The First Reading for today from the Book of Sirach (Sir. 15:15-20) summarizes one of the main themes of the Old Testament: choosing whether or not to follow the Law of God. This is equated to choosing goodness and life or wickedness and death throughout the Books of the Hebrew Scriptures.
The Law for the ancient Israelites originated with the Covenant at Sinai through the mediation of Moses at the time of the Exodus. After being freed from bondage in Egypt and becoming the chosen nation, they were given stipulations which would make them a holy people worthy of residence in the Promised Land. God summoned Moses up to the top of the mountain, reminded him of the rescue from Egypt, and offered Israel a three part promise to become a special possession among all peoples, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Ex. 19:1-7). The Israelites swore an oath and pledged obedience “All that the LORD has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8).
The significance of this covenant was that it established a unique relationship with God when compared to other Ancient Near East (ANE) contracts, as the only civilization of the day to enter into a permanent relationship with their god on a personal level. The covenant thus became the main event of the Pentateuch and the basis for Israel becoming the chosen people in God’s plan of salvation.
This covenant, including the formation of the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:1-11), enveloped every facet of Hebrew life such that any borrowing of cultural concepts and practices from neighboring ANE civilizations converted pagan myths and customs into Yahwistic faith, setting the Hebrew lifestyle apart from their polytheistic neighbors. Unlike any other ancient society, Israel’s code held many laws designed for the protection of the weakest members of society. This is what made the Sinai laws so radically different – God commanded the Israelites to care for all people – poor, widow, orphan, and alien.
Along with its rules for worship, teachings, commandments and system of laws, the covenant transformed the Pentateuch from a history into a “torah,” divine teaching or instruction for daily living. It became the basis for judging Israel’s successes and failures for the conquest period of Joshua and Judges, as well as for the kings in the Books of 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings.
The covenant also formulated the background for the prophets’ oracles of judgement, punishment, and reconciliation, and shaped the entire history of the Israelites, who were judged according to fidelity to their agreement with God.
In his Gospel and for the benefit of his Jewish Christian community, Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law. In today’s reading (Matthew 5:17-37) we hear Jesus continue speaking from last Sunday after he has gone up to the mountain, like the great teacher Moses, for his Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:21-48).
One might perceive that Jesus had intended to abolish the Laws of God given to Moses because he is often described in debate with the Pharisees over certain laws. However, Jesus would have believed, as all Jews, that the law was necessary for keeping oneself holy before God. In this way, Jesus did not want to abolish the law, but rather was determined to perfect and heighten it to its strictest sense.
Some of the instances where Jesus displays his intention can be seen in the antithesis of the Sermon on the Mount. Here Jesus dictates that it is not only wrong to kill, but to be angry (Mt. 5:21-22), not only wrong to commit adultery, but to look at a woman with lust (Mt. 5:27-28), and not only wrong to hate your enemies, but better to offer them love and compassion (Mt. 5:43-44).
Jesus plainly summarizes his attitude toward the Law: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Mt. 5:17). For modern Christians, then, the commands of God as described in the Pentateuch and perfected through Christ also become the laws for ethical daily living. The choice for righteousness and greatness in the Kingdom of God.
