Fulfillment of 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.” -Matthew 5:17

 

Do you to recall our Lenten preaching series on the topic of Covenant? Do you remember the difference between a contract and a covenant? A contract says, “This is yours and this is mine” whereas a covenant says, “I am yours and you are mine.” It was emphasized through that preaching series that God entered into a covenantal relationship with humanity, not a contractual one.

 

Our Gospel today, is from the fifth chapter of Matthew. It comes directly after the Beatitudes and may seem contrary to the love of God revealed through Jesus. Some may ask, “I thought Jesus saved us from the law?” Or, as Saint Paul wrote in our first reading, “...for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

 

The key to understanding all of this is through the lens of the Covenant. Remember, the Covenants God made with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David? Jesus reveals Himself as the Lamb of God, who instituted a new covenant as a fulfillment of the former covenants.

 

Now, read that troubling verse again, which seems to bring us into a legalistic understanding of Jesus’ teaching: Do not think that [Jesus] has come to abolish the law or the prophets; [Jesus] has come not to abolish but to fulfill.”

 

Jesus fulfills.

 

Jesus ushers in a new covenant. Jesus fulfills the law. Jesus renews our relationship with God, makes it anew and invites all of creation to bask in the law of love in spite of our tendency to be lovers of law.

 

None of us can fulfill the law perfectly. The story of Israel is the story of the Church. We are a pilgrim people totally depended on God’s grace. We can’t do it! We try and fail and yet that is the very essence of grace. It’s not what we do, it’s what God did for us that renews us in spirit and we keep going, in gratitude for this great gift. This journey into the heart of Christ is a journey into the heart of humanity where we can all discover our call to holiness.

 

As we participate in the renewal of this Covenant through Christ at the Altar, let us trust where Jesus is leading us. He has fulfilled it all. 

 

These are difficult days in the Church. If we are being stripped down and made to feel poor in spirit and meek. Fear not, for blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the kingdom of God.

 

God is in the midst of this mess. As we prepare to celebrate the Covenant God made through Jesus, let us open our hearts to receive Him.