MATTHEW 5:17-37: SUNDAY'S GOSPEL FOR YOUR REFLECTION
Manuel Tuazon
For: Sunday, February 11, 1996
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: Matthew 5:17-37
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law
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(Jesus said to the crowds:) [17] "Think not that I have come to abolish
the Law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to
fulfill them. [18] For truly I say to you, till Heaven and earth pass
away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is
accomplished. [19] Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these
commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom
of Heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great
in the Kingdom of Heaven. [20] For I tell you, unless your
righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never
enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
[21] "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not
kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' [22] But I say
to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to
judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council,
and whoever says, `You fool!' shall be liable to the Hell of fire.
[23] So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember
that your brother has something against you, [24] leave your gift there
before the altar and go; first to be reconciled to your brother, and
then come and offer your gift. [25] Make friends quickly with your
accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand
you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in
prison; [26] truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have
paid the last penny.
[27] "You have heard that it was said, `You shall not commit
adultery.' [28] But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman
lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. [29]
If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it
is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body
be thrown into hell. [30] And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your
members than that your whole body go into Hell.
[31] "It was also said, `Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a
certificate of divorce.' [32] But I say to you that every one who
divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an
adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
[33] "Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You
shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have
sworn.' [34] But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by Heaven,
for it is the throne of God, [35] or by the earth, for it is His
footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. [36]
And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or
black. [37] Let what you say be simply, `Yes' or `No'; anything more
than this comes from evil."
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Commentary:
17-19. In this passage Jesus stresses the perennial value of the Old
Testament. It is the word of God; because it has a divine authority it
deserves total respect. The Old Law enjoined precepts of a moral,
legal and liturgical type. Its moral precepts still hold good in the
New Testament because they are for the most part specific divine-
positive promulgations of the natural law. However, our Lord gives
them greater weight and meaning. But the legal and liturgical precepts
of the Old Law were laid down by God for a specific stage in salvation
history, that is, up to the coming of Christ; Christians are not
obliged to observe them (cf. "Summa Theologiae", I-II, q. 108, a. 3 ad
3).
The law promulgated through Moses and explained by the prophets was
God's gift to His people, a kind of anticipation of the definitive Law
which the Christ or Messiah would lay down. Thus, as the Council of
Trent defined, Jesus not only "was given to men as a Redeemer in whom
they are to trust, but also as a lawgiver whom they are to obey" ("De
Iustificatione", can. 21).
20. "Righteousness": see the note on Matthew 5:6 (see below). This
verse clarifies the meaning of the preceding verses. The scribes and
Pharisees had distorted the spirit of the Law, putting the whole
emphasis on its external, ritual observance. For them exact and
hyper-detailed but external fulfillment of the precepts of the Law was
a guarantee of a person's salvation: "If I fulfill this I am righteous,
I am holy and God is duty bound to save me." For someone with this
approach to sanctification it is really not God who saves: man saves
himself through external works of the Law. That this approach is quite
mistaken is obvious from what Christ says here; in effect what He is
saying is: to enter the Kingdom of God the notion of righteousness or
salvation developed by the scribes and Pharisees must be rejected. In
other words, justification or sanctification is a grace from God; man's
role is one of cooperating with that grace by being faithful to it.
Elsewhere Jesus gives the same teaching in an even clearer way (cf.
Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector). It
was also the origin of one of St. Paul's great battles with the
"Judaizers" (see Galatians 3 and Romans 2-5).
21. Verses 21-26 gives us a concrete example of the way that Jesus Christ
brought the Law of Moses to its fulfillment, by explaining the deeper
meaning of the commandments of that Law.
22. By speaking in the first person ("but I say to you") Jesus shows
that His authority is above that of Moses and the prophets; that is to
say, He has divine authority. No mere man could claim such authority.
"Insults": practically all translations of this passage transcribe the
original Aramaic word, "raca" (cf. RSV note below). It is not an easy
word to translate. It means "foolish, stupid, crazy". The Jews used
it to indicate utter contempt; often, instead of verbal abuse they
would show their feelings by spitting on the ground.
