Mt
5:17-19
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the
prophets. For the people of
Israel the “law” could refer to the ten commandments or to the five Books of
Moses, called the Pentateuch, which explain the commandments and ordinances of
God for his people. The “law” also referred to the whole teaching or way
of life which God gave to his people. Today’s gospel strongly emphasizes the importance of God’s laws. Jesus
makes it clear to his disciples that the law of the Old Testament still stands.
Although people of Jesus’ time may have thought that Jesus came to replace the
rules of the Old Testament, Jesus states that he did not come to erase God’s
commandments or to open a “back door” into heaven for his followers. Rather,
Jesus came to challenge us all not to follow God’s commandments like slaves or hypocrites,
but to take them as our lifestyle.
The
point for us is to understand what it means to obey God's law; what it means to
be Christians. Jesus challenges us all to enter more fully into God’s laws not
as slaves, but as free children of God. We must enter into God’s commandments
so that our faith is not an external practice, but a recognized part of our
lives. The gospel today calls us to embrace the spirit of the law knowing
that carefulness even in little things determines to some extend one's rank in
the Kingdom of heaven.
As
Christians we have been entrusted with the whole of God's law in which even the
least has its importance. Let us reflect on how we obey God's law; Is it
because we have to, or because we have found life in it.
The important question for us today is: What motivates me
to obey God's law?
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