I am a Jesus pusher!!! “You are the salt of the earth.” Next Jesus proposed a contrast represented by the conjunction “but” (de) if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?” (Matthew 5:13). When the “poor in spirit” unite with Jesus in intimacy, they form the Kingdom. We will call this unit “salt.” What would happen if salt is not salty? It is chemically impossible for salt not to be salty, but let us imagine it for the sake of illustration. Many Bible scholars suggest “if” introduces a conditional statement. If the condition of salt loses its flavor, then how will the salt be re-salted? However, this is not the case. When conditional, the word “if” is a translation of the Greek word “ei.” Jesus uses the Greek word “ean,” making it suppositional. To understand this clearly we must grasp the significance of the Greek word “halizo,” translated “shall it be seasoned?” It is the basic word for “salt” (halas), which is a noun. Jesus turns this noun into a verb, which means, “to salt something or sprinkle with salt.”
Here is a substance that may look like salt, but it does not have the flavor of salt, nor does it season like salt. It simply is not salt. You cannot re-salt it; it must be discarded from all functions of salt. Saltless salt is a substance that appears to be saltwithout the flavor of salt, therefore it is not salt. This is not a conditional statement where Jesus suggests that if salt loses its flavor we should try to put the flavor back in the salt. He wants us to see that if we are not salt we will not influence our world. We are not salt or the Kingdom. Merging with Jesus is the state of being called salt, the Kingdom. I am a Jesus pusher!!!