Luke Establishing The KingdomPrøve

Salty Christians One day I joined friends for dinner for one of their famous home-cooked dishes. I had long anticipated this mouth-watering meal, yet as I raised my fork and took the first bite, I was terribly disappointed. My friends had not added sufficient salt; this left the food bland and lacking its usual burst of flavor. In this chapter, Jesus is invited to a Sabbath-day dinner hosted by a very important Pharisee, and “everyone was carefully watching Jesus” (v. 1), most likely to see if they could catch him breaking the law. During the course of the evening, he heals a man with swollen legs, tells a parable about guests who spurn an invitation to a special banquet, teaches a lesson on the cost of true discipleship, and warns those who would be his disciples not to lose their saltiness. Because salt was a highly valued and extremely important preservative in the ancient world, no doubt Jesus’s audience hung on to his words, wondering what he meant. His teaching was not for everyone, but for those whose inner ears were attuned to it. Jesus teaches that being salty means being willing to go against cultural norms, even willing to lose everything for the cause of the kingdom of God. Jesus also reminds us that by our behavior we influence our environment and those around us who are carefully watching us. As Christians, how often are we like my friends' dish, not salty enough? We need to actively maintain our saltiness so we will prove worthwhile disciples of Jesus. Reflect Do the values you uphold point others toward the gospel of Christ? Pray God, help us to be disciples who retain our saltiness and remain of value to you. Respond Ask God to show you areas where you need to be countercultural for the sake of the gospel. Lord, let me live the truths of the gospel and bring meaning to life’s circumstances by applying your Word.