The Word of God
Mt 5: 17 – 37
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary
Time
Introduction
In today’s Gospel, we hear
Jesus reaffirming the importance and permanence of God’s word. Jesus then gives
a more radical interpretation of some precepts of the Law, ultimately telling
us that the Law is meant to make us grow in love.
The Gospel
17 “Do
not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not
to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until
heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will
pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore,
whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do
the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them
and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For
I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and
Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 “You
have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’;
and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say
to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to
judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the
council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of
fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if
you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave
your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or
sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms
quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your
accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you
will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never
get out until you have paid the last penny.
27 “You
have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But
I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed
adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you
to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your
members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.30 And
if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is
better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into
hell.
31 “It
was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of
divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his
wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and
whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 “Again,
you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear
falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But
I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of
God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by
Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not
swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let
your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the
evil one.
Reflection
In today’s reading, we hear
Jesus offering a kind of defense for himself for the accusations that a number
of religious leaders have hurled against him. These leaders accuse him of
wanting to abolish the “law and the prophets.” In Jesus’ time, the bible, as it
was then known was referred to as the “law and the prophets.” Today, we call this
portion of the bible, the Old Testament since at the time of Jesus, what we
know now as the New Testament hasn’t been written yet.
The accusation that Jesus
wanted to abolish the “law and the prophets” was a serious one. It meant that
Jesus had a complete disregard for God’s word. Jesus, however, tells them the
contrary, saying that he has not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. In
fact, Jesus affirms the importance of the “law and the prophets” by telling his
accusers about the permanence and indestructibility of God’s word; that heaven
and earth will pass away but not a single letter of God’s word shall pass until
all of it has been fulfilled.
But what his accusers found
perhaps surprising in Jesus was his own take or interpretation of what was
written in the law and the prophets. In the Gospel today, we hear how Jesus
interprets four precepts of the law regarding murder, adultery, divorce and
oath taking. First, his interpretation about each of these precepts seems more
radical than the usual and ordinary interpretation that rabbis and teachers had
offered.
For instance, on the matter of murder. Jesus says
that while murder is sinful, he goes even further than that. He identifies
anger and hatred at the heart of murder. On the matter of adultery, he singles
out lust as tantamount to committing adultery. For Jesus, divorce, which was
then allowed by the law, becomes a prelude to adultery especially when one
marries someone who is already divorced. And on the matter of swearing, Jesus
forbids it on all accounts.
While Jesus had given a
more radical interpretation of what was already in the law, what perhaps
stunned his detractors was his incredible assertion of his authority of
interpreting the law when he says: “ But I say to you…” He uses this phrase
over and over again as he gives the law its new and radical interpretation.
That probably was a real stunner to his detractors. By saying “but I say to
you..,” Jesus was asserting his own authority over interpreting God’s words,
something unheard of in those days.
But we ask ourselves then,
why did Jesus radically interpret the law? Why did he move to the very core of
the law and somehow exposed the inclinations of the human heart? The reason for
all of this is that at the heart of all the laws and precepts we read in
Scriptures, is the law of love. Love is at the core of God’s word. The goal of
God’s words is to direct our lives so that we all can grow in love. Anger,
hatred, lust, adultery, divorce and swearing are all the evil inclinations of the
human heart. These evil inclinations, unless rooted out, evolve into very
serious misdeeds of murder, adultery, and swearing.
The law of the Lord then wants
us to ultimately grow in love. To love as God himself loves becomes the goal
for everyone who listens to every word that the Lord utters. Love does no wrong
to a neighbor; love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the Law ( Rom 10: 10). Let
us pray that as we listen to God’s eternal word, we may walk the path of love
and live the life that God wants us to live.
Prayer
Dear Lord, your word is a
lamp for my feet. It lights up the way where I should go. But your word is also
a guide for my heart. It guides my heart to love the things that you love. And
it also guides my heart to refuse whatever does not make me grow in love for
you and my neighbor. Guard my heart Lord so it may not go astray. Let me grow
in love as I listen to your words that are spirit and life. Amen.
“9 The
commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall
not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in
this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no
wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. “ – Romans
10: 9 - 10
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