Look at that Muslim! Look at that abomination! Look at that sinner! Don't look at me! I'm covered by the blood! But just look at them! And God does look at them. And He only sees one thing. It is the same thing He used to see when He first looked at us-- compassion:
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. -- 1Peter 3: 9 (NIV)
Even that Muslim. Even that sinner. Even that person that for some reason we disqualify in our hearts -- God wants them brought to the foot of the cross also. We are not meant to be selective salt. Flavorful for some people but not for all. People are not meant to be the subject of a religious debate. Or the brunt of jokes. Or the outlet for our anger and derision. Thank God He did not have qualifications I had to meet in order to be granted the eternal life I now enjoy. God forbid I ever try to place any on anyone else. Salt is meant to be flavorful to a lost and dying world. And realize this today -- we can lose that flavor. The key verse says exactly that. God forbid that we lose our saltiness and become worthless to the God who saved us.
Perhaps the most interesting usage for salt is that of a deicing agent. Those of us who live where there still is a real winter can attest to the necessity of salt when the roads become iced over. How does that work exactly? Salt actually lowers the freezing point of water. Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Mixing in just a 10 percent salt solution can lower the freezing point of water all the way to 20 degrees. There is a lost and dying world beloved that are becoming more and more hardened to the prospects of salvation every day. The world is becoming a colder place every single day. There is dwindling empathy, eroding compassion, and disappearing love on a minute by minute basis. Jesus taught us how these days were going to be:
Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. -- Matthew 24: 12 (NLT)
Cold enough to the point that their hearts will freeze over at the notion of a God that loves them and wants to save them. But as the salt of the earth we can lower that freezing point. We can be the hands and feet of Christ delivering the grace and mercy God has lavished upon us already to them. But it has to start with compassion. In our last look at how the disciples fared, we see this story:
As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, "Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?" But Jesus turned and rebuked them. So they went on to another village. -- Luke 9: 51-56 (NLT)
Isn't that sometimes like our own compassion for some of the people in this world? Like James and John we want God to rain fire down upon them. The Samaritans were despised by the Jews in Jesus' day. They were considered half-breeds. It seems sometimes the church has created their own Samaritans these days. Maybe it is based on religious fear mongering with the Muslims. Maybe it is based upon creating super-sins so we can feel superior. Whoever the group and whatever the reason we must always remember how far down God had to go to save us.
We have a responsibility as Christians to be about our Father's business. That does not necessarily mean church business. It means Kingdom business. It means that there is a heaven and there is a hell and we need to be salt to a dying world. We need to be about preserving the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to be flavorful to a world that is searching for a reason to believe. We must be God's deicing agent here on earth, showing the compassion the world so desperately needs in these the end days. Let us never to be found worthless to our King.
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