TLDR: As a Lenten practice, I have been reading the RCL liturgical lessons for the day during Lent. This is my second reflection on some of these readings. I hope you enjoy it.

The Gospel reading for the third Wednesday of Lent comes from Matthew 5:17-19. It is an interesting little passage that seems to interrupt a much larger passage. Let me explain. After the beatitudes passage (5:1-12) Jesus begins a long description of the characteristics and behaviors that should give the citizens of God’s kingdom their identity. They are to be the salt of the earth (5:13), they are to be the light of the world (5:14-16), they must not murder or embody disordered anger (5:21-26), they must not commit adultery or have lust in their hearts (5:27-30), they must not divorce, except on the grounds of sexual immorality (5:31-32), they must not swear at all (5:33-37), they must not engage in revenge or retaliate against those who sin against them (5:38-42), and they must love their enemies (5:43-48).

But in the middle of this list of instructions, Jesus takes a pause and says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 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..." (Matthew 5:17-20). This brief passage is very important for us Christians. There are some in the Christian Church that are very emphatic about the fact that the Law (Torah) does not impose any imperatives on a Christian’s life. They rightly see Christ as fulfilling all the requirements of the law on our behalf and closing that chapter of salvation history forever. They then take all the Pauline texts about the Law as evidence that we must create distance between the “Old and the New” testaments. The Law is a set of dirty rags, it is a nanny that has been fired once the child has grown up, it is the very instrument of sin because where there is no law there is no sin, etc.

But Jesus makes it very clear in this passage that the obedience of the Law is still a requirement for Christians and that teachers who teach and encourage obedience of the Law receive a preferential place of honor in God’s kingdom. What are we to make of this? 

I believe Jesus is making four important points here. First, he is not breaking from the past or abolishing the sacred texts of Judaism. In fact, he strongly affirms the continuity between his teachings and what came before. What he does affirm, however, is that through his ministry and his life he is providing the right interpretation of Scriptures. We are ethically bound as his disciples to obey and follow his interpretation of these traditions. The Law is mandated for us to obey, but only insofar as Jesus has provided for us in his teachings the right interpretation of it. That is the point that is often missed.

Second, not one letter of Scripture will pass away for as long as humanity endures. The reason for this is that all Scriptures point directly to Jesus and what he accomplished on the cross for us. Listen to what he did to instruct his disciples at Emmaus, “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” (Luke 24:27). For Christians, a proper reading of the Judean Scriptures (Old Testament) should always lead us to Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of those texts. Of course, the honest thing to do is to understand that those passages were first written to a particular audience within a particular historical context, but we must then enlarge our lens and ask the Christological question: How does this passage prefigure, announce, promise, illustrate, or point to God’s self-revelation in the Messiah? How is this text, first written to a different audience, still relevant for the disciples of Jesus at this particular place and time?

The third point Jesus makes, via two examples about two teachers, is important for us. Teachers who teach the proper Christ-centered interpretation of Scripture and encourage others to obey it are highly favored in God’s kingdom. On the other hand, teachers who pick and choose what they want to follow and obey, and teach others to do likewise, will miss a place of honor in God’s own presence. The right interpretation is crucial and teachers that discern the mind of Christ through careful study of the biblical text are of crucial importance in the life of the Church. Matthew and the other evangelists give us examples of how Jesus interpreted the Scriptures, “Throughout the Gospel [of Matthew], Jesus’ interpretation emphasizes justice (5:20), mercy (9:13; 12:1–4), love (22:34–40), and faithfulness (23:23) as central tenets.” (Source).  

The fourth point Jesus makes is this: The Christian has an ethical requirement to learn from teachers what Jesus’ interpretation of Scriptures is. “This ethical demand consists of a life marked by justice as set out in the scriptures and rightly interpreted by Jesus. It is to be greater than the justice of the scribes and Pharisees. Doing justice matters more than confessions.” (Ibid). And as these teachers teach about justice, they must do on all other matters of faith in the Church. We must constantly ask, “How did Jesus see this issue? What would Jesus have to say? Are there similar issues Jesus dealt with that give us clues about this particular passage? Etc.”

Now, to return back to Paul’s objections of the Law, the point he was trying to make is “salvation through works of the law”. Our salvation was obtained through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and not through our obedience of the Law. Paul would agree that the Scriptures as properly interpreted and lived out by Jesus must be obeyed by all Christians and must be taught to all new Christians to obey (2 Timothy 3:16). Salvation is a free gift of Christ’s grace we receive by faith, but discipleship requires that we do the things Christ did, and the things he did fulfilled and interpreted Scripture. Therefore, not one letter will pass away until we are reunited with God on the other side of the River Jordan,

May our Lord continue to bless you,

Fr. Roman+