Matthew 5:17-19

Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.

I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,

not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter

will pass from the law,

until all things have taken place.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments

and teaches others to do so

will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.

But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments

will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you call me to a high standard of life in the New Covenant. I realize that on my own I cannot live this, but also that, with your grace, all things are possible. With the grace of your Son and Spirit, I can be holy and perfect, love my enemies, and forgive those who sin against me.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Torah of the Messiah: The opening line in today’s Gospel acts like the thesis statement of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The phrase about “the Law and the Prophets” appears here near the beginning of the Sermon (Matthew 5:17) and also near the end (Matthew 7:12). Jesus highlights that he is bringing both the Torah of Moses and the word and wisdom of the prophets to their fulfillment and perfection. The Jews in Jesus’ day understood that not every one of the 613 Laws of Moses had equal weight. They understood that certain laws – such as the ten commandments – were given by God, but other laws – in Deuteronomy, for example – were given by Moses. Certain laws had a permanence to them, while others were temporary. And the prophets themselves foretold that a new torah was coming with the Messiah (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:26-27). This new torah would not be for Israel alone but for all nations (Isaiah 2-3; Isaiah 42:4). Unlike the old torah of Moses, which did not give power to follow it, the new torah of the Messiah, which is the grace of the Holy Spirit, empowers believers to conform their lives to that of Jesus.

2. The Fulfillment of the Old Law: In the Gospel, Jesus has just finished proclaiming the beatitudes of the New Covenant and the mission of his disciples. He now begins to explain his own relationship to the Law of Moses and the prophets. He comes not to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them, and he does so in two ways. First, Jesus perfectly follows God’s law through his life, death, and resurrection. Second, he fulfills them through his teaching, by showing the kind of life to which the law ultimately pointed. Jesus is the authoritative interpreter of the law and brings out its deeper meaning. “It is in this sense that the smallest letter of the law remains until heaven and earth pass away and until all things have taken place. The law retains its status as God's revealed word, and one must continue to teach and obey these commandments. But disciples must now follow the law in light of Christ's authoritative interpretation” (Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 94).

3. The Passing Away of Heaven and Earth: When Jesus speaks of the law not passing away until heaven and earth pass away, we need to understand this as referring to three events. The first event is Jesus’ death on the Cross. This event establishes the New Covenant and brings the Old Covenant to its fulfillment. The sacrificial laws of the Old Covenant expired with the sacrifice of Jesus, but the moral Law was retained and refined (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 15). The veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom at the moment of Jesus’ death and symbolized the perfection and transformation of the Old into the New. Jesus’ death inaugurated a special 40-year period from A.D. 30-70, in which Jewish Christians still retained many of the prescriptions of the Old Law while embracing their new life in Christ. During this period, believers in Christ began to understand that Gentile believers were not obligated to take on the yoke of the Old Law (Acts 15:10). Thus, the second passing away of heaven and earth was the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70. The Temple was a microcosm of the universe and had images of the sun, the moon, and the stars. The destruction of the Temple, i.e., the passing away of the microcosm of the universe, was the sign of some of the Old Law passing away. Lambs and animals could no longer be sacrificed in the Temple; annual pilgrimages to the Temple ceased. The temporary cultural walls of separation – including many dietary restrictions – between Jews and Gentiles were truly torn down. The third passing away of heaven and earth is the end of the world. This means that the heart of the law of the Old Covenant, brought to fulfillment in the New, remains until the end of time. In the next section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will highlight six Old Covenant laws and bring them to their perfection in the New Law.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, inscribe your law on my heart. Cut away my stubbornness and resistance to your grace. Guide me with your Spirit and make me docile to the Spirit’s inspirations.

Living the Word of God: Am I teaching others the new commandment of love? How do I live this in my family? Am I a model of love and charity? What do I need to change?