The Fulfillment of the Law

AM Psalm 119:49-72 • PM Psalm 49, [53]
Exod. 33:1-23 • 1 Thess. 2:1-12 • Matt. 5:17-20

In our gospel reading today, Jesus is addressing the fulfillment of the law. The dynamic that catches my attention first is that his actions were obviously flying in the face of the law enough to have to remind his followers that it was still viable. The context is “fulfilling the law,” which to me implies an ultimate destination where we are past the need of the law. This is what we can unpack today.

I think we can all agree that we have found that to have a society we need laws. Social contracts allow us to progress as a community with guidelines that help keep us safe. However, we also have clear examples of how we have a complex relationship with the law that is often circumstantial. Our laws evolve as we evolve in our understanding of how to live in community with each other. We have and continue to struggle with the dynamic that we have laws that were designed to create systems of oppression.

So as much as it seems like Jesus is calling us to follow religious law to the letter, again, Jesus was not. From healing on the Sabbath, to eating with sinners, down to the hygiene of his disciples, Jesus made exceptions as he was creating a new paradigm. So how do we follow in his steps and discern which laws to follow and which to turn a critical eye to?

When asked a trick question about which commandments (laws) were “most important,” Jesus responded with two, both of which contained love. This is where I find peace and truth. When we are mindfully and actively loving God and loving our neighbor, and we recognize that as the foundation of the laws that we need to live in community, then we see a path to fulfilling the law with love.

Written by Dan Robinson

Dan Robinson is the Media Ministries specialist at St. Paul’s, overseeing the streaming of services online.