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.
The law and the prophets stand for the whole of the Old Testament. Jesus came to fulfill the Mosaic Law and the OT prophesies. The New Covenant includes and concludes the Old Covenant; it both perfects it and transforms it.
Jesus’ teaching does not reject the old law and the prophets; instead, it illumines the meaning God intended the OT ultimately to have.
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. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The righteousness that Jesus is talking about is that holiness which is based on love and not following the rules out of obligation. The scribes and Pharisees were seeking righteousness through strict observance of every detail of the many laws imposed by tradition and interpretation. Jesus is calling his followers to do all out of love of God and love of others.
"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment;
and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Jesus begins a series of contrasting ways the righteousness of the religious leaders and the righteousness of his disciples will be different. He underscores his own authority as the Son of God, as the new Moses and Lawgiver.
Not only is murder wrong but so is the anger that seeks revenge and other unloving hurtful words towards a child of God.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.
How often do we celebrate Mass with non-forgiveness in our heart! How can our offering be acceptable to God with such a block within us. We need to forgive in our heart so that God may forgive us.
"You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.
Adultery is a serious sin. But so is the lust of our heart and eyes and the lingering impure thoughts of our mind.
"It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife - unless the marriage is unlawful - causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
In another area, Jesus said that divorce was permitted in the Old Law because of the hardness of heart of the people. But that is not God’s plan and purpose for a marriage that is sealed before him."Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one."
Jesus forbids oath swearing for private purposes. Many times we name God as part of our swearing. This is against the Second Commandment.
We should speak the truth at all times.
How do we relate our life against these actions? Where do we fall short? What needs
to be done to bring about the righteousness which Jesus seeks in the lives of his disciples?
About the Author
Jesus said that we are to go to the ends of the world, proclaiming the Gospel of Salvation. Our recent Holy Fathers have urged us to use the social media to accomplish this task. This is just one attempt to respond to both calls. Join me in this effort.
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