I am a Jesus pusher!!! “It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Matthew 5:13b). The interpretation of this statement is determined by the opening remarks of Jesus. “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?” (Matthew 5:13a). Jesus refers to us as “the salt of the earth.” The Greek word “ge,” translated earth, comes from the root word for “soil.” Soil becomes barren when sprinkled with salt. We discovered a definite tie between this statement and the third beatitude. The person who embraces his helplessness can be filled with the resource of Jesus. A by-product of Jesus’ presence is “they shall inherit the earth.” In the Old Testament covenant “land” was an important part of the promises. The last beatitude is focused on persecution. This seems to involve destruction the physical being. Life is in the midst of this destruction. We are not sourced by the decaying physical world around us; we are sourced by the intimacy of His presence making us “salt.” The answer to everything wrong in the physical is in this intimate embrace with Jesus.
Paul said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:22-23). We are the “salt” of all physical things! Hope comes when we unite with the resource of Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven. I am a Jesus pusher!!!