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In today’s podcast we focus on Matthew’s account of Jesus completing 40 days in the desert. It is not clear whether Matthew is drawing a connection between Jesus’ time in the desert and the Israelites wandering around in the desert for 40 years. What is noteworthy is that we have Jesus being tempted by the devil. The temptations give us insight into the heart and mission of Jesus.

The first one is the devil suggesting that Jesus turn the stones into bread. Jesus is clearly hungry. He had fasted for a long time. It would make sense, at least superficially, to use his power to regain his strength. Jesus is not seduced by this reasoning and realized the ends did not justify the means.

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As we develop our faith life our view of the law will change from following the letter of the law to the spirit of the law. Jesus was often critical of the Pharisees who lived by the letter of the law and chose not to recognize the purpose of the law. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus accused them of meticulously paying tithes on tiny herbs like mint, anise and cummin but ignoring "weightier matters" like justice, mercy, and faith, showing their focus on literal compliance over the Law's spirit. Jesus called them "blind guides" for straining gnats (minor ritual impurity) from water while swallowing camels (major violations), highlighting disproportionate literalism on trivial purity laws Matthew 23:24.

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In today’s Gospel Jesus describes living our faith in three metaphors that would be easily understood by the first listeners. Also, I suspect the choice of the metaphors may have additional meaning too.

The first metaphor that Jesus uses is comparing the impact of faith on others to the impact of salt on seasoning our food. The use of salt today has changed radically. We still need salt to prevent such diseases as hyponatremia and impacting insulin absorption for diabetics. Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure. It is not unusual for physicians to suggest to their patients to reduce their salt intake. I urge my listeners to hear these teachings in the context they were made. 2000 years ago, salt was a cherished commodity. Salt was used in food to improve taste. Other spices such as cinnamon and cumin were imported and available to the wealthy while other herbs and spices such as mint, thyme, garlic and onions were available to the average person. Salt was still very important, and, in many cases, people were paid in salt (or used it as a form of currency in various ancient societies where it held high value for preservation and trade. The word salary is from the word salt; reflecting the fact that many people were paid with salt.

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