"Fool" translates an ever stronger term of abuse than "raca"--implying
that a person has lost all moral and religious sense, to the point of
apostasy.
In this passage our Lord points to three faults which we commit against
charity, moving from internal irritation to showing total contempt.
St. Augustine comments that three degrees of faults and punishments are
to be noted. The first is the fault of feeling angry; to this
corresponds the punishment of "judgment". The second is that of
passing an insulting remark, which merits the punishment of "the
council". The third arises when anger quite blinds us: this is
punished by "the hell of fire" (cf. "De Serm. Dom. in Monte", II, 9).
"The hell of fire": literally, "Gehenna of fire", meaning, in the
Jewish language of the time, eternal punishment.
This shows the gravity of external sins against charity--gossip,
backbiting, calumny, etc. However, we should remember that these sins
stem from the heart; our Lord focuses our attention, first, on internal
sins--resentment, hatred, etc.--to make us realize that that is where
the root lies and that it is important to nip anger in the bud.
23-24. Here our Lord deals with certain Jewish practices of His time,
and in doing so gives us perennial moral teaching of the highest
order. Christians, of course, do not follow these Jewish ritual
practices; to keep our Lord's commandment we have ways and means given
us by Christ Himself. Specifically, in the New and definitive Covenant
founded by Christ, being reconciled involves going to the Sacrament of
Penance. In this Sacrament the faithful "obtain pardon from God's
mercy for the offense committed against Him, and are, at the same time,
reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins"
("Lumen Gentium", 11).
In the New Testament, the greatest of all offerings is the Eucharist.
Although one has a duty to go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of
Obligation, an essential condition before receiving Holy Communion is
that one be in the state of grace.
It is not our Lord's intention here to give love of neighbor priority
over love of God. There is an order of charity: "You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your
strength. This is the great and first commandment" (Matthew
22:37-38). Love of one's neighbor, which is the second commandment in
order of importance (cf. Matthew 22:39), derives its meaning from the
first. Brotherhood without parenthood is inconceivable. An offense
against charity is, above all, an offense against God.
[Note on Matthew 5:6 states:
6. The notion of righteousness (or justice) in Holy Scripture is an
essentially religious one (cf. notes on Matthew 1:19 and 3:15; Romans
1:17; 1:18-32; 3:21-22 and 24). A righteous person is one who
sincerely strives to do the Will of God, which is discovered in the
commandments, in one's duties of state in life and through one's life
of prayer. Thus, righteousness, in the language of the Bible, is the
same as what nowadays is usually called "holiness" (1 John 2:29;
3:7-10; Revelations 22:11; Genesis 15:6; Deuteronomy 9:4).]
27-30. This refers to a sinful glance at any woman, be she married or
not. Our Lord fills out the precepts of the Old Law, where only
adultery and the coveting of one's neighbor's wife were considered
sinful.
"Lustfully": feeling is one thing, consenting another. Consent
presupposes that one realizes the evil of these actions (looking,
imagining, having impure thoughts) and freely engages in them.
Prohibition of vices always implies a positive aspect--the contrary
virtue. Holy purity, like every other virtue, is something eminently
positive; it derives from the First Commandment and is also directed to
it: "You shall love the Lord your God WITH ALL your heart, WITH ALL
your soul, and WITH ALL your mind" (Matthew 22:37). "Purity is a
consequence of the love that prompts us to commit to Christ our soul
and body, our faculties and senses. It is not something negative; it
is a joyful affirmation" ([Blessed] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By",
5). This virtue demands that we use all the resources available to us,
to the point of heroism if necessary.
"Right eye", "right hand", refers to whatever we value most. Our Lord
lays it on the line and it not exaggerating. He obviously does not
mean that we should physically mutilate ourselves, but that we should
fight hard without making any concessions, being ready to sacrifice
anything which clearly could put us in the way of offending God.
