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

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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Transcript

Greetings, and thank you for joining me on “A Psychologist Looks at Scripture.” I am Peter Doherty—a Catholic priest and psychologist—and I am pleased you can join me today.

In this podcast, I draw from my background in psychology and scripture studies to provide fresh insights into the Gospels. The human sciences and spirituality are more connected than people realize.  Healthy spirituality has its roots in healthy psychological functioning.  On the other hand, spirituality enriches our psychological functioning. The Gospels were written over 2,000 years ago. Yet their core lessons fit our lives today. They call us to build faith, gain wisdom, and grow spiritually. There's always more to uncover. 

I know you are busy, so I keep my podcasts short and to the point.  If you have time and are interested, please check out the earlier episodes listed on the podcast website and on YouTube.  

Today’s Podcasts focuses on the Gospel, Matthew 5:13-16.  This Gospel will be proclaimed in Churches on February 8, 2026.  

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 meanings 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 to preserve food and 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.

The next example is a city on a mountain top.  Jesus uses the example of cities built on mountain tops as a form of protection but also to show that our faith should be obvious.  Cities built on a mountain tops would have an advantage of seeing an enemy coming.  The people would be familiar with this situation.  The last example also makes sense as nobody lights a light only to cover it up.  The lesson of these three examples is the call to live our faith in openness and with purpose.  I want to stress that all three examples focus on a non-aggressive expression of our faith.

This passage may seem in contradiction with Matthew 6:1-6, and continuing with 6:16-18 which describes Jesus  criticizing the Pharisees and other hypocrites for performing good deeds to be seen by others. He warns against practicing righteousness before people to be praised by them, for the reward of gaining admiration. Jesus contrasts hypocritical display with sincere devotion done in secret, where the Heavenly Father who sees in secret rewards openly. For example, in giving to the needy, hypocrites announce it with trumpets, but believers should give privately. This teaching appears in the Sermon on the Mount, emphasizing heart motive over public spectacle.

To reconcile these two passages of scripture one first has to look at what is the intention and goal of the individual.  In the Gospel today Jesus calls us to live our faith as a sign to others and to inspire them to grow in their faith.  The example I gave you of Jesus criticizing the pharisees suggest that their goals were to use the customs of their faith for their own personal gain.  Sadly, this happens a lot where people use their faith to further their own agendas.  Their goals could be as simple as the need to bolster their weak self-perception to a more serious goal of seeking to control people.  Sadly, religion does attract people who choose to use religion for their personal gain.

It’s also a good idea to reflect on what our faith is not.  At the risk of overinterpreting the scriptures let’s review the metaphors again.  Going back to the salt metaphor, maybe the choice of salt was not accidental.   The purpose of salt is to enhance the existing flavour of the food, not to change it like spices would.  Our role as followers of Jesus much like the characteristics of salt should be to enhance the people’s lives and encourage them to bring out the best in them.  We are not to control or force change among the people in our communities.

The second metaphor is the city on a mountain.  The city is on a mountain for protection.  As Christians we might to do well to reflect on our role as protectors, being places of refuge for those who need it.

The third metaphor is similar.  Light allows us to see.  It doesn’t change the object that is in the light but make it obvious to all.  Light is empowering, we can see what we need to.  Without light we fumble and are easily tripped.  Light can show us direction.  Light is gentle, we can close our eyes, get distracted and even avoid the light.  How the light is used belongs to the receiver.  My point here is that we are all called to be a light but, we must be prepared for rejection, as not everyone will follow the light and some will prefer darkness.

I invite my listeners to follow up with the website “Invite Welcome Connect”.  This website equips and empowers individuals and congregations to practice, hospitality, and connectedness. for further ideas on how your religious faith fosters connections, personal growth and spiritual development in yourself and others.

Thank you for joining me today.

Next Sunday, February 15, 2026, I’ll be sharing a new podcast episode from Matthew 5:17-37 , where we will hear Jesus challenging us to go beyond the bare minimum of our faith if we are serious about growing in our faith. 

If you’re new here, I invite you to check out previous episodes on major podcast platforms or YouTube. And for my regular YouTube listeners, please consider subscribing and sharing the podcast with friends who love Scripture.  Also, I invite YouTube listeners to post in the comment section where you are from.  I appreciate knowing where my listeners are from.

New episodes come out every Sunday, focusing on the week’s Gospel. Your feedback and questions are always valued and helps our community grow.

A big thank you to Heather Patel Doherty and Richard Coulombe for their wonderful help in preparing each episode.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at peter.dohertyomi@gmail.com.

May God richly bless you!