Wednesday
of the 3rd Week of Lent
What does it mean that the Matthean Jesus will fulfill the law and the prophets?
Were there folks around worried about the Law being abolished?
Calling to mind the critique of the Scribes and
Pharisees Jesus makes in Matthew*…heavy burdens, messed up understanding of the
role of the Temple, preoccupation with who
is in and who is out of the
Kingdom, importance of tithing over justice…I hear this passage as a reclaiming
of the heart of the law.
The lines before this pericope are those about salt
and light. They are about the embodiment
of the heart of the matter. What gives off light in such a way that
others are drawn toward justice, mercy and faith? Perhaps this fulfillment is like a chemical
reaction giving off light and heat.
Nothing is abolished. It is
rather transformed. And it can be seen.
A heart
that is in love with God is the end,
the purpose, the fulfillment of the law. To embody
that kind of heart is to be contagious…very contagious.
*chapter 23
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