Jesus' graphic words particularly warn us about one of the most common
occasions of sin, reminding us of how careful we need to be guarding
our sight. King David, by indulging his curiosity, went on to commit
adultery and crime. He later wept over his sins and led a holy life in
the presence of God (cf. 2 Samuel 11 and 12).
"The eyes! Through them many iniquities enter the soul. So many
experiences like David's!--If you guard your sight you will have
assured the guard of your heart: ([Blessed] J. Escriva, "The Way",
183).
Among the ascetical methods of protecting the virtue of holy purity
are: frequent Confession and Communion; devotion to our Lady; a spirit
of prayer and mortification; guarding of the senses; flight from
occasions of sin; and striving to avoid idleness by always being
engaged in doing useful things. There are two further means which are
particularly relevant today: "Decorum and modesty are younger brothers
of purity" ([Blessed] J. Escriva, "The Way", 128). Decorum and
modestry are a sign of good taste, of respect for others and of human
and Christian dignity. To act in accord with this teaching of our
Lord, the Christian has to row against the current in a paganized
environment and bring his influence for good to bear on it.
"There is need for a crusade of manliness and purity to counteract and
undo the savage work of those who think that man is a beast. And that
crusade is a matter for you" ([Blessed] J. Escriva, "The Way", 121).
31-32. The Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 24:1), which was laid down in
ancient times, had tolerated divorce due to the hardness of heart of
the early Hebrews. But it had not specified clearly the grounds on
which divorce might be obtained. The rabbis worked out different sorts
of interpretations, depending on which school they belonged
to--solutions ranging from very lax to quite rigid. In all cases, only
husband could repudiate wife, not vice-versa. A woman's inferior
position was eased somewhat by the device of a written document whereby
the husband freed the repudiated woman to marry again if she wished.
Against these rabbinical interpretations, Jesus re-establishes the
original indissolubility of marriage as God instituted it (Genesis
1:27; 2:24; cf. Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 1:31; 1 Corinthians 7:10).
[The RSVCE carries a note which reads: "unchastity": The Greek word
used here appears to refer to marriages which were not legally
marriages, because they were within the forbidden degrees of
consanguinity (Leviticus 18:6-16) or contracted with a Gentile. The
phrase "except on the ground of unchastity" does not occur in the
parallel passage in Luke 16:18. See also Matthew 19:9 (Mark 10:11-12),
and especially 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, which shows that the prohibition
is unconditional.] The phrase, "except on the ground of unchastity",
should not be taken as indicating an exception to the principle of
absolute indisolubility of marriage which Jesus has just
re-established. It is almost certain that the phrase refers to unions
accepted as marriage among some pagan people, but prohibited as
incestuous in the Mosaic Law (cf. Leviticus 18) and in rabbinical
tradition. The reference, then, is to unions radically invalid because
of some impediment. When persons in this position were converted to
the True Faith, it was not that their union could be dissolved; it was
declared that they had never in fact been joined in true marriage.
Therefore, this phrase does not do against the indissolubility of
marriage, but rather reaffirms it.
On the basis of Jesus' teaching and guided by the Holy Spirit, the
Church has ruled that in the specially grave case of adultery it is
permissible for a married couple to separate, but without the marriage
bond being dissolved; therefore, neither party may contract a new
marriage.
The indissolubility of marriage was unhesitatingly taught by the Church
from the very beginning; she demanded practical and legal recognition
of this doctrine, expounded with full authority by Jesus (Matthew
19:3-9; Mark 10:1-12; Luke 16:18) and by the Apostles (1 Corinthians
6:16; 7:10-11; 39; Romans 7:2-3; Ephesians 5:31f). Here, for example,
are just a few texts from the Magisterium on this subject:
"Three blessings are ascribed to matrimony [...]. The third is the
indissolubility of matrimony--indissoluble because it signifies the
indivisible union of Christ with the Church. Although a separation
from bed may be permitted by reason of marital infidelity, nevertheless
it is not permitted to contract another matrimony since the bond of a
marriage lawfully contracted is perpetual" (Council of Florence, "Pro
Armeniis").
