For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven

 

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:17–20 

 

In yesterday's reading from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that believers are like Salt and Light.  He said,  "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall  it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men,  that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  My study Bible tells us that Christ fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions in the following ways:  He performs God's will in all its fullness (Matthew 3:15).  He transgresses none of the precepts of the Law (John 8:46; 14:30).  He declares the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which He is about to deliver to those who listen.  He grants righteousness, which is the goal of the Law, to us (Romans 3:31; 8:3-4; 10:4).  He fulfills the Prophets by both being and carrying out what they foretold.  

 

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."   Assuredly is a translation of Αμὴν/Amen from the Greek.  It means "truly," or "confirmed," or "so be it," according to my study Bible.  Here, Christ uses it as a solemn affirmation, which is a form of oath.  His use of this word at the beginning of certain proclamations -- as opposed to at the end -- is unique and authoritative, my study Bible says.  Jesus declares His words affirmed before they are even spoken.  A jot (ἰῶτα/iota in the Greek) is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet, while a tittle is the smallest stroke in certain Hebrew letters.  So, therefore, the whole of the Law is affirmed as the foundation of Christ's new teaching.  My study Bible says that all is fulfilled refers to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.

 

 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."  My study Bible explains that righteousness according to the Law is a unified whole.  It says that the observance of all the least commandments is to observe the whole Law, while the violation of the least commandment is considered to be a violation of the whole Law.

 

"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."  Righteousness that leads to salvation must exceed that of the Pharisees, my study Bible explains, because their righteousness was outward and works-based.  The righteousness of salvation is the communion of the heart, soul, mind, and body in Jesus Christ.  This righteousness starts with God, but is accepted by human beings in faith.  We live that faith as Christ lives in us and we in Him (Galatians 2:20).  This is an ongoing communion, my study Bible says, in an ongoing, dynamic, and growing life with Christ.

 

 What is this communion with God that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees?  According to my study Bible, Christ is asking here for something more; He's saying that He is the true fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, and He repeatedly reiterates the power and authority of the Law, that all of it will be fulfilled.  But in this understanding of who He is, we find Him inviting us into communion with Him, so that we also may fulfill this understanding of righteousness.  Once again, we must revisit the notion of repentance in the Christian sense.  The Greek word for repentance means change of mind.  In common parlance to repent means to address a particular sin, to turn away from it.  But in the true sense of this word in the Gospels and in the tradition of the Church, there is a sense in which repentance is a consistent ongoing process, and it means that we change in relation to our turning to God, to Christ.  In communion then, the objective in this understanding of righteousness is not necessarily that we are looking back on a particular sin and rejecting it, but rather that we seek the kind of fulfillment Christ speaks about here.  We are growing toward something, and this is the ongoing "repentance" process of communion with Christ.  We grow to be more like Him, the One of true righteousness, through a depth of relationship with Him, the proper communion we seek.  This is the key to entering the kingdom of heaven, and its real root is love.  Jesus will teach that the two greatest commandments, summing up all the Law and the Prophets, are as follows:  He said, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40).  In the tradition of orthodox theology, the word that describes our love for God might sound strange to us, who live in a secular culture in which words have changed meaning over time.  But this Greek word ερως/eros is also used to define a deep love and desire for God, and in this sense of loving God "with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind," describes a devotion and passion for God that the commandment indicates.  In this sense, we desire a union with God in the totality of who we are.  When Christ speaks, therefore, of fulfilling the Law and Prophets, we should consider what it means to seek a life pursuing this kind of union with Christ, and the αγαπη/agape (often translated as "charity") love of neighbor that this will lead us toward.  When Jesus speaks of righteousness, it is with a sense of teaching to us this deep-rooted start in love, for God is love -- and from God's seeking us in love, and our responding with love to God, we find the righteousness about which Christ teaches here, that which exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. 

 

 

 

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven

 
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.  

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:13–20 

 

This week, we read through the Sermon on the Mount, in preparation for Lent.  Yesterday we read that,  seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

 

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  My study Bible comments here that salt and light illustrate the role of disciples in society.  Due to its preservative powers, its necessity for life, and its capacity for giving flavor, salt had both religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone meant that people were bound together in loyalty.  To this day salt remains used in chemical processes for its fixative properties.  As the salt of the earth, my study Bible explains, Christians are preserver's of God's covenant and give true flavor to the world.  In terms of light, we know first of all that God is the true and uncreated Light.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible comments, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9; 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  Light is needed for clear vision, and even for life itself in this world.  Faith relies on the divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) shining in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  In many Eastern Orthodox parishes, the Pascha (or Easter) Liturgy starts with a candle being presented as the invitation to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."  My study Bible adds of this last verse here that Christian virtues have both a personal and a public function, for our virtue can bring others to glorify the Father.  

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  My study Bible explains that Jesus fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions.  He does so in the following ways:  He performs God's will in all its fullness (Matthew 3:15); He transgresses no precepts of the Law (John 8:46; 14:30); He declares the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which in this Sermon He is about to deliver to the people; and He grants righteousness -- the goal of the Law -- to us (Romans 3:31; 8:3-4; 10:4).  He fulfills the Prophets both by being and by carrying out what they foretold.

