Single lesson
Salt That Loses Its Taste
Luke 14:34–35
Jesus uses the everyday example of salt to make a sharp warning. These two verses move from salt being good, to salt becoming useless, and then to Jesus’ call for people to hear what he is saying.
Before you teach
In Luke 14:34–35, Jesus speaks only in this short comparison. From these verses, we can observe his picture of good salt, tasteless salt, and the result for salt that is no longer fit for use. These verses call for careful listening, though they do not by themselves explain the wider surrounding passage.
Students will identify that Jesus says salt is good, tasteless salt is no longer fit for use, and his listeners must hear and take this warning seriously.
Welcome: Start with the picture of salt
5 minShow a little salt and ask what children already know about it. Then explain that Jesus begins with a simple statement: “Salt is good.” Tell the group that the lesson will follow Jesus’ picture closely and notice what he says about usefulness and listening.
Luke 14:34
Read and explain: Salt is good
8 minRead Luke 14:34 aloud. Help the children notice the first clear idea: salt is called good. Then notice the change in the verse. Jesus asks what can be done if salt becomes flat and tasteless. The question shows a problem. Salt is valued for being salty, so tasteless salt has lost what made it useful.
Luke 14:34
Discuss: No longer fit for use
7 minRead Luke 14:35 slowly. Jesus says tasteless salt is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out. Tie the logic together clearly: salt is good, but once it loses its proper quality, it is no longer fit. Jesus uses that serious picture to press his listeners to pay attention.
Luke 14:34, Luke 14:35
Make and respond: Reminder card with the passage words
7 minInvite each child to choose a short phrase from the verses, such as “Salt is good” or “let him hear”. They make a reminder card and add a drawing of salt, soil, or ears. As they work, ask how Jesus’ last sentence calls people to do more than just hear sounds.
Luke 14:34, Luke 14:35
Closing: Hear Jesus’ warning
3 minFinish by reviewing the order of the passage together: good salt, tasteless salt, useless salt, then a command to hear. Explain that from these two verses alone, the class can clearly say that Jesus wants his words to be heard seriously and not brushed aside.
Luke 14:34, Luke 14:35
Questions to explore
What contrast does Jesus make in Luke 14:34?
Notice that Jesus begins by calling salt good, then immediately speaks about salt becoming flat and tasteless.
Luke 14:34
How does verse 35 show that tasteless salt is truly useless?
Use Jesus’ exact wording: it is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out.
Luke 14:35
Why does Jesus end with “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”?
Connect the ending to the whole picture: after showing the loss of salt’s usefulness, Jesus calls listeners to pay careful attention to his warning.
Luke 14:35
Make, think or respond
Hear and Remember Card
What you’ll need
- paper or card
- pencils or markers
- scissors
- a small container of salt
Try it together
- Read Luke 14:34–35 together one more time.
- Ask each child to choose a short phrase from the passage to write on a small card.
- Add a drawing of salt, soil, or ears that matches the wording of the verses.
- Invite each child to say one way they can show careful listening when Jesus’ words are read.
- Take the card home and place it somewhere easy to notice.
The card keeps Jesus’ own picture in view and helps children remember the movement from good salt to a call to hear.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, pre-cut the cards and offer two short phrases to copy from the passage.
- For older children, ask them to explain in their own words how Luke 14:34 leads into Luke 14:35.
An optional closing prayer
Suggested prayer: “Lord Jesus, please help us hear your words carefully and take them seriously. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Luke 14
34 “Salt is good, but if the salt becomes flat and tasteless, with what do you season it?
35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.