"If anyone says that the marriage bond can be dissolved by reason of
heresy, domestic incompatibility, or willful desertion by one of the
parties, let him be anathema" (Council of Trent, "De Sacram. Matr.",
can. 5).
"If anyone says that the Church is in error when she has taught and
does teach according to the doctrine of the Gospels and Apostles that
the marriage bond cannot be dissolved because of adultery on the part
of either the husband or the wife; and that neither party, not even the
innocent one who gave no cause for the adultery, can contract another
marriage while the other is still living; and that adultery is
committed by both the husband who dismisses the adulterous wife and
marries again and by the wife who dismisses her adulterous husband and
marries again: let him be anathema" ("ibid"., can. 7).
"Taking our starting point from that encyclical, which is concerned
almost entirely with vindicating the divine institution of matrimony,
its dignity as a sacrament, and its perpetual stability, let us first
recall this immutable, inviolable and fundamental truth: matrimony was
not instituted or re-established by men but by God; not men, but God,
the Author of nature, and Christ our Lord, the restorer of nature,
provided marriage with its laws, confirmed it and elevated it; and
consequently those laws can in no way be subject to human wills or to
any contrary pact made even by the contracting parties themselves.
This is the teaching of the Church; it is the solemnly defined doctrine
of the Council of Trent, which uses the words of Holy Scripture to
proclaim and establish that the perpetual indissolubility of the
marriage bond, its unity and its stability, derive from God Himself
(Pius XI, "Casti Connubii").
"It is true that before the coming of Christ the perfection and
strictness of the original law were modified to the extent that Moses,
because of the hardness of their hearts, allowed even the members of
God's people to give a bill of divorce for certain reasons. But
Christ, in virtue of His power as supreme Lawgiver, revoked this
concession and restored the law to its original perfection by those
words which must never be forgotten: `What God hath joined together let
no man put asunder'" ("ibid",).
"For the good of the parties, of the children, and of society this
sacred bond no longer depends on human decision alone. For God Himself
is the author of marriage [...]. The intimate union of marriage (as a
mutual giving of two persons) and the good of the children demand total
fidelity from the spouses and require an unbreakable unity between
them" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 48).
33-37. The Law of Moses absolutely prohibited perjury or violation of
oaths (Exodus 20:7; Numbers 30:3; Deuteronomy 23:22). In Christ's
time, the making of sworn statements was so frequent and the casuistry
surrounding them so intricate that the practice was being grossly
abused. Some rabbinical documents of the time show that oaths were
taken for quite unimportant reasons. Parallel to this abuse of
oath-taking there arose no less ridiculous abuses to justify
non-fulfillment of oaths. All this meant great disrespect for the name
of God. However, we do know from Sacred Scripture that oath-taking is
lawful and good in certain circumstances: "If you swear, `As the Lord
lives', in truth, in justice, and in uprightness, then nations shall
bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory (Jeremiah 4:2).
Jesus here lays down the criterion which His disciples must apply in
this connection. It is based on re-establishing, among married people,
mutual trust, nobility and sincerity. The devil is "the father of
lies" (John 8:44). Therefore, Christ's Church must teach that human
relationships cannot be based on deceit and insincerity. God is truth,
and the children of the Kingdom must, therefore, base mutual
relationships on truth. Jesus concludes by praising sincerity.
Throughout His teaching He identifies hypocrisy as one of the main
vices to be combatted (cf., e.g., Matthew 23:13-32), and sincerity as
one of the finest virtues (cf. John 1:47).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentary
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland. Printed in Hungary.
"Nihil Obstat": Stephen J. Greene, "Censor Deputatus".
"Imprimi Potest": J. O'Carroll, Diocesan Administrator, 15 October
1987.
Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Sun
Microsystems, Inc.
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