Is Salt a Leaven?
QUESTION
Why does the Lord's church use un-salted cracker or bread for the Lord's
supper? everywhere I have looked, I can't find reference to salt being a
leaven. Is this something that has come about by tradition? Please let
me know.
Tracey
ANSWER
Salt is not a leaven. In fact, it is just the opposite. The Biblical
word for leaven indicates 'ferment' and so usually indicates corruption.
Salt, of course, is a preservative. to help keep from corruption.
By the way, this gives us a good indication that the 'wine' used at the
Passover was not fermented wine. The Israelites would not allow leaven
(ferment) in their homes during the Passover (Ex 12:15). It is extremely
unlikely that conscientious Jews would expel all fermented bread from
their homes but use fermented wine.
On the other hand, salt was actually commanded to be mixed with the Old
Testament sacrifices. Meat (KJV) offerings were fine flour mingled with
oil and frankincense, either baked or fried (Leviticus 2). Leviticus
2:11 commands that no leaven be used in meat (meal) offerings, but verse
13 commands salt with the meat (meal) offerings. This proves that salt
is not a leaven.
Remember that the unleavened bread eaten at the Passover was not a meal
offering; it was ‘the bread of affliction’ they ate during the Passover
week to remind them of their hasty departure from Egypt (Deuteronomy
16:3-4).
This means we are not obligated to use salt in the bread we partake of
for the Lord’s supper, but it is not sin if that bread is prepared with
salt, because salt is not a leaven.
Why is the unleavened bread we buy in the store unsalted? I don’t know.
Rusty
FOLLOW-UP
Thank you for the answer concerning salt in the Lord's Supper. I had
read all those passages and had come to the same conclusion, that it
would not commit sin. Concerning the un-salted cracker perhaps we should
look closer at this practice. In some information that I have gathered
on the Internet, this seems to be more of a catholic tradition. If this
be so, then perhaps we should look at why this is done.
Tracey
RESPONSE
Yes, at least some Catholics see in the plain, unseasoned bread an
illustration of the plainness our religion ought to have.. They think
that to salt the bread would be like trying to ‘spice up’ the religion
we practice.
However, don't let this lead you to the conclusion that our unleavened
bread must be salted to avoid being like the Catholics. What if another
religious group insisted that the bread must be salted and the Catholics
insisted it must be plain? There would be no way we could avoid both,
for we must use either salted or unsalted bread.
God's word is the pattern. The pattern is not specific
about salt or no salt. In cases where the pattern is not specific we
have options in fulfilling the pattern. To be faithful to the pattern,
we must leave optional things optional.
Rusty
Family
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