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| “Moses Smashing the Tablets of the Law” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1659 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: 2 Corinthians 3:4-11
Commentary on 2 Cor 3:4-11
In this passage from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, the apostle is defending the Christian “Way” against Jewish factions that are clearly either attacking or claiming superiority over the faithful. In this part of his apologia, he first compares the Covenant of Moses (which ends in death) with the New Covenant (which ends in eternal life). His concluding statements compare the relative glory of these two views with the view of eternal life outshining the fading glory of the Covenant of Moses, which ends in death.
CCC: 2 Cor 3:6 859
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 99:5, 6, 7, 8, 9
R. (see 9c) Holy is the Lord our God.
Commentary on Ps 99:5, 6, 7, 8, 9
This psalm of praise and thanksgiving holds up the traditions of Moses and Aaron. The psalmist recalls the great boon given to the Children of Israel as God gave the Law to Moses on the holy mountain.
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Gospel: Matthew 5:17-19
Commentary on Mt 5:17-19
Those who believed that Jesus came to destroy the Jewish faith and laws are refuted in this passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel. The Lord tells them that he did not come to destroy the law, even though he disagreed with the way some of those laws were being implemented. Rather he came to fulfill it, essentially giving the law a reinterpretation through his own divine revelation.
In this early encounter between Jesus’ mission and the Law of Moses, we are told that Jesus came to “fulfill” the law, to bring it to perfection as the Messiah. He supports the rabbinical teaching of the time, which separates the 613 individual precepts of the law found in the Pentateuch into “great and small,” based upon their seriousness, when he refers to breaking the least of the commandments. It is important to understand the Hebrew view of the Law: "The Law was thought to be the summary of all wisdom-human and divine, the revelation of God himself, a complete and a secure guide of conduct and endowed with a sacramental assurance of good relations with God." [4]
The passage is concluded in almost Mosaic style by saying that those who follow the law will be great in heaven. This draws a distinction between those who would break the law being least in heaven in the previous sentence.
CCC: Mt 5:17-19 577, 592, 1967; Mt 5:17 2053
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Reflection:
A careful examination of St. Paul’s apologia in the Second Letter to the Corinthians above in which he says, “the letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life,” seems to be at odds with what Jesus is saying in St. Matthew’s Gospel: “not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law.” St. Paul is defending his Gospel which contends that Jesus is the long expected and long prophesied Messiah. Jesus is defining his mission as Messiah, coming to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.
The Jews who did not accept Jesus are attacking the faith community in Corinth because of a couple of issues. First, many of the Christians in Corinth St. Paul
Jesus brings a fundamental change to how “faithfully following the Law” must be seen. Before he came, the Pharisees especially had looked at the Books of the Law, the Torah, and focused on scrupulously following all 613 of the individual rules. In doing this, they thought that they were doing all that was asked by God, and therefore were assured salvation (although in today’s terms we are not sure what that meant since many of them did not believe in the resurrection).
Jesus never told these scrupulous followers of the Law that what they were doing was wrong (“not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law”); rather his focus was on what those actions produced. The Lord’s whole mission pointed to the Father, not to himself. If following the Law did not accomplish the Father’s will, then what was being done violated the spirit of the Law. Jesus made this criticism numerous times in his chastisement of the religious leaders, frequently calling them hypocrites.
When St. Paul
For us this contrast between letter and spirit of the Law has a clear purpose and meaning. We are called to follow the law of the Church with the spirit of Jesus. Our spiritual eye must see where we are led to God’s greater glory and, within the framework of the Law, seek to accomplish those tasks which lead to the Father’s will and glory. It is a difficult path we walk but the Lord provides the teaching magisterium of the Church to help us to form our consciences and direct our steps. We, for our part, must be diligent in understanding those teachings and applying them in our lives.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Moses Smashing the Tablets of the Law” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1659.
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 43:34, p. 70.
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