Matthew 5:17–37
Jesus said, ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’ You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’
Commentary
Today’s Gospel passage is a long one though some may use the short form. It is for our good that we should go through the long form slowly, verse by verse so that we can know which section of a passage will touch us mostly. Although today’s Gospel could be seen as a moralization of Jesus’ teaching, which in fact forms part of the Sermon on the Mount, it would be for our greater benefit if we read it from our own experiences and notice in our hearts where does Jesus touch us in our experiences.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus does not give us a list what to do and what not to do. Instead, he describes the experience of conversion. What he is talking about is not deeds or behaviours, but attitude, the attitude of people who believe in him and follow him.
It is relevant to the world we live in, which is like the Pharisees and scribes, who try to break down human tragedy into single issues. Take the refugees tragedy as an example, we believe that the solution being that they should be accepted and settled in a third country without going deep into the root of the cause of this human tragedy. Seeing the refugee tragedy in the context of today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us to approach this problem or any human problem with a radical and holistic approach. Such a radical and holistic approach is a sign of our commitment to Jesus and the Church, to our families and neighbourhoods, and to our social or political movements.
The key to gain a better understanding or interpretation of today’s Gospel in the long form is verse 20: “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus reminds us that the benchmark of our righteousness is that of the scribes and Pharisees. This is because the laws are also given by God. However, he adds, simply by complying with the benchmark requirements is not good enough to enter the kingdom of heaven. This is because with the Incarnation, Jesus sets us the example that more should be done.
Then he lists out what more could be done by us in our relationship with people who are different from us (verses 21 to 26), in our marriage relationship (verses 27 to 32), and in our relationship with the world (verses 33 to 37).
May we pray for openness in our prayer over today’s Gospel. Amen.