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."  The word translated as assuredly is literally "Amen."  It means "truly," or "confirmed," or "so be it," my study Bible explains.  Here Jesus is using it as a solemn affirmation, which is a form of oath.  His use of this word at the beginning of certain proclamations -- as opposed to the end -- is unique and authoritative, my study Bible tells us.  He declares His words affirmed even before they are spoken.  A jot (Greek ιωτα/iota) is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet.  A tittle is the smallest stroke in certain Hebrew letters.  So, therefore, the whole of the Law is here affirmed as the foundation of Christ's new teaching.  All is fulfilled refers to Christ's Passion and Resurrection.

 

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."  My study Bible comments that righteousness according to the Law is a unified whole.  It says that the observance of all the least commandments is to observe the whole Law, while the violation of the least commandment is considered a violation of the whole Law.  

"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."  Righteousness that leads to salvation must exceed that of the Pharisees, my study Bible explains, because theirs was an outward, works-based righteousness.  The righteousness of salvation is the communion of the heart, soul, mind, and body in Jesus Christ.  True righteousness is to live in a state of continual communion with God.  By faith in Christ, we receive God's righteousness.  

If true righteousness is an ongoing communion with God, how do we achieve that?  We first need to understand that Christ came into the world as a human being in order to achieve this level of communion, this righteousness, so that we may be justified by faith.  That is, we live, and may receive an eternal life, a more abundant life, through this communion made possible through the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We partake of His life through the Eucharist, seeking to live our faith and to grow in that faith, deepening a communion that extends through all things, as my study Bible indicates when it speaks of the communion of heart, soul, mind, and body in Jesus Christ.  Jesus' teachings in today's reading give us clues about how this works through our lives in the comments that we believers are both salt and light.  As salt, we bear His covenant into the world, giving the real "flavor" of this righteousness, holding firm in faith to His teachings and living them as fully as we can, in all these ways named.  As light, we seek to reflect His light back into the world, to carry it within ourselves and share it with others, to add such "illumination" to all the things in which we might participate as part of our life's experience and the living of our faith.  In this way, Jesus says, we glorify our Father in heaven -- and so, in that sense also, we become "like Him," we imitate Christ in the living of our faith.  But Christ's righteousness also includes the fulfillment of both the Law and the Prophets; there is nothing left out.  My study Bible calls the Law a cohesive whole; it says that to violate the least Law is to violate the whole of it, and to uphold one Law is to uphold the whole.  In other words, the Law itself can be thought of as something representing communion in its wholeness.  If we recall that Christ's gospel is the gospel of the Kingdom, then we must consider what it means to be a part of a communion -- this communion of the Kingdom -- to step into it through faith, and for it to grow within us (like the parable of the leaven).   So we consider Christ's teachings and begin to understand that there is a depth of communion we're invited into, and the life's journey that our faith is meant to be for us is one of deepening communion.  In a comment on Romans 3:26, my study Bible notes that righteousness by faith is not a one-time declaration or "not guilty" verdict.  We are to understand it as Christ living in us, and we in Him (Galatians 2:20).  So, to be justified by righteousness is to be in communion with Christ in an ongoing, dynamic, and growing life with Him -- developing a deeper reliance upon Christ through our own struggles with faith, insights, a prayerful life, and the practices of our faith.  This is a dynamic that reaches down into the heart and soul and should be lived (as a goal) with every breath.  Let us simply begin with His images here of salt and light, and imagine what it means to live as both, in such a way as to glorify our Father in heaven, becoming a "child of light" through our Shepherd, Christ. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven

 

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:17-20 

 

In our present readings, we are going through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  My study Bible comments that Jesus fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions by doing several things.  First, He performs God's will in all its fullness (Matthew 3:15).  Second, He transgresses none of the precepts of the Law (John 8:46, 14:30).  Moreover, He declares the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which He is about to deliver to the people as He preaches this Sermon on the Mount.  And finally, He grants righteousness, which is the goal the Law -- to us (Romans 3:31, 8:3-4, 10:4).  Jesus fulfills the Prophets by both being and carrying out what they foretold; a living fulfillment of faithfulness and righteousness.

 

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."  In the Greek text, Christ's word translated here as assuredly is "amen."  It means "truly," or "confirmed," or "so be it," in the definition of my study Bible.  Here (and elsewhere) Christ uses it as a solemn affirmation; it's a form of oath.  My study Bible describes Christ's use of this word at the beginning of certain proclamations (rather than at the end) is unique and authoritative.  He declares His words affirmed before they are even spoken.  A jot (in Greek, iota, what we might read as the equivalent of the letter "i") is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet.  A tittle is the smallest stroke in some Hebrew letters.  So, therefore, the whole of the Law is affirmed here as the foundation of Christ's new teaching, out of which will be a renewed, new covenant.  All is fulfilled, my study Bible tells us, refers to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.

 

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."   My study Bible comments here that righteousness according to the Law is a unified whole.  It is not meant to be taken piecemeal.  It explains that the observance of all the least commandments is to observe the whole Law, while the violation of the least commandment is considered a violation of the whole Law.  

"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."   My study Bible explains that righteousness which leads to salvation must exceed that of the Pharisees because theirs was  an outward, works-based righteousness.  But the righteousness of salvation is the communion of heart, soul, mind and body in Jesus Christ. 

