Last week we wrapped up our Ears to Hear series. It was little more than a mere introduction to some profound spiritual realities, and we hope it stimulated a desire to explore the topic more deeply. There are always rich and enduring rewards for all who seek to hear Him more clearly in any of the multiple ways He speaks to us. 

But as we move in a different direction, we want to revisit a passage that we looked at in the course of that series. To get to today’s discussion, which also involves some significant verbal interaction, we need to return to John 10 for another look at Jesus’ familiar dissertation about sheep and shepherds: 

To him [i.e., the Good Shepherd],  the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. (John 10:3–5 NKJV)

Not the Only Voice ~
In the last part of that passage, Jesus mentions that there are other voices that call out to the sheep. Jesus calls them strangers. The Greek term is also used to refer to foreigners or those who are outsiders – and for one reason or another, who don’t belong. Obviously, the sheep that are familiar with the Good Shepherd’s voice will flee from the call of the stranger, but what of the sheep who aren’t so familiar with the Good Shepherd’s voice? What if the stranger is good at disguising himself and imitating the Good Shepherd, or pretends to be working for Him – maybe one of those hirelings Jesus mentioned? What if the stranger promises things that every sheep needs and wants and says he can even give them things the Good Shepherd is keeping from them? 

The Good Shepherd offers the sheep protection from predators, assurance of nourishing pasture, and the prospect of refreshing, life-sustaining water, because He loves them. The stranger’s enticing voice disguises the heart of a diabolical enemy who holds a deep inward disdain for sheep and harbors outright hatred toward them. Instead of feeding the sheep, he will abuse them without mercy and use them to feed his insatiable appetites. The lying, fraudulent stranger has no interest in the sheep’s welfare and no compassion for their pain. Ultimately, this stranger, who is also a thief, will take everything the sheep have, and in the end, will take their lives as well.  

A Possibility Emerges ~
Those strangers and thieves Jesus mentioned didn’t go out of business when He left here and returned to the Father. They continue to permeate the atmosphere of the morally bankrupt culture surrounding us. Their seductive and spiritually toxic influence is virtually unavoidable, but a familiar old bromide came to mind recently that might hold the key to a way we can help one another counteract it. 

There’s a phrase we don’t often hear anymore, but years ago it was commonplace. It was not unusual a few generations ago to hear someone refer to an untrustworthy person or unreliable source of information with a comment that went something like this: “You have to take whatever he (or she) says with a grain of salt.” 

I always understood that the comment meant that you couldn’t believe them, but I had no idea what salt had to do with it. Throwing some salt in my mouth after hearing someone say something didn’t make any sense, but I never cared enough to investigate where the comment came from. I finally got around to doing that recently, and the result was insightful. 

An Enlightening Discovery ~
The phrase, “take it with a grain of salt” originated about 77 AD in a book written by a guy called Pliny the Elder. Pliny was a naturalist and philosopher who developed a recipe for an antidote to poison. The grain of salt, which was obviously larger than what we have in our salt shakers today, was the key ingredient that topped off that recipe. Over the years, the phrase was lifted out and became emblematic of the antidote itself. It came to be used as a warning that someone’s information was not to be trusted and should be disregarded. 

Thinking about that old bromide brought to mind an unusual quality that Jesus attributed to us, and it began to suggest an application I hadn’t considered. Jesus unveiled that unusual quality with His characteristically direct simplicity. He said: 

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. (Matthew 5:13 NKJV)

Exploring the Metaphor ~
That odd, unexpected declaration is a classic example of Jesus’ masterful use of the metaphor. Clearly, we are human beings, not big chunks of actual salt. But just as clearly, Jesus is indicating that there’s something about us that can provide benefits akin to those inherent in salt itself. In interpreting things this passage might convey, commentators suggest that salt has uses and benefits like this: 

• • Salt can enhance flavor and make our food more palatable.
  • Salt can act as a preservative and counteract decomposition.
  • Salt has been used as a valuable trading commodity. 
  • Salt was often employed in important covenant rituals. 

But there’s one more quality of special interest to us in this discussion. Salt also has healing properties. What if we embraced and personalized that aspect of Jesus’ declaration of us as salt? And what if we began to see ourselves as that vital, healing “grain of salt” and embodied Pliny the Elder’s antidote for poison? 

Enemies Are Still Working ~
We see fresh evidence every day that the enemy’s subversive strategy of corrupting the body of Christ with toxic lies and distortions hasn’t changed. Just today, for instance, I saw a news report where some church official was being interviewed. With a confident, almost arrogant tone, he asserted that Jesus would approve of the awful physical, psychological, and spiritual mutilations being performed on children under the guise of healthcare. Clearly, those strangers, thieves, and hirelings Jesus alluded to are still actively at work, and the repeated warnings God gave about the danger posed by false teachers are for us as well. Paul highlighted one such warning like this: 

But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13–14 NKJV)

Peter also sounded the alarm with this sobering announcement: 

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies… (2 Peter 2:1 NKJV)

A Perspective to Consider ~
We know that people are being confused, misguided, deceived, blinded, and manipulated, often by those pretending to be some kind of spiritual “shepherd.” Words are twisted and redefined to support toxic and spiritually lethal beliefs and practices. Toxic beliefs are being promoted everywhere and we invest a lot of time and energy in an effort to shut down the disseminators of  those lies. But is stopping the source of the poison the task of the antidote, or do we need to focus our efforts in a different direction?  It might be helpful to consider the issue like this: 

• • If a person was bitten by a venomous serpent, would we try to chase down the snake and inject the antidote into the creature, or would we work to apply it to the victim?
  • Is it more helpful to try to transform all the sources of the lies and distortions or to engage and share healing Truth with those who have been poisoned by them? 
  • In dealing with actual salt, it’s obvious that in order for its benefits to be transmitted, the grains must have direct contact with whatever substance they’re intended to affect.
  • The antidote we’re meant to impart isn’t to change the nature of the snake. It’s to render his poison ineffective. We are sent to impart God’s healing Truth to the victims of the serpent’s lies, and to inoculate those in danger of being bitten.

In light of that, Paul’s admonition to the believers in Colosse resounds with powerful urgency for all of us salt-infused followers of Jesus today. May God grant us ears to hear it, and hearts to put it to work . . . 

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. (Colossians 4:6 NKJV)

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • • The stranger’s enticing voice disguises the heart of a diabolical enemy who holds deep disdain for sheep and harbors outright hatred toward them. Instead of feeding the sheep, he’ll abuse them without mercy and use them to feed his insatiable appetite. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
    • The lying, fraudulent stranger has no interest in the sheep’s welfare and no compassion for their pain. Ultimately, this stranger, who is also a thief, will take everything the sheep have, and in the end, will take their lives as well.   @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
    • Words are twisted and redefined to support toxic and spiritually lethal beliefs and practices. Toxic beliefs are being promoted everywhere and we invest a lot of time and energy in an effort to shut down the disseminators of  those lies.  @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
    • Would we inject an antidote into the snake if someone was bitten by a venomous serpent, or apply it to the victim? Is it more helpful to try to transform all the sources of lies and distortions — or engage and share healing Truth with those poisoned by them? @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
    • The antidote we’re meant to impart isn’t to change the nature of the snake. It’s to render his poison ineffective. We are sent to impart God’s healing Truth to the victims of the serpent’s lies, and to inoculate those in danger of being bitten. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  

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