Sixth Sunday Ordinary Time: Heart Prints: Live by the Heart of the Law

02-09-2020Weekly Reflection

One of the highest attributes in the Messianic expectation is that the Messiah will be the ultimate interpreter of the Law, the Torah. Jesus saying that: “He has come to fulfill them”, drawing some parallel with Moses, goes beyond their expectations by putting Himself in the level of the giver of the Law, God. He is above the Law, what He teaches is the true value of the Law as His Father intended it for the people of God through Moses. He perfects it by giving a definitive interpretation of the Law, His divinity gives Him the authority to do it. He even added His own teaching to it, in v.18 Jesus did not come to abolish the precepts of the Law but demonstrate its significance to our life and how to bring the Law to its perfection. St. Augustine says, Jesus words and interpretation are the perfect expression of the Christian Life.

After laying out the value of the Law, Jesus describes the criteria for the true practice of the Law which must go beyond mere compliance. He reminds the disciples and us now in the present age, after every example that in the end all of us will appear before God and make an account of our life. The different examples of the Law provide a perfect opportunity for Jesus to call His disciples to a higher standard than that of the scribes and the Pharisees. Those who are supposed to know the Law are lectured by Jesus as to the true meaning and value of the Law. Exterior compliance is not enough, the Law must be internalized, must penetrate the heart and transform the disciples to live by the original intention of the Law giver, God.

Why did Jesus address the issue of false oath? Oaths are human words of promise that invoke the name of God. When a person takes an oath, he/she calls God as the guarantor, breaking an oath therefore is tantamount to using the name of God in vain, a sin against the 2nd Commandment. (Ex. 20:7). Many Jewish leaders in order to lessen the impact of false oath, replace calling God by swearing instead by heavens…. by earth… by Jerusalem and by one’s head, as practiced by the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus explains that such practices still invoke God, thus, the one who takes an oath still violates the 2nd Commandment, using the name of God in vain and culpable still of Divine judgement.

Jesus says, do not swear at all. Because everyone was swearing a lot it demeaned the value of one’s word, palabra de honor the honor of one’s word has been diminished. In addition, it gave false notion that only oaths demanded truthfulness on commitments, while one’s word or statement does not. God demands that the words of men are trustworthy even if they are not under oath. For this reason, Jesus says, “Say YES when you mean yes, and say NO when you mean no.” If only we can be truthful with our words and statements, then there would be no need of swearing an oath.

In retrospect, Jesus simply wants us to live not by the letter of the Law but by according to the spirit of the Law or the Heart of the Law.