Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany (Year A)
14“You are the light of the world. You don’t build a city on a hill, then try to hide it, do you? 15You don’t light a lamp, then put it under a bushel basket, do you? No, you set it on a stand where it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, your light must shine before others so that they may see your good acts and give praise to your Abba God in heaven.
17“Don’t think I’ve come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. I have come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them. 18The truth is, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter of the Law, not even the smallest part of a letter, will be done away with until it is all fulfilled. 19That’s why whoever breaks the least significant of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever fulfills and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20“I tell you, unless your sense of justice surpasses that of the religious scholars and the Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Other readings: Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12), Psalm 112:1-9 (10), 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)
Prayer:
Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Only Begotten our Savior Jesus the Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
A while back a friend asked me if I follow the Ten Commandments. I said, “No, I don’t. I follow Jesus.”
“Well, Jesus followed the law,” they replied.
I said, “Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to Love God, with one’s whole being plus we should love our neighbors and our enemies. Paul later wrote that loving your neighbor fulfills the Law.”
They quickly pointed out verses 17-19 from our Lesson today and said, “But Jesus said that the law wouldn’t pass away until heaven and earth pass away. The world is still here so you have to keep the law!”
I’m sure you’ve heard something similar. Is that what Jesus is saying here? Are people today supposed to be following the Mosiac Law? Even non-Jewish people? Is “heaven and earth” to be understood in a wooden, literal way or is there another way of understanding that phrase?
Let’s look at the relevant passage again:
Matthew 5.17-18 (TIB):
17“Don’t think I’ve come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. I have come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them. 18The truth is, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter of the Law, not even the smallest part of a letter, will be done away with until it is all fulfilled.”
Everyone who maintains that Christians are to follow the law of Moses points to verse 18 as proof. As my friend stated, “Heaven and earth are still here.” The implication is that since the physical world is still a thing, no part of the law has been “done away with.”
Except…
That’s not what Jesus said. He’s not using “heaven and earth” in a wooden, literal way. There are a couple of different ways to view this phrase[2] but I think he’s using “heaven and earth” are hyperbole; he’s exaggerating to make a point. And the point is that the Law would continue “until it’s all fulfilled.” In the previous verse he said came to fulfill the Law. The questions then are, “Did Jesus fulfill the Law?” And if he did, how did he do it?” I think there are (at least) two parts to this.
Incarnation
Over and over again, the New Testament states that the Law of Moses wasn’t the goal in and of itself but it pointed beyond itself to something else. Or rather, someone else. In a confrontation with some of the religious leaders of his day, Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me” (John 5.39; NLT[3]).
The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews picks up on this and states that “the old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves” (Hebrews 10.1; NLT; emphasis added). Saint Paul cleared things up a little more when he wrote, “These religious practices [of the law] are only a shadow of what was coming — the body that cast the shadow is Christ” (Colossians 2.16-17; CEB[4]).
In another place, he wrote, “Before faith came, we were under the constraint of the Law, locked in until the faith that was coming would be revealed. In other words, the Law was our monitor (or guardian — jack+) until Christ came to bring about our justification through faith. But now that faith is here, we are no longer in the monitor’s charge” (Galatians 3.23-25; TIB).
Lastly, Paul clears things up altogether when he wrote, “The Messiah … is the goal and fulfillment of the Law” (Romans 10.4; TIB).
So we see that the Law was not the end, it was only a guide or “guardian” to lead to Jesus. If I can put it this way, the Law was like a map that points us to our destination (Jesus). But once we’ve reached the destination, we no longer need the map.
Love
So Jesus did fulfill the Law, i.e., his very existence was the fulfillment of the Law. But how did he do it? Through Love.
One day Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is. He replied, “‘You must love the Most High God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ That is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments the whole Law is based — and the Prophets as well” (Matthew 22.37-40; TIB).
In another place, Jesus said —
Matthew 5.43-48 (TIB):
43“You have heard it said, ‘Love your neighbor — but hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for your persecutors. 45This will prove that you are children of God. For God makes the sun rise on bad and good alike; God’s rain falls on the just and the unjust. 46If you love those who love you, what merit is there in that? Don’t tax collectors do as much? 47And if you greet only your sisters and brothers, what is so praiseworthy about that? Don’t Gentiles do as much? 48Therefore be perfect, as Abba God in heaven is perfect.”
Jesus’ first followers picked up on this.
Romans 13.8 (TIB): Owe no debt to anyone — except the debt that binds us to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you have fulfilled the Law.
Galatians 5.14 (CSB[5]): For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
It seems, then, that love fulfills the law. But not just any type of love. No. The love Jesus talks about is a particular kind of love.
In one of the most intimate settings in the Gospels, Jesus and his disciples had just finished what has come to be known as the “Last Supper.” Jesus has just finished washing the disciples’ feet and Judas left to betray him. The air is heavy with emotion. In soft tones, Jesus said to the remaining disciples —
John 13.34-35; 15.12-13 (TIB):
34I give you a new commandment: Love one another. And you’re to love one another the way I have loved you. 35This is how all will know that you’re my disciples: that you truly love one another … 12This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. 13There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
The commandment Jesus gives is not sentimental love or even adoration. Jesus says the commandant is to love the way he loved — sacrificially. To “lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” That’s how Jesus fulfilled the Law — he used Sacrificial Love. He laid down his life for the world, showing us the true image of God and finally and fully fulfilling the Law.
~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,
Br. Jack+, LC
[1] Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations and references — and scripture quotations marked (TIB) — are taken from The Inclusive Bible. Copyright © 2007 by Priests for Equality. Used by permission.
[2] As we’ve seen in my series New Testament Eschatology, the phrase “heaven and earth” can be used in a poetic way to refer to nations.
[3] Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation, Inc. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
[4] Scripture quotations marked (CEB) are taken from The Common English Bible. Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible.
[5] Scripture quotations marked (CSB) are taken from The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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