February 12, 2023 (Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A)
Today’s Gospel from Matthew is paired with a wisdom passage from the ancient author Sirach (Sir 15:15-20). Together they teach us how to choose right from wrong in the process of keeping the commandments.
Sirach, also known as Ben Sira, was a sage or wisdom writer who lived and wrote in Jerusalem during the second century BC. He was thoroughly imbued with love for the wisdom tradition, and also for the law, priesthood, Temple, and divine worship. As a wise and experienced observer of life he addressed himself to his contemporaries with the motive of helping them to maintain religious faith and integrity through the study of the wisdom books sacred to the Jewish tradition. *
His intensity for the law is obvious in his first verse: “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live” (Sir. 15:15). It could not be simpler than these conditional statements – keep the laws and they will save you. Trust in God and you shall live.
But Sirach goes on to elaborate on his introductory verse. If you have fire and water set beside you, you will obviously choose the water to place your hand in instead of fire. Or if you had the choice between life and death and good and evil, the wise man would choose life and good. God gives whatever the wise person chooses.
God is immense in His wisdom, mighty in power, and all-seeing. He watches those who fear him, that is who act piously toward Him, and he understands a person’s every deed. He gives a license to sin to no one. He does not command that anyone act unjustly. He adheres strongly to the law. It is a simple verse – if you keep the commandments, you will live.
In the Gospel (Mt. 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37), Jesus continues this theme of the necessity of keeping the commandments with the Sermon on the Mount where he began a few weeks ago with the Beatitudes. Now is the time when he chooses to discuss some of the Torah (Jewish law). There were times when Jesus gave conflicting viewpoints of some of the laws, for example why did his disciples work on the Sabbath or not ceremoniously wash their hands before meals? Jesus said that these laws were unimportant when he, the very essence of God, was present.
Jesus does choose to explain certain laws which were of more serious matters. When these serious laws were broken they resulted in a brokenness in human relationships. Jesus said he came, not to abolish these laws, but to fulfill, that is to perfect and clarify them for the people to understand.
Jesus uses antithesis, that is fulfillment verses, to teach about the law. His fulfilment establishes and affirms the Torah, rather than nullify it. First he tells his disciples, “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” This is a warning for his disciples not to act like the scribes and Pharisees who do not practice what they preach lest they lose the privilege to enter heaven.
Jesus then reminds the crowd that they had heard these things pronounced to their ancestors, that would be Moses and the Exodus generation, as a part of God’s covenant. The first he declares is “you shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment” (Mt. 5:21). But Jesus goes on to elaborate this verse by saying, “But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” (Mt. 5:22a). With this condition, anger is taken as the root or first step toward murder. If one restrains from becoming angry, then murder will not follow. Moreover, if one is angry with one’s brother then they will be subject to judgment.
Next Jesus quotes the axiom “You shall not commit adultery” (Mt. 5:27a). Here again Jesus expounds on the commandment against adultery by adding, “everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt. 5:27b). The relationship is the same as the first antithesis: just as anger is the root of murder, lust is the root of adultery. This is a serious infraction, for adultery was punishable by death according to the Torah.
In the last antithesis, Jesus speaks of swearing oaths or making vows. He commands against false oaths, instead the only vows a person should make should be good vows made to the Lord. Jesus warns against swearing at all, that is making empty promises. He says to establish one’s intention with either “yes” or “no.” That is to say, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes, ‘and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’ (Mt. 5:37). All ambiguity concerning oaths is out of the question.
Together, both Jesus and Sirach make no exceptions with the laws for their Jewish audiences. But these are meant for us, as well. Some of the Torah from the days of Moses do not apply in our place and time, but many of the more serious laws are still quite valid. We might consider the Ten Commandments, in this case: “You shall not kill; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” These and many others are incited by the evil one. Eliminating them is our task. We can get a start on this by praying our Responsorial Psalm: “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!” (Ps.119:1b).
*USCCB Books of the Bible
