Jesus Comes to Fulfill the Law

June 8, Wednesday, 10th Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial: Mariam Thresia Chiramel
Daily Readings: 1Kings 18:20-39; Gospel: Mathew 5: 17-19

The Prophet Elijah tells King Ahab to gather all the people at Mount Carmel for a contest to prove which is the true God, Yahweh, or the gods of Baal. At the king's request, the people gather at Mount Carmel, and when the prophets of Baal pray fervently to their God, nothing happens; when Elijah gets his turn, he prays, and the sacrifice is consumed. People fell onto their knees and said, "The Lord is God." In the gospel, Jesus says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; on the contrary, I have come to fulfill them."

In the first book of Kings, people are neutral; they have not yet taken their stand for Yahweh. The Prophet Elijah reminds them that it does not suit them to limp for Baal or Yahweh. It cannot go on forever. Somewhere down the line, the line has to be drawn. When he has this fight, he gets people to stand up for him. When the sacrifice is burned, Yahweh is the true God.

In the gospel, Jesus says that the purpose of his coming is precisely to fulfill what has been lacking in the fulfillment of the law. The Law and the prophets were very dear to the Jews, as they were meant to be their Hebrew Scriptures. They called Jesus a lawbreaker because he helped people on the Sabbath, but Jesus was defining the law in new ways that they couldn't understand, which made them loggerheads. In this way, Jesus makes it clear to the Jews that he has come to abide by what has been stated in the Scriptures.

Jesus said we couldn't hurt others by our lousy example or ill-advised words. We need to ask ourselves. How do I lead other people in such a matter? Do I think before I speak on spiritual issues?