Salt of the Earth (Obj Lesson)

Time

10 minutes
Description

This object lesson teaches what it means when God calls us to be the salt of the earth.

Scriptures

• Matthew 5:13
• 2 Kings 2:20-22

Materials

• Salt that you can pass around for the kids to taste
• Small, draw-string bag with salt in it
• Salt shaker
• Piece of meat (fish, chicken or beef – real or fake – I used Play Doh) with salt on it
• Medicine bottle filled with salt
• Bottle of water
• Bible

Preparation

• Put salt in the draw-string bag.
• Salt the piece of meat on all sides.
• Fill the medicine bottle with salt.

Procedure

Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):

• “Jesus says that we are the salt of the earth.”  (Have volunteer read Matthew 5:13.  Then begin passing the salt around, and encourage everyone to taste some.)
• “Salt was very important during the time that Jesus was here on earth.”
• “Roman soldiers often received part of their pay in salt.”  (Set out bag with salt in it.  As an alternative, you can put all these props into a bag and let a volunteer try to figure out which prop you want put out each time.  You can coach them if they run into trouble.)
• “In fact, the word we use for what you get paid for working is ‘salary,’ and ‘salary’ actually means ‘salt money.’”
• “Salt was also important for making things taste better, just like it is today.”  (Set out the salt shaker.)
• “What would potato chips or French fries be like without salt?”
• “When Jesus compares us to salt, He is saying that we should make things better.”
• “We should make life better for others.  They should enjoy being around us.”
• “But Jesus asks, ‘What good is salt if it has lost its flavor?’”
• “He says that it will be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
• “The Romans use to make roads out of bad salt that wasn’t salty anymore.”
• “In fact, one of their greatest military roads was the Via Salaria, or the Salt Road.”
• “Jesus was saying that if we aren’t salty any more as Christians, we are no longer making life better for those around us.”
• “And so He asks, if you aren’t making things better anymore, what good are we?”
• “He doesn’t have any use for us here on earth unless we are going to make things better, because that is the work He has for us to do.”
• “But salt was good for more than just salaries and making things taste better.”
• “People also used it to preserve meat.” (Set out piece of meat with salt on it.)
• “You see, they didn’t have refrigerators back then, so if they wanted their fish, chicken or their beef to not go bad, they covered it with salt.”
• “The salt kept bacteria from growing on the meat and spoiling it, and it kept the flies from laying their eggs in it.”
• “When Jesus says that we are the salt of the earth, He is saying that we should be preserving (which means saving) the earth.”
• “We should be saving those who are lost and headed towards Hell.”
• “Without us, the bacteria of sin would grow unchallenged in the hearts of those who don’t know Jesus, and Satan, who is also known as Beelzebub (or the Lord of the Flies) would plant evil in their hearts.”
• “But that’s not all that salt can do.”
• “Salt also heals.”  (Set out medicine bottle filled with salt.)
• “When you get a sore throat, one of the best things you can do for it is to gargle with hot, salty water.”
• “Elijah used salt in 2 Kings 2:20-22 to heal poisonous water.”
• “When Jesus says we are the salt of the earth, He is saying that we should bring healing to those who are sick with sin.”
• “But that’s not all that salt can do.”
• “Salt also creates thirst.” (Set out a bottle of water.)
• “If you eat something salty, you immediately want something to drink.”
• “When you buy popcorn at the movies, I bet you always get a drink, because you know that you are going to be thirsty after eating it.”
• “When Jesus is saying that we are the salt of the earth, He is saying that we should create thirst for the living water (which is the Holy Spirit) that God offers to every person on earth.”
• “When people see how much God has blessed us, they will want to know Jesus as their Savior, too.”
• “So, salt may have seemed pretty ordinary to you, but now I hope you see how important it is.”
• “Salt has value. It makes things better; it saves; it heals and it creates thirst.”
• “That’s what we should do as followers of Jesus.”