As a Jew, Jesus is a faithful Jew.  He has not come to dismantle or to destroy, but rather to fulfill the aims of the whole Law.  The Law (Torah or Pentateuch, meaning the first five books of the Old Testament) is given as a way to gather community, to create and sustain the community of the people of God.  It is meant to give a code of righteousness, a way to build and create right-relatedness with God as the center of the community.  This is why we must have a sense of what the is as a whole concept.  Like other ancient civilizations, this sense of law or code gave definition to a people, and conferred identity and belonging.  This is why it is taken as a whole; where the observance of the least remains an observance of the Law as a whole concept; and a violation remains a violation of a whole in this sense of what is necessary for community.  The system of sacrifices (meaning communal meals) and offerings and the various teachings in the Law are meant for reconciliation and righteousness within the community, and the sustaining of that identity of a people.  For the ancient Athenians, for example, the word that may translated into "law" in this sense is "nomos" in Greek, and it functioned as well to define people as Athenians.  For this reason, at the time of Christ, there were Jews who became Hellenes (as Athenians) and Greeks who became Jews (John 12:20).  So the sense of being one people was much more a focus on this type of code or set of laws that defined the people, rather than the concepts of race we're familiar with.  This is why, in the early Church, this would become an important issue when Gentiles began becoming Christians.  There were those who believed they should first become Jews, whereas St. Paul advocated that this full observance of the Law should not be necessary for those who were not Jews to begin with.  Eventually the very first Council of the Church decided these new Gentile members of the Church should observe these important mainstays of Torah: "they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality" (Acts 21:25).  As for the identity of those who came from pagan societies such as Athens and Rome, this would have to be forged in the light of Christ.  In other words, they retained their identity, but transfigured in the teachings of Christ and through the work of the Holy Spirit.  This is how, for example, we have theology:  those whom we call Church Fathers were fully educated in the classical culture of their time, which included encyclopedic knowledge of science and philosophy.  The applications of Greek philosophy but which served instead Christ the Lord is how we have theology.  In this sense, whatever was good and true and beautiful could serve the Person who was Truth.  In this way, we have a "renewed" covenant, not disparaging or doing away with the old (and our Bibles retain the Hebrew Scriptures), but rather teaching us righteousness and giving us identity as those who also may become "sons [and therefore heirs] of God."  In this understanding, Jesus teaches a righteousness which exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.   As He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, leaving nothing out, so He may become our means of salvation, our center around which we build right worship and right community, leaving nothing out of the salvation plan of God for the world.  In this context it is most important that we see the Eucharist as essential to worship, for through it we participate in His cup and His sacrifice for all of us and for all time.  St. Paul writes, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).  We are properly to understand it as communion, and communion with God in faith is the foundation of all righteousness.  This is what Jesus will proceed to teach us as He preaches the Sermon on the Mount.

 

 

 

 

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill

 

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:17-20 

 

Currently the lectionary is going through the Sermon on the Mount.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." 

 

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  My study Bible comments here that Jesus fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions.  He does so in three ways:  first, by performing God's will in all its fullness; second, by transgressing none of the precepts of the Law (John 8:46, 14:30); third,  by declaring the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which He was about to deliver to them; and finally by granting righteousness -- the goal of the Law -- to us (Romans 3:31, 8:3-4, 10:4).  He fulfills the Prophets by both being and carrying out what they foretold.

 

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."  Assuredly (in Greek, Amen) means "truly," or "confirmed," or "so be it," my study Bible says.  Jesus uses this term here as a solemn affirmation, a form of oath.  Throughout His preaching, Jesus has used this word at the beginning of certain proclamations, rather than at the end.  My study Bible calls this unique and authoritative; He declares His words affirmed before they are even spoken.  A jot (iota in Greek) is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet.  A tittle is the smallest stroke in certain letters in Hebrew.  So, therefore, the whole of the Law is affirmed as the foundation of Christ's new teaching here in the Sermon on the Mount, the gospel of the Kingdom.  All is fulfilled refers to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ to come.

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."  My study Bible comments that righteousness  according to the Law is a unified whole.  It notes that the observance of all the least commandments is to observe the whole Law, while the violation of the least commandment is considered to be a violation of the whole Law.  

"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."   Righteousness that leads to salvation has to exceed that of the Pharisees as theirs was an outward and works-based righteousness.  The righteousness of salvation includes all of who we are.  As my study Bible describes it, this righteousness is a salvation which includes the communion of the heart, soul, mind, and body in Jesus Christ.  

