Grace and Faith

Today’s Gospel Text:  "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil 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. Matt 5:17-19

Reflection: For a good teacher of the Christian faith, it is always a jugglery to balance their teaching between the law of grace and faith?

With the Christian being hammered by the word that justification is only through faith one begins to wonder what happens to the law, which Christ Jesus gives so much of importance in this passage of Scripture:

“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.”