We continue our reading of the Sermon on the Mount which we began two Sundays ago with the proclamation of the Beatitudes, the program of life for every disciple. Jesus then spoke on the mission of the disciple last Sunday, using the images of salt, light and a city on the mountain. Today, Jesus proclaims of the new Law with a disclaimer that he does not “come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfill them.”
The Jews value deeply the Law as a sign of God’s predilection for them. “For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and ordinances that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?” (Dt 4:7-8) The Jews regard the law as a sure guide that enables them to live a good life.
The first reading taken from the Book of Sirach articulates the purpose of the law which is to help God’s people choose between life and death, between good and evil. And the prayer prayer of every devout Jew is echoed in our responsorial psalm, “Open my eyes that I may consider the wonders of your law. Teach me the demands of your statutes and I will keep them to the end.”
In today’s gospel reading Jesus expresses his dismay over the interpretation and observance of the law by the religious leaders of his time. They have added to the basic commandments of Moses numerous rules and regulations covering every aspect of the Jewish life which make observance of the Law overly burdensome. The law which is intended to help the Jew live a holy and happy life has been distorted and made unbearable.
It is in this context that Jesus warns the people that “unless [their] righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, [they] will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” What is this new law that Christ proclaims and in what does its “righteousness” consist which exceeds that of the old?
Jesus explains this with a series of contrasts between the old and the new laws.
“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…”
“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.”
And Jesus goes on six more times speaking of different moral situations in this manner.
The point of Jesus is that sin starts from within. Before a criminal act is committed, a criminal thought or intention has already been hatched in the heart. This is the reason why Jesus denounces the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites who, like white-washed sepulchers, are beautiful on the outside and but rotten on the inside.
Righteousness starts within not on the outside. Holiness begins in the heart. Later in his ministry, Jesus will finally reveal that every precept is summarized in love of God and love neighbor. Paul echoes this same teaching in his letter to the Romans, “Love is the fulfilling of the Law.” (Rm 13:10)
It is interesting to note that Jesus delivers his sermon on a mount. As Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, Jesus goes up the mountain to give the new Law of love. Moses is the emissary of the God’s Law, Jesus is the lawgiver. It is no wonder that people hearing him can only say that “he [teaches] them as one with authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” (Mt 7:4)
Last night, I watched the annual play of our seminarians. They presented their version of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s “The Little Prince,” a children’s book written for adults. The prince discovers that while the adults spend their life pursuing “matters of consequence,” like wealth, power, fame, carnal pleasure, and others, there only one thing that truly matters – our relationships.
Indeed, only one thing matters in life – love. Love and you will live.*
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