In terms of the righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, my study Bible points us to Romans 1:17 and 3:36.  In the first, St. Paul teaches this righteousness of Christ as one that is "revealed from faith to faith," and cites from Habakkuk 2:4, "The just shall live by faith."  My study Bible says that this combination used by St. Paul in Romans 1:17 ties together -- as Christ is doing first in the Sermon on the Mount -- both Old and New Testaments.  "The just shall live by faith" is the most often internally quoted passage in the entire Bible.  This cements the centrality of faithful living -- a faith that runs thoroughly within us -- as the key to the fullness of righteousness.  "From faith to faith" indicates that as we receive Christ through faith, then we must live by faith.  My study Bible says that in both Old and New Testaments, humanity has always participated in God's righteousness on the basis of faith.  Faith is more than belief; it is a way of life, from the inside to the outside -- and this constitutes what is understood as "purity," unadulterated by anything else.  My study Bible says that the faithful actively participate in God's righteousness through both belief and obedience.  In turn, this living by faith in Christ is meant to exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:7; 15:13).   So, therefore, the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets happens through this kind of faith.  That is, faith not merely as an assertion of intellectual belief, but as a life really turned over to Christ, so that we are thoroughly participating in that life which He brought into the world and lived faithfully as the "first fruits" for us.  As Christ became Incarnate, so He lived the life of obedience to the Father as a human being, and transfigured human life for all time, even ascending into heaven, merging both.  As we seek to participate, then, in Christ's life, we in turn are meant to be transfigured, a process which is steeped in mystery, as it includes the mercy and grace of God working in us, as we cooperate with our own obedience, faith, and love of God.  The desire to serve God which we will find in our hearts serves as a kind of engine for this process, a fire that drives us to  be open to God's guidance, to an instinctive love and need within ourselves, and to be healed by God in all the many ways we need it and the world needs it.  This is a love that works in our depths, and it is also a love that is "in action."  Like Christ, when we feel compassion to help others, to serve community, to give a good word, to heal -- in all of these activities prompted by love of God and neighbor we may participate in this active love.  This is righteousness, an active love and obedience lived in faith.  The desire to know God is likely the deepest desire human beings have in our souls.  It is my belief that many hungers and thirsts for other things are simply distractions and covers for this truly deep need for God's love, healing, and communion with our Creator.  For it is there we truly find ourselves, our lives, our purpose -- and the light that leads to that fulfillment which eternally beckons us forward.  That place is the kingdom of heaven where we wish to dwell, to truly live, at all times.  This needs our active seeking and cooperation and engagement, a true faith of righteousness.

You cannot serve God and mammon

 

 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?  No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon." 

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.  And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.  The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.  

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."

- Luke 16:10-18 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'  So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

 

  "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?"    My study Bible comments that the test as to whether God will bestow heavenly blessings (true riches) on a person is directly related to how each person spends one's money.  The money which we consider to be our own, my study Bible says, is actually another man's.  That is, all wealth ultimately belongs to God -- or at least to the poor in need.  In patristic commentary, a person's failure to give money to God's work is seen as stealing.  Theophylact comments that such failure is "nothing less than the embezzlement of money belonging to someone else."

"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."   Taken in the context of Christ's comments prior to this (as well as the parable in yesterday's reading -- see above), Jesus puts it plainly.  You cannot serve God and mammon.  Therefore even "unrighteous mammon" (wealth or money) is to be used to serve God and God's purposes.  There is one highest priority that comes first, and all things are subject to that priority.

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.  And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God."  My study Bible comments here that the things which are highly esteemed among men include money, power, position, and praise.  Again, Jesus is elaborating on the statement that one cannot serve God and mammon, and if we but look closely, all these things which are "highly esteemed among men" also fall into the category of mammon, of material life. 

"The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it."    In preaching the kingdom of God, Jesus is fulfilling the law and the prophets (see Matthew 5:17).  My study Bible comments that Jesus fulfills the law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions.  First, He performs God's will in all its fullness (Matthew 3:15).  Second, He transgresses none of the precepts of the law (John 8:46; 14:30).  He also declares the perfect fulfillment of the law, the gospel of the Kingdom; and this gospel grants righteousness -- the goal of the law -- to us (Romans 3:31; 8:3-4; 10:4).  He fulfills the prophets by both being and carrying out what they foretold.   

 

"And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail."  Additionally, righteousness according to the law is seen as a unified whole, and not separate categories one either checks off or does not.  That is, the observance of all the least commandments, my study Bible explains, is to observe the whole law, while the violation of the least commandment is considered a violation of the whole law.  See Matthew 5:19.

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."  Here Jesus seems to be making note about the law, and in this context here, criticizing the easy divorce that was possible for men at His time.  My study Bible comments that because of the misuse of divorce in that day, Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce (see, for example, Matthew 5:31-32; 19:8-9), and He is emphasizing the eternal nature of marriage, and in this sense relating this to the perspective of the kingdom of God.  

