“Salt of the earth” has become a cliché, says Jewish New Testament scholar Amy-Jill Levine in The Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet when Jesus tells this to his disciples, it isn’t a command, it’s a fact: “You are the salt of the earth.” The “you” is plural, as in “y’all.” Jesus specifically tells the disciples they are the salt of the earth. They exist not for themselves alone but for the world. Just like salt is needed for preserving, seasoning, and giving life, disciples are to season, color, and make the world more alive. They represent what is good in the world.
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