role you assign me. Each of us is a light for the world because we are enlightened by Jesus, the light of the world.

In Judaism, one common view of Lot's wife turning to salt was as punishment for disobeying the angels' warning. By looking back at the "evil cities," she betrayed her secret longing for that way of life. She was deemed unworthy to be saved and thus was turned to a pillar of salt.

The Bible contains numerous references to salt. In various contexts, it is used metaphorically to signify permanence, loyalty, durability, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification.

Living as salt and light is a continuous journey. It requires daily surrender to God's will, an open heart to love and serve others, and a commitment to live out our faith authentically. By living in this way, we can make a profound impact on the lives of those around us and bring glory to God.

In the midst of the erosion of hope and peace, in the midst of a divided and combative culture, we are called to be salt, to act as a preservative, to slow down the erosion, to fly a flag for Gospel truth and to consistently plant acts of kindness, love, and sacrifice for the good of others — day after day, week after ...

How to teach kids Matthew 5-13? ›

Help the children understand that salt tastes good on food, but it doesn't taste good by itself. Say, It is like this with us in the world. By ourselves, it is hard to make good decisions, but with Jesus in our lives we are good. With food salt is good and with Jesus we are good.

The verses in question are Matthew 3:13–15, '“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.

The most common interpretation of this verse is a reference to salt as a preservative, and to thus see the duty of the disciples as preserving the purity of the world. Many fertilizers use salts in appropriate quantities.

Salt is powerful. It is believed to have purification and protective qualities that can help the body and spirit to heal. It can cleanse us physically and energetically and is believed to extract or release what no longer serves us in our energetic field, which has a positive impact on our physical form.

Salt in the Bible

The “salt covenant” in Numbers 18:19 was in regard to God making strong, enduring promises to the Israelites. Offerings seasoned with salt were a reminder that He promised to always provide for them. Elisha treated a bad water supply in Jericho with salt.

Some believe that Jesus' command to His disciples to “sell your cloak and buy a sword” entails metaphorical advice to prepare them for the perils of ministry after His crucifixion and ascension; others take this Bible verse literally as divine permission to carry arms and use them.

God also gives us water and food to satisfy our physical needs, but He wants us to “thirst” or desire righteousness in the same way that we crave water when we are thirsty. God's Word tells us that He will bless us and fill us when we hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Jesus tells His followers to exercise whatever wise shrewdness they can to avoid conflict and danger without losing the dove-like innocence that will allow them to continue to proclaim the truth without fear. It will be a hard balance to keep, but it will be necessary for the mission to be successful.

Jesus Christ suffered the penalty for our sins so that we can repent. Repentance is a change of heart and mind that brings us closer to God. It includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. It is motivated by love for God and a sincere desire to obey His commandments.