In today's reading, Jesus' preaching emphasizes the supremacy of the kingdom of God before all else.  The Pharisees were lovers of money, our text tells us.  But moreover, we know from Christ's criticisms of their hypocrisy they were also lovers of the "praise of men" -- doing many nominally pious things simply in order to be seen by others.  This is the foundation of their hypocrisy, which Jesus roundly condemns in many ways in Matthew 23.  But in saying that one cannot serve both God and mammon, that we must choose between one and the other, Jesus seems to go a step further, and is including those things which are "highly esteemed among men" and calling them an "abomination in the sight of God."   In modern terms, we might consider that what Jesus is referring to here is a kind of purely transactional viewpoint on life, in which only material good is considered as value -- and as part of that material good would be included those things which give one "currency" (that which is "highly esteemed among men").  As my study Bible says, these things include "money, power, position, and praise."   Whether that is reputation, or publicity, or whatever is done purely with the goal of social currency of some sort, becomes a part of this world of mammon, as it is divorced from putting God and God's kingdom first.  For this is the true righteousness that Christ preaches, the fulfillment of the law and the prophets:  seeking to please God first, to participate in God's kingdom even as we live our earthly lives.  Jesus says, "The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it."  This seems to be a parallel with His statement in Matthew 11:  "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come" (Matthew 11:11-14).  This "violence" is a reflection of everyone pressing into the kingdom He has preached, heralded by the spirit of Elijah returned in John the Baptist -- and thus the signal for the fulfillment of the law and prophets in Christ's gospel of the kingdom.  And so we live at this time in which we are invited to participate in this Kingdom, this righteousness He offers to us.  But, of course, mammon is with us still, and in some ways possibly more than ever.  Our faith in technology seems to some to have become a kind of replacement religion, even as technological capabilities have reached extraordinary new levels -- much of which offers yet new uncertainties for our future.  In light of Christ's preaching, let us take this to heart with every new turn of the modern world we see before us.  We are commanded to know that even "unrighteous mammon" has uses which can be defined by the priorities of the kingdom of God, and so we put our faith first in living faithful lives.  This is the one defining thing we know.  Regardless of what we think we see and experience around us, there is still the Kingdom in which we dwell, which we carry with us through how we choose to live, how we pray, how we even go into our secret rooms with God who sees in secret (Matthew 6:6).  Perhaps what is true now is these practices are more important than ever, for it is there we find our true treasure, and the way to carry our cross daily through the world.

You cannot serve God and mammon

 

 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?  No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money also heard all these things, and they derided Him.  And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.  The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.  Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."

 

- Luke 16:10-18 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave a fourth parable, which followed that of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, and also of the Lost Son or Prodigal Son.  Those parables were directed to the scribes and Pharisees who criticized that Christ received and ate with tax collectors and sinners.  But yesterday's paralbe was directed to His disciples.  He said:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Given an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'   So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

 

 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?  No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."  My study Bible comments that the test as to whether God will bestow heavenly blessings (true riches) on a person is directly related to how that person spends money.  The money which we consider our own is actually another man's -- that is, it belongs to God, or at least to the poor.  My study Bible adds that in patristic teaching, a person's failure to give money to God's work is universally seen as stealing.  Theophylact calls it "nothing less than embezzlement of money belonging to someone else."

 

 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money also heard all these things, and they derided Him.  And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God."  My study Bible says that the things which are highly esteemed among men include money, power, position, and praise.

"The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail."  We recall that Christ has also said that He Himself did not come to destroy but to fulfill the law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17).  He Himself is the fulfillment of both in His being, words, and actions, and it is He who preaches the kingdom of God.  A tittle is the smallest stroke in certain Hebrew letters.  Therefore, my study Bible says, the whole of the Law is affirmed as the foundation of Christ's new teaching. 

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."  Jesus cites an example which was actually hotly contested in His time, a source of disputes among the Pharisees themselves.  So in this context, it is an example that is meaningful to them.  Divorce and remarriage at that time also could involve abuse of financial practices concerning a wife's dowry.  My study Bible comments that in contrast to the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, and because of the misuse of divorce in that day, Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce (see also Matthew 5:31-32, 19:8-9) and emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  Like all sin, there are forms of abuse that destroy community and relationship, including marriage, but this does not take away from Christ's emphasis and teaching.

We might wonder what Jesus' statement about divorce is doing in the middle of this discussion about money and our use of money ("unrighteous mammon").   As mentioned above, we should note that one issue of divorce involved tricky financial aspects such as a woman's dowry, especially if she divorced and remarried and later return to her first husband.  As the Gospel text notes, money was an important issue for the Pharisees.  But in the context of the Law, it's unquestionable for them that adultery is a violation.  Dispute may center around divorce, and the recognized financial concerns that went with it in the context of that period of time, but about adultery there was no question.  Hence, Jesus makes a clear point here.  One can quibble about the meaning of one thing or another, but in the wider framework He notes the man's responsibility in the marriage and in the context of divorce, and thus adds a deeply serious note regarding the nature of marriage itself.  Looking at today's reading from a modern perspective, we might easily see that just as Jesus calls upon us for a charitable use of our financial resources -- especially within the context of community and fellowship -- so He is also calling upon us to take the context of all of our relationships deeply seriously and within the spirit of charity.  As we give to community, so we also understand marriage to be something worth giving for, and involving sacrifice on the part of both parties.  In this sense, the convenience of money and our use of it does not override deeper considerations of God's understanding of the importance of community and relationships, and the extent to which we make sacrifices in order to ensure a righteousness of right-relatedness, to support community and love.  Taking His words on divorce in context, we may understand from His teachings that there is no greater consideration in making our choices in life than community and right-relatedness.  God's kingdom of love and the drive to salvation becomes an overriding goal that hovers over all of our choices in life, including what we do with our resources and even how we treat our spouses.  We nurture in life the things we put our resources toward.  In terms of the care of the poor, we might consider something as simple as the beautification or building of a Church.  Who benefits?  In a secular world, a public good such as a museum or a place to take children and family might have a costly admission that is impossible for many people.  But in a church, there is no admission, and the poor belong and share in the beauty and blessedness of the Kingdom as well as any wealthy patron.  This is Christ's ideal, and He emphasizes over and over again the need for His good stewards to care for the "least" among them, that this is the job the disciples must learn, for they will be the stewards in His Church, the leaders of His flock.  In an ideal sense, this is the way we may see ourselves as believers and servants who follow.  As He has said elsewhere, Christ's emphasis is on seeking the kingdom of God first, and that all things follow that (Matthew 6:33, Luke 12:31).  This would include our resources of wealth, including our time and attention, and the nurturing of community and relationships, even the close relationship of a spouse.  For the kingdom of God is a blessed way of life, embracing all who truly desire it, and Christ asks us to build our communities and lives upon it.

