Why do Christians judge rather than salt the earth?
Don’t judge me. Wow, what a loaded phrase. Usually reserved for those terrible Christians who dare speak about the life Jesus said would be the fullest, but isn’t this accusation wildly present in our culture no matter what your point of view? Oh, you don’t recycle? Oh, you like Mark Driscoll? Oh, you voted for Obama? Oh, you live in Morton? Oh, you had more than 2 drinks? Oh, your kids go to District 150?
So fine, we are all bad people because we judge a book by its cover. But why do Christians get tagged as the judgmental jerks? I believe it’s because we don’t always season our comments “with salt”. I’ve recently become more interested in cooking and have learned that salt, which I once thought to be a poor man’s version of seasoning, is actually the most important seasoning there is because it brings forth the flavor of the other ingredients. (I have even started salting beer, try it, it’s fantastic.)
In Mark, Jesus speaks about salt in order to be at peace with your brothers and sisters. This idea is often thrown under the bus because we claim to have the truth, so we need not choose our words and actions carefully. I would argue that the manner in which we share the truth with each other and the world is the salt that brings forth the flavor of the truth in Christ we know so well. He also asks, if salt loses its saltiness how can you make it salty again? This is where we as the Church need to be mindful about about how we judge others too quickly and shut down a dialogue that could lead to so much learning.
Salt was the most important spice of the ancient world. Not only did it bring out the rich favors of foods, it was one of the most important preservation tools available for food in a day before refrigeration. Jesus tasking us to be salt is a commission to bring flavor to the world and preserve it as his kingdom, so different than what we do when we spend out time judging each other.
What if the next time we learn that someone holds a belief that is different from ours, instead of sizing them up and dismissing them, we have a salty conversation that builds a deeper relationship? That sounds like a recipe that would bring God’s Kingdom a little bit closer to Earth.
Imago Dei is a Peoria, IL church. We are located at 210 W. Arcadia Ave, Peoria, IL 61604. Please give us a call at (309) 863-5127.
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