Readings:
Sirach 15:15-20
Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
1 Corinthians 2:6-10
Matthew 5:17-37
“[W]hoever obeys and teaches [the least of] these commandments
will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:19)
It begins with the tiniest gesture: an interested glance, the brush of a
hand. Lifelong love builds from little expressions of care before it becomes
total self-surrender to the beloved. At the opposite end of the spectrum,
egregious acts of murder, betrayal, rejection, and deception begin with little
sparks of anger, white lies, lustful looks. In today’s gospel, Jesus instructs
his disciples to watch out for the little things that undermine their love
relationships.
The gospel belies any notion that Jesus overturns the Mosaic law or that
the God of the Old Testament is a harsh God who issues strict commandments,
while the God of the New Testament is a God of love and mercy.
It is the one and the same God of bountiful mercy who gave the law, to
whom Jesus is devoted. Jesus insists on the enduring value of the law, and
his intent to fulfill the tiniest part of it.
What is new is his interpretation of the law, which at times was at odds
with that of other religious leaders of his day. His is not a lax interpretation,
but one that is even more demanding than theirs. To truly keep the law,
one must go beyond it. Jesus speaks to his disciples about the little things
that can erode their relationship with God and others and escalate into
major offenses.
The formula “You have heard that it was said” introduces each of four
commandments; this is followed by Jesus’ invitation to go deeper: “But I
say to you . . .” First, he speaks of taking steps to defuse anger before it
reaches a murderous stage. He gives three concrete examples. Primary is
to avoid insulting one another. Then, if there has been a rupture in a
relationship, a ritual action alone will not mend it. A face-to-face reconciliation
must be sought. Finally, conflicts should not be allowed to escalate to the
point of litigation. In this section, Jesus is not speaking about justifiable
anger at an unjust situation that gives energy to work for necessary change.
Just as anger can be the first step toward murder, so a lustful look can
be the prelude to adultery, a form of which can be divorce. As with justifiable
anger, Jesus recognizes situations in which divorce is a righteous action.
It is not clear whether porneia (v. 32) connotes sexual misconduct, that is,
adultery, or whether it refers to marriage to close kin, which was forbidden
in Jewish law (Lev 18:6-18; see also Acts 15:20, 29).
The final section centers on honesty in relationships. If Leviticus 19:12
admonished, “You shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name
of your God,” Jesus says that relations among Christians should be so
transparent that there is no need for taking oaths at all.
By instructing his disciples to watch out for the little transgressions, he
did not intend to frighten them into obeying a God who was lying in wait
to punish them for every pecadillo. Rather, he alerts his followers that little
slights, left unchecked, can lead to major offenses, with dire consequences.
By the same token, great love and greatness in God’s reign begin with little
acts of love toward the least brother or sister. One saint who epitomizes
this teaching is St. Therese of Lisieux. Through her “little way,” she resolved
to love all those she encountered in all the routine and ordinary interchanges
of everyday life. Her greatness was recognized by her canonization only
twenty-eight years after her death and the bestowal of the title of doctor of
the church a century later.
Sr. Barbara E. Reid, O.P.
This reflection appeared in Abiding Word. Sunday Reflections for Year A. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2013. Pp. 66-67.