Bible Study series: Luke 14:34-35. “But if even it became tasteless, by what will it be salty again?”
Friendly greetings and a warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together.
I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click here:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 14:34-35
34 “Salt, then, is good. But if even it became tasteless, by what will it be salty again? 35 It is useable neither for the soil nor for manure. They throw it away. He who has ears to hear let him hear!” (Luke 14:34-35)
Comments:
Many commentators point out that these two verses should be attached to the previous long section. Another commentator says that it summarized all that Jesus said in this chapter, highlighting another aspect of deeper discipleship.
34-35:
Two basic interpretations:
First, some say that salt never loses its flavor. If so, then Jesus is giving a hypothetical (“if”) to highlight how important it is to continue on with discipleship, so that the disciple can always be a good witness and live a productive life. “If salt were to lose its saltiness” ….
Second, other commentators say that salt, when it becomes contaminated, can lose its flavor. Salt came from pools around the Dead Sea and “was mixed with gypsum and other impurities. When moisture hit the salt, it evaporated and left behind these impurities, which were mixed with it in the soil. The salt loses its saltiness and is thrown away” (Bock, vol. 2, p. 1291). In that case, Jesus is saying no one should allow himself to become contaminated and therefore become useless for his kingdom.
The second interpretation is to be preferred because Jesus does say the salt becomes good for nothing—not even to fertilize the soil. It is thrown away.
Finally, salt acts (1) as a preservative for things like meat, and (2) as a seasoning agent, to make food tasty. The follower of Jesus should preserve his discipleship for the kingdom, and his life should make the kingdom appealing by its flavor to outsiders. His distinctive kingdom words and actions should call people to join God’s kingdom.
The last clause is the punchline to this brief parable. It is a warning. If you are not a true disciple of Jesus, you will easily become contaminated and lose your saltiness. The saltless disciple is no longer used by God. Indeed, God throws it outside, as the Greek literally says. Outside from what? From his kingdom. Can a man reenter the kingdom after being thrown out? I say yes, but that would take a miracle of resalting saltless salt! In any case, that is not the main point in this quick parable. Rather, it is a severe warning.
“In Luke’s context, the image of salt relates to discipleship and applies to the characteristics Jesus has enumerated: the readiness ‘to renounce kin, comfortable living, and life itself for the sake of being Jesus’ disciple.’ A false form of discipleship may look like salt, but the gradual process of leaching leaves only a zestless pile of waste” (Garland, comment on 14:34, citing a commentary by Summers).
Stein:
Since this is a parable, the idea of salt becoming “unsalty” need not cause difficulty, even if in actuality this were not possible. However, the thought here may reflect the fact that most salt came from the Dead Sea and contained carnallite or gypsum. If carelessly processed, it would become insipid or poor tasting. Such salt was of little or no use; in fact, it was a distinct liability because it now had to be discarded. Although salt was used in sacrifices (Lev 2:13), here the focus is on its function as a seasoning. The verb “loses its saltiness” is translated everywhere else in the NT as “to become foolish.” Yet how can salt become “foolish”? It may be that the reality part of this analogy, which involves the “foolishness” of an unconsidered decision to follow Jesus, has intruded into the analogy itself, with the salt becoming equally worthless/foolish by losing its taste. (comment on v. 34)
GrowApp for Luke 14:34-35
1. How does God so season your life that your words and actions can appeal to outsiders?
2. How would you become saltless? How do you not get to that point? Come up with some preventative measures.
RELATED
11. Eyewitness Testimony in Luke’s Gospel
3. Church Fathers and Luke’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND MORE
To see the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom. You will also find a “Summary and Conclusion” for discipleship.
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 