Mt 5.13-16 Feb 8-26 Jesus' Images: Spiritual Symbols, Mental Realms

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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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