 

 

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven

Cross of Life - 5th century, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

- Matthew 5:17-20

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:  "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  Christ fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions, my study bible says.  This fulfillment happens through the performance of God's will in all its fullness (3:15), by transgressing none of the precepts of the Law (John 8:46, 14:30), by declaring the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which Christ is about to deliver in this Sermon, and through granting righteousness, which is the goals of the Law, to all of us (Romans 3:31, 8:3-4, 10:4).  He fulfills the Prophets both by being and carrying out what they have foretold.

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."  Assuredly is amen/ἀμὴν in the Greek.  My study bible gives its definition as "truly," or "confirmed," or "so be it."   This word is used as a solemn affirmation, a type of oath.  Jesus uses this word at the beginning of various proclamations (as opposed to the end), which is a unique and authoritative way of doing so:  He is declaring His words affirmed before they are even spoken.  A jot is iota/ἰῶτα in the Greek, the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet.  A tittle is the smallest stroke in certain Hebrew letters.  Therefore, the whole of the Law is affirmed as the foundation of the new teaching of Christ.  My study says that all is fulfilled refers to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.  Let us remember also Christ's words to John the Baptist:  "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (3:14-15).

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."  My study bible explains that righteousness according to the Law is a unified whole.  To observe the least commandments is to observe the whole Law, and the violation of the least commandment is considered a violation of the whole Law.

"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."  The difference between the righteousness of the Pharisees and the righteousness that leads to salvation is the difference between an outward works-based righteousness and one that must exceed such an appearance-based system.  That is, the righteousness of salvation, as my study bible explains it, is a communion of heart, soul, mind, and body in Jesus Christ.  In the verses that follow, Jesus will go on to explain this depth of communion through various examples of violations of the Law, and His teachings on them.

St. Paul writes, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17).  My study bible explains that "the righteousness of God" is to be in a continuous state of communion with God.  This state of "being right with God" originates with God and is accepted by mankind in faith.  This expression of the fullness of the Law, and the righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees, is where Christ is going in His Sermon.   In the verses that follow today's reading, Jesus will give us specific examples of violations of the Law, together with expressions of the deepening awareness of the heart and soul as to a true state of righteousness.  He will teach the fulfillment of faith and in interaction of loving creature and loving God.  In this model, it is the center of the self (or the "heart") which dwells within that active, living, ongoing communion of faith.  This is a mystical connection which works through grace within us.  In Christ's perspective, the ongoing model of faith is one in which this communion works thoroughly and holistically within a person, in which faith leads to works -- rather than being exclusively works-based.  That is, in the purity of heart He preached in the Beatitudes, we also act.  Christ offers us a depth of psychological understanding that the Law, or an exclusively works-based system, cannot.  As He says, He does not diminish or abolish the Law, but rather fulfills it.  Where a works-based understanding of life or faith may engender a great deal of hypocrisy (also in the examples He will give both in the Sermon on the Mount and throughout the Gospels), Christ preaches a fulfillment of the Law which includes every single part of who we are.    In order to achieve such righteousness, we must begin with the heart rather than leaving it out of the equation.  We go to the place where God works actively within us, and all the things we do to shore up our faith work to take us to that place of active communion.  Let us begin there, cleaning the inside of the cup, so that the outside also reflects that work!  Let us also understand that in this work we have the ongoing help and support of a loving God and communion of saints, and those both seen and unseen.  Repentance is always just a step away, and welcomed with loving acceptance.

Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven

 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

"You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

- Matthew 5:13-20

Yesterday, we began reading in Matthew's Gospel.  The lectionary takes us to chapter 5.  This is the Sermon on the Mount, beginning with the Beatitudes, or the blessings of the Kingdom.  Seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."  Jesus has named the blessings of discipleship in the The Beatitudes (above, yesterday's reading).  He now describes the role of disciples in the world, using metaphors of salt and light.  Salt held the greatest importance in the ancient world, in ways many of us may have forgotten. Salt has preservative powers, it's necessary for life, and also had religious and sacrificial significance.  (See Leviticus 2:13; also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone meant to be bound together in loyalty, my study bible tells us.  If Christians are the salt of the earth, therefore, they are the preservers of God's covenant, as well as giving true flavor to the world.  Salt may lose its flavor through humidity; the particular molecule of salt being leached out through moisture. 

"You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  God is the true and uncreated Light, says my study bible, and all light is reflected from this Source.  In the Old Testament, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel as a contrast to all other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  We need light in order to see clearly and for life itself.  Faith relies on divine light to see clearly, to be illumined with wisdom.  In living our faith, believers become "sons of light," through participation and communion (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  Such light shines in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  At Easter, many of the Eastern churches begin the liturgy with a candle presented to all, and the invitation:  "Come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."  Jesus makes it clear here that the blessings of discipleship don't work simply for us as individuals, but become that light that shines in the world and are therefore shared with others.  In so doing, virtue becomes not simply personal but also public.  My study bible says that in living discipleship, virtue can bring others to glorify the Father.

