John Calvin Commentary Matthew 5:13

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men." — Matthew 5:13 (ASV)

You are the salt of the earth. What belongs to doctrine is applied to the persons to whom the administration of it has been committed. When Christ calls the apostles the salt of the earth, he means that it is their office to salt the earth: because men have nothing in them but what is tasteless, until they have been seasoned with the salt of heavenly doctrine.

After having reminded them to what they are called, he pronounces against them a heavy and dreadful judgment, if they do not fulfill their duty. The doctrine, which has been entrusted to them, is shown to be so closely connected with a good conscience and a devout and upright life, that the corruption, which might be tolerated in others, would in them be detestable and monstrous. “If other men are tasteless in the sight of God, to you shall be given the salt which imparts a relish to them: but if you have lost your taste, where shall you obtain the remedy which you ought to supply to others?”

Our Lord skillfully pursues his metaphor by saying that other things, when they lose their original qualities, are still useful after they have become corrupted. But salt becomes even hurtful and communicates barrenness even to dunghills.³⁷⁵ The essence of his statement is that it is an incurable disease when the ministers and teachers of the word corrupt and render themselves tasteless, for they ought to season the rest of the world with their salt.

This warning is useful, not only to ministers, but to the whole flock of Christ. Since it is the will of God that the earth shall be salted by his own word, it follows that whatever is destitute of this salt is, in his estimation, tasteless, however much it may be relished by men. There is nothing better, therefore, than to receive the seasoning by which alone our tastelessness is corrected. But, at the same time, let those whose business is to salt it beware that they do not encourage the world in their own folly,³⁷⁶ and still more, that they do not infect it with a depraved and vicious taste.

The wickedness of the Papists is therefore intolerable:³⁷⁷ as if it had been the design of Christ to allow the apostles unbounded liberty and to make them tyrants of souls, instead of reminding them of their duty, that they might not swerve from the right path. Christ declares what sort of men he wishes the teachers of his Church to be. Those who, without any proper grounds, give themselves out to be apostles³⁷⁸ hide by this covering all the abominations which they are pleased to introduce, because Christ pronounced Peter and his companions to be the salt of the earth. They do not, at the same time, consider the sharp and severe reproof which is added, that if they become tasteless, they are the worst of all. This sentence is mentioned by Luke in an abrupt manner, but is introduced there for the same purpose as in this passage, so that it does not require a separate exposition.

³⁷⁵ “Que le sel estant empire, ne fait mesmes que gaster tout, a quoi qu'on le mette, tellement qu'il corrompt mesmes les fumiers, et consume toute la grasse d'iceux.” — “That salt, when it is decayed, does only spoil everything that it touches: so that it corrupts even dunghills, and consumes all their fatness.”.” — “That salt, when it is decayed, does only spoil everything that it touches: so that it corrupts even dunghills, and consumes all their fatness.”

³⁷⁶ “De ne nourrir le monde en sa folie et fadesse;” — “not to nourish the world in their folly and tastelessness.”;” — “not to nourish the world in their folly and tastelessness.”

³⁷⁷ “Et pourtant la malice des Papistes n'est aucunement a supporter, quand ils n'ont point de honte de couvrir de ces titres leurs Prelats mas-quez, afin que nul ne presume de rien reprendre en leurs personnes.”— “And then the malice of the Papists is not at all to be endured, since they are not ashamed to cover with these titles their masked Prelates, that no one may presume to reprove any thing in their persons.”.”— “And then the malice of the Papists is not at all to be endured, since they are not ashamed to cover with these titles their masked Prelates, that no one may presume to reprove any thing in their persons.”

³⁷⁸ “Des gens qui se vantent a fausses enseignes de tenir le place des apostres.” — “People who boast, under false colors, of holding the place of apostles.”.” — “People who boast, under false colors, of holding the place of apostles.”