Salt of the earth

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The figurative talk about the salt of the earth is in the Gospel according to Matthew ( Mt 5,13  EU ). It is part of the Sermon on the Mount and follows on from the Beatitudes . The disciples of Jesus are first compared with the valuable and important salt of that time. In the next verse there is an analogous comparison of the disciples with the light of the world . Another figurative speech of Jesus, which deals with the value and the impermanence of salt, can be found in the Gospels according to Mark ( Mk 9.50  EU ) and Luke ( Lk 14.34  EU ).

text

The verse reads in the translation according to Martin Luther (revised version from 2017):

"You are the salt of the earth. If the salt is no longer salting, what should you use to salt? It is no longer of any use than to be thrown away and let people crush it. "

- Matthew 5:13  ESV

interpretation

Just like verses 11 and 12, which represent the conclusion of the Beatitudes and which appear immediately before this figurative word, this word is aimed specifically at the disciples. They serve to describe their task in the world. At that time salt was initially used to make food edible and to keep it from rot. At that time it was extracted from the Dead Sea and only had a limited shelf life. After it became stale it was no longer usable. Correspondingly, the warning in the second part of the verse can be understood that the disciples fare similarly to the salt that must be thrown away after it has become stale, if they do not lead their lives as it corresponds to the oncoming reign of God , i.e. H. according to the standards set in the preceding verses.

reception

The 28th German Evangelical Church Congress in Stuttgart in 1999 had “You are the salt of this earth” as its theme. Correspondingly, the Kirchentag song “You are the salt of this earth, we are the salt of this world” was based on the corresponding Bible word. The second verse of the song "You are the people whom the Lord has chosen" is also based on the biblical motifs of salt of the earth and light of the world .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Stuttgart Explanatory Bible. ISBN 3-438-01121-2 , 2nd edition 1992, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart, pp. 1173f and 1298f
  2. ↑ Archive entry for the 28th German Ev. Kirchentag in Stuttgart from June 16 to 20, 1999 on www.kirchentag.de [1]