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  My study bible says that Jesus fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions in several ways.   He performs God's will in all its fullness (Matthew 3:15).  He transgresses none of the precepts of the Law (John 8:46; 14:30).  He declares further along in this Sermon the perfect fulfillment of the Law, and He grants to us righteousness, which is the goal of the Law (Romans 3:31; 8:3-4; 10:4).  He fulfills the Prophets by being and carrying out what they have foretold. 

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."    Assuredly is translated from the original text in which Jesus begins His statement with the word "Amen."  It means "truly" or "confirmed," or "so be it."  It's a solemn affirmation used here by Jesus as a kind of oath pertaining to what He is about to say.   At various times in the Gospels Jesus uses "Amen" at the beginning of certain proclamations (rather than at the end).  My study bible calls this usage by Jesus unique and authoritative:  He declares His words are affirmed before they are even spoken.  A jot ("iota" in the Greek)is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet; a tittle is the smallest stroke in some Hebrew letters. Thereby, the whole of the Law is affirmed as the foundation of Jesus' new teaching.  All is fulfilled, says my study bible, refers to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. 

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."    My study bible says that righteousness according to the Law is a unified whole.  What that means is that the observance of the least commandments is to observe the whole Law, while a violation of the least commandment is considered a violation of the whole Law.  In our future readings, we will read the commandments Jesus is speaking up, His new commandments that take us deeper into an understanding of righteousness.

In yesterday's reading, Jesus prepared the way in the beginning of His Sermon on the Mount by teaching us the Beatitudes, the blessings of the Kingdom.  That is, He gave us discipleship as the blessed way of life.  These blessings are not material.  They transcend circumstances.  They come from a lived faith, and grow as we deepen our communion with Him, and continue a life of participation in His love:  this kingdom of Father, Son, Spirit and the whole of the communion of saints.  Life in the Kingdom must grow our own blessedness:  the comfort that comes to those who mourn, our understanding of what it is to be pure in heart, poor in spirit, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be peacemakers, to be merciful, and all those things that become the spiritual fruits of discipleship.  In these things we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  He invites us to grow in these things, sharing them with the world, glorifying God -- and building up that glory in those who will also accept it around us.  This is a very different picture of what we commonly call blessings, but it is the blessedness of the Kingdom, of life in the Kingdom as we live in this world.  And this is what He assures His followers:  that living such a life is indeed finding the full righteousness of the Law, a righteousness that even the scribes and Pharisees don't know.   He will go much further as He continues with His sermon in teaching us exactly what that kind of righteousness looks like.  But above all else, we have His life in the world as fulfillment of such, as a kind of record and example, a fulfillment of all righteousness -- so that we, too, may share in such.   Ultimately, to fulfill such righteousness through Christ becomes a job for each one of us, and He is laying out the way, His Way.  To become the living salt of the earth, or the light of the world begins within us, not "out there" with what we think can be fixed.  Let us be attentive.

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

- Matthew 5:17-20

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  It began with the Beatitudes.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  My study bible tells us that Jesus fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions in several ways.  First, He performs God's will in all its fullness (3:15).  In addition, He transgresses none of the precepts of the Law (John 8:46; 14:30).   Also, Jesus declares the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which He is about to deliver.  Finally, the goal of the law is righteousness, which He grants to us (Romans 3:31, 8:3-4, 10:4).  He fulfills the Prophets in that He is and does what they foretold; like the Prophets He calls the people back to God and the true fulfillment of God's promises and teachings.

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."  The expression translated as "assuredly" is Amen in the original Greek.  It means "truly," or "confirmed," or "so be it."  This is used by Jesus as a solemn affirmation, a kind of oath.  He uses this word at the beginning of various proclamations (as opposed to at the end) in a unique and authoritative way:  His words are declared affirmed before He speaks them.  (In John's Gospel the expression appears several times doubled:  "Amen, Amen," such as in John 3:3, where it is translated "most assuredly" in the NKJV.)  A jot is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet; a tittle is the smallest stroke in certain Hebrew letters.  Therefore, the whole of the Law is affirmed as the foundation of Christ's new teaching.  All is fulfilled refers to His Passion and Resurrection.

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."  My study bible says that righteousness according to the Law is a unified whole; it's not something to separate out piecemeal as if our lives are an adding up of commandments filled.  To observe the least of the commandments is to observe the whole Law; violation of the least commandment is considered a violation of the whole Law.  Taken as a whole, Jesus speaks of reverence for the word of God; essentially a reverence for how God wishes for us and teaches us to live our lives, in relationship to God and to the world.

Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by first teaching the Beatitudes, a state of being in which one participates in the Kingdom and in its blessings, its "happinesses" even while in this world and living a "worldly" life.  In yesterday's reading, He spoke of the tremendous investment and value in discipleship; how disciples are the light of the world, the salt of the earth -- and in so being, they glorify God.  In this context, it is blessed even to be persecuted for the sake of the righteousness He teaches, for so were the prophets before.  In today's reading, He begins with a fulfillment of the function of the prophets:  to call all to the word of God, the teachings in letter and spirit.  He is about to give His gospel, the teachings to His disciples, but it comes as fulfillment, not the abolition of what has come before.  In Jesus' words, we read about a kind of relationship established.  To follow the least commandment is not to do so as a kind of legal stricture alone, but to enter into relationship with the whole of the Law, with God.  To disregard or abandon the least is thereby to abuse that relationship, to disregard it or discard it in some sense.  As the Sermon on the Mount progresses, Jesus will teach us what it is to truly enter into relationship in the understanding of the Law, the word of God:  relationship both with God and with community.  He will dig more deeply into how and why it is so, and how righteousness works as "right-relatedness."  In so doing, He is bringing a kind of awareness, a consciousness of a deeper level of God who is love, and who teaches us to be God's love in the world.  If we fail to understand relationship, we will fail to understand Christ.  This is a way to walk a blessed life, the life of the Kingdom.  The fullness of His mission will confer the Spirit, the Eucharist, His Passion and Resurrection:  it is all part of a whole, the fulfillment of all that has come before, and the giving of a way of life for us.

Till heaven and earth pass away

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

- Matthew 5:17-20

We continue, in the midst of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. This is the third reading midst this Sermon, the first two being the readings from Monday and Tuesday (see The Beatitudes and Salt and Light). He is preparing us for what is to follow, as he continues with his Sermon and expands on the Law. Let us examine what he teaches today.

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." My study bible notes, "Jesus fulfills the Law in His Person, words and actions by (1) performing God's will in all its fullness (3:15); (2) transgressing none of the precepts of the Law (John 8:46; 14:30), (3) declaring the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which he was about to deliver to them; (4) granting righteousness -- the goal of the Law -- to us (Romans 3:31; 8:3,4; 10:4). He fulfills the Prophets by carrying out fully what they had foretold about him." So, what we have in this passage is an introduction to us of who Jesus is, exactly. He is teaching us about His Person, as my study bible notes. And, in teaching us about himself, he teaches us what he wants us to be -- and why he is giving us his particular teachings in this homily of the Sermon on the Mount.

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." Another helpful note in my study bible reads: "Assuredly is amen in Greek, meaning 'verily,' 'of a truth,' 'so be it.' Christ uses it as a solemn affirmation, a form of oath, even using it to preface certain proclamations. He takes an oath by Himself to underline the authority of His words. A jot is the smallest letter in the Greek and Hebrew alphabets; a tittle is the small stroke in certain Hebrew letters. Thus, the whole of the law is the foundation of the new teaching. It is fulfilled by Christ and will not pass away till heaven and earth pass away (Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17)." Jesus continues to express the idea that both in himself and in his teachings, he is building on the Law, not rejecting it. The Law is included in his perspective and what he teaches; there is nothing excluded. We must be prepared for his new teachings in this expectation and understanding.

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Again, helpful note reads: "Righteousness which is according to the Law is a unified whole: the observance of the least of these secures the observance of the greatest, while the violation of the very least is equivalent to the violation of the greatest. To teach what one does not practice condemns the teacher (Romans 2:21); to do right without guiding others lessens the reward of righteousness. Jesus Himself set the doing before the teaching. We ought to do right and teach ourselves, before we attempt to set others right." It's fascinating, this juxtaposition of doing and teaching. Jesus has taught us already about the values we embrace in the Beatitudes, and he has taught us about how essential we are as disciples, about forbearance, being steadfast in the face of those who will reject and seek to hurt us as the "salt of the earth and the light of the world" (see Salt and Light). Here, he emphasizes both his role that he will play and ours as we share in his mission. Teaching and doing are inseparable; we commit to both, we must be both.

"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." My study bible notes, "Righteousness is more than proper behavior, such as the scribes and Pharisees were advocating, and holy thoughts. It centers upon our relationship with God." This depth of righteousness is a key component of Jesus' teachings. The Law covers a portion of faith, but there is also a depth to be considered, what is in our hearts and not merely how we conform to a set of rules for outward behavior.

What Jesus is advocating and teaching here is a fullness of faith, in which the whole person - of each one of us - is involved. This is more than a fulfillment of duties, a set of rules that govern good behavior. It is more than that. In him, in Christ, in the life of Jesus, we have the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets: he is within the Law, and yet he wishes to take us to something deeper, richer, a deeper understanding of the spirit of the law, and especially a living, dynamic relationship within our hearts to the Author of the Law, and the Spirit of the prophets. We will go forward now with his teaching, and he will begin to explain and unfold what it is not just to fulfill the law, but to live in active dynamic faith that both does and teaches. The discipleship that Jesus advocates is one that sees beyond conformity to rules, but asks also what is within us, what is in our hearts, where we establish relationship with Him and with the Spirit which he will send. This is a dynamic powerful reality. It is not a bypassing of the Law, but rather a fulfillment of what is promised throughout the whole of Jewish spiritual history. It is fulfilled for us in Jesus and in what he will leave with us so that we may be better disciples and cultivate this relationship, and grow in that discipleship and his teachings here in this Sermon. The Beatitudes are his promises that will be fulfilled in this teaching, a way of life conveyed to us through this homily. We go forward into this life as "Salt and Light" - necessary to the world, and as today's passage teaches, as those who both do and teach, understanding that importance. How are we the fulfillment today? Do we live in this spirit of the Prophets, and the promises of the Law? How are we each like Him, cultivating this dynamic relationship, and embodying his teachings? What fruits does it produce in your life? .