Matthew 5:17-19

1 Kings 18:20-39

Psalm 16:1b-2ab, 4, 5ab and 8, 11

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. Elijah vs. the Prophets of Baal: In the First Reading, we hear about some events in the northern Kingdom of Israel. The wicked King Ahab, the son of Omri, reigned over Israel and fell into idolatry. In Samaria, he built an altar for the Canaanite god of storms and fertility, Baal, and the fertility goddess, Asherah (1 Kings 16:32-33). In response to the idolatry of King Ahaz and his wife Jezebel, the Lord, the God of Israel, called Elijah to be his prophet and told him of the drought and famine that would afflict the land of Israel. Elijah confronted King Ahaz and asked that all Israel be gathered at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah. On the mountain, Elijah challenged the false prophets of Baal to a contest to prove that the Lord is God. This challenge recalls the confrontation between Moses and the Egyptian magicians in the Book of Exodus and the confrontation between the Lord God and the Dagon in the Book of Samuel. Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal throughout the day as they were unable to call down fire from heaven upon the sacrifice they prepared. In the afternoon, Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord with twelve stones, symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel. To show the power of the Lord God, Elijah doused the sacrifice with water and filled the trench around the altar with water. In contrast to the complicated prayer and frenzied actions of the prophets of Baal, Elijah’s prayer to God is very simple. Elijah unites his prayer to the time of the afternoon offering in the Temple in Jerusalem. He recalls God’s covenant faithfulness to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. By doing this, Elijah’s prayer recognizes that the Lord God acts in history and cares for his people, who have entered into a covenant with him. Second, Elijah says that he has served the Lord faithfully and done everything according to his word. In this case, he did exactly as the Lord commanded during the famine and now confronts the King about the false prophets of Baal. Lastly, Elijah asks God to answer his prayer so that the people of Israel may know him as the true God and may turn their hearts back to him. He is not seeking his own glory, but only that of the Lord God. God answers his prayer and heavenly fire consumes the sacrifice and licks up the water. Before this great sign and manifestation of divine power, the people cry out: “The Lord is God; the Lord is God.”

2. The Fulfillment of the Old Law: In the Gospel, Jesus has just finished proclaiming the beatitudes and he now begins to explain his relationship to the Law of Moses and the prophets. He fulfills them in two ways: first, through his life, death, and resurrection; second, 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 is the event of 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 expire 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 symbolizes the perfection and transformation of the Old into the New. Jesus’ death inaugurates a 40-year period from A.D. 30-70, in which Jewish Christians still retain many of the prescriptions of the Old Law while embracing their new life in Christ. During this period, believers in Christ begin to understand that Gentile believers are not obligated to take on the yoke of the Old Law (Acts 15:10). The second passing away of heaven and earth is 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 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?