THE LITTLE THAT IS MUCH

Dr. Richard J. Henderson September 7, 2008

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Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 5:13-20

Introduction

You are a king among the people. You are a blazing fire on the earth. You are a piercing siren in the silence. You are a raging lion among the animals. You are dynamite in the earth.

Are you feeling pretty powerful? Those are strong images - ones that express strength, leadership, power.

It is dramatically different to say, "You are a grain of salt." Salt? Salt is tiny, fragile, and insignificant. It doesn't rule over people but has a subtle effect. Salt isn't obvious; it's hidden. It isn't a powerful ruler, it's a flavoring.

Don't you wonder why Jesus said you are salt? If he wanted us to think of ourselves as powerful, throwing our weight around, he would have used very different images. Salt appears to be weak, its influence is indirect and hidden. What did Jesus mean in saying, "You are salt?"

I

Although salt is tiny and it appears to be insignificant it can have a very strong effect. Several years ago Sheila made a homemade strawberry rhubarb pie. She had just made it in the morning, but it looked so good that our guests asked about having a piece of it before lunch. It was bright red and glistened in the light. It was one of those pies that look almost too good to eat.

So we cut pieces and passed them around. The woman of the family who was visiting us took the first bite. Her face twisted; her eyes bulged; she looked like she was going to throw up! She blurted out, "Sheila, this is awful!" I was offended. I said, "How can you say that? That's so rude!" With tears in her eyes she said, "Take a bite." So I took a big bite. I jumped from my chair and ran for the kitchen sink. The pie was horrible! Another family member had taken a bite and she joined me at the sink. It was honestly the worst pie I have ever had. It was inedible.

Then we sat down to try to figure out what had happened. Apparently Sheila mixed up the sugar and the salt. Instead of putting in a teaspoon of salt and a cup of sugar, she put in a cup of salt and a teaspoon of sugar! No wonder the pie glistened. It was already preserving itself!

(I did ask for permission to tell this story).

Trust me when I say that salt can be very powerful. Saying you are salt doesn't mean you are powerless or have little effect.

While a cup of salt might knock you over, no salt at all leaves food bland and lifeless. Those of you on a salt-free diet know how much of the flavor is lost when all the salt is taken away. You have to find other ways to liven up your food.

When we use a pinch of salt it adds flavor, it brings zest to food. When you sprinkle on a little salt, it brings out the food's richness.

II

Jesus' statement that we are salt makes me think of the parable of the mustard seed. Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which is a tiny seed that grows to be a huge bush. Tiny beginnings have a big result.

As a little mustard seed grows to become a giant bush, so the tiny grains of salt bring out lots of flavor - way out of proportion to their size. In many ways the mustard seed and salt show the same emphasis: though you are small you can have a great effect. Actions that seem like nothing can bring about big results.

It's like the effects of El Nino. A slight heating of the waters in the Pacific Ocean near Indonesia will cause a significant warming during the winter months where we live. It seems like nothing, but it brings about a big change for the rest of the world.

When I was serving at another church I had a meeting with a man who was upset by something I had put in the newsletter several months earlier. I didn't even remember putting this quote in an article - it seemed like nothing to me - but it bothered this man for a long time. He told me what the statement was: "He who has more that enough, has the goods of another." I didn't remember it, but I looked it up and found that it was from St Augustine in the fifth century. What seemed like nothing to me deeply disturbed someone who read it. Those little words had a powerful effect.

In a similar way what seem like small actions on our part can have a huge impact on other people. What we say and do, even though it seems insignificant, can have a lasting impact.

III

Jesus talks about us individually doing these little acts that have great impact, but he also means for the church to do the same. As a church, the small actions we take can have great influence. How we act, what we do as a church has effects beyond what we realize.

The great theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Christ's church makes a footprint." What we do and how we do it reflects what we believe. People will know what it means to be Christian by how we act.

Beware of the church that is run like a business. Whether the bottom line is taking in money or bringing in new members, if any goal is set above being faithful to Christ, we're on the wrong track. Unlike businesses, the church gives to others without concern that there is some kind of payback. We support the hungry, naked, homeless, suffering, and lonely not because it's a good investment, but because Christ told us to.

For centuries missionaries have been building hospitals and schools, providing clean water, and caring for those in desperate need around the world, not because they want to get something back, but because they care about people in need. In the process, of course, people see what Christianity is about and what it means to follow Christ.

Conclusion

Small acts that seem to mean nothing can have powerful results. A tiny seed can grow into a large bush. A few grains of salt can add a world of flavor.

I did a funeral for a friend several years ago. When I met with the family before the funeral, I asked what they remembered about this man. His niece, a young woman by then, told of a time when she was a little girl and she was very sad and upset and left a family gathering to go upstairs to her bedroom. She crawled under her desk and sat there crying. She said the only person in her extended family who missed her and came looking for her was this man, her uncle. He sat down on the floor beside her bed and talked with her until she felt better and she could come back and join the family. That man, her uncle, might not have even remembered that event, but it had a powerful effect on her life. The woman said, "I always knew he cared."

A small action - a grain of salt - had life-long importance.

Amen

© Richard J. Henderson 2008