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The Transfiguration stands out from accounts of Jesus' healings and teachings. There's a group of miracles that feel different—perhaps even puzzling—but they're deeply spiritual. Consider Jesus walking on water and inviting Peter to join him (Matthew 14:22-33); calming the storm amid the disciples' pleas (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25); turning water into wine at a wedding (John 2:1-11); finding a coin in a fish's mouth for the temple tax (Matthew 17:24-27); or casting demons into a herd of pigs (Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39). You might think of others.

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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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