Matthew 5:13 #VOTD [Commentary + Memorization Tutorial Video]

Verse of the Day 2.25.18: Matthew 5:13

1. Text
2. C4C Translation
3. Commentary
4. Memorization

Today, C4C is studying Matthew 5:1-16. After the Beatitudes, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus exhorts His followers to be the figurative salt of the earth — seasoning the land with Christ-like character and conduct (Mt 5:3-12),¹ and preserving the world from moral decay.²

Text

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 underfoot.³

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 underfoot.⁴

C4C Translation

You are the salt of the earth. But if salt is made tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to thrown outside and trampled under peoples’ feet

Salt

Though scholars debate which are relevant to this passage, salt (ἅλας | halas) has several possible, metaphorical meanings.⁵

1. Purification — Salt was added to Israelite sacrifices and was used to purify a polluted stream. (Ex 30:35, Lev 2:13, 2 Ki 2:19-22; Ezra 6:9, Ezek 43:24)⁶
2. Seasoning — Salt was used to add flavor to food. “To eat salt” was a figurative expression for partaking in a meal.⁷
3. Preservation — Salt was used as a preservative for meat to prevent spoilage.⁸
4. Fertilizer — Salt was used, in small amounts, to fertilize for soil (or the earth).
5. Covenant — Salt was a sign of the covenant between the LORD and Israel. Because salt lasted so long, it became a metaphor of the long-lasting nature of a covenantal bond (Lev 2:13, Num 18:91, 2 Chron 13:5). ⁹
6. Wisdom — Ancient Rabbis often used salt as a metaphor for wisdom (cf. Col 4:6).¹⁰
7. Brightening — Apparently, salt was also used to “brighten the light of lamps.”¹¹

Earth

Earth (γῆ | gē) most likely refers to the people of the earth.¹²

Made Tasteless

Other translations opt for “lose its saltiness” (NIV). Chemically, sodium chloride cannot lose its saltiness. However, the first-century Jews were not working with pure NaCl. The salt near the Dead Sea was mixed with other minerals. Therefore, over time, it was possible that the actual salt could have been washed out, leaving behind a “useless residue.”¹³

Nonetheless, the verb translated made tasteless (μωραίνω | mōrainō) appears to be a pun.¹⁴ The play on words is probably more apparent in Hebrew or even Aramaic, which Jesus spoke (cf. Mk 15:34),¹⁵ “where the verb tāpēl can mean both to be tasteless and to be foolish.”¹⁷

Commentary

Just as water is wet by nature and light it light by nature, so salt is salty by nature. For “…nature and function are inseparable in both salt and light…” ¹⁸ In the same way, followers of Christ, by nature, should exemplify a Christ-like nature (Mt 5:3-12). If we foolishly fail to exhibit a Christ-like nature, we are acting in ways contrary to that nature — like salt losing its saltiness. Thus, we are no longer good for anything. “A foolish disciple has no influence on the world.”¹⁹

Renowned New Testament scholar Craig Blomberg sums it up quite nicely:

Believers who fail to arrest corruption become worthless as agents of change and redemption. Christianity may make its peace with the world and avoid persecution, but it is thereby rendered impotent to fulfill its divinely ordained role. It will thus ultimately be rejected even by those with whom it has sought compromise.²⁰

Keeping their Christ-like saltiness, followers of Christ are to endeavor to season society with Christ-like and prevent moral spoilage.

Memorization

Memorize Matthew 5:13 after watching a brief video tutorial demonstrating the How to Memorize Any Bible Verse in Less Than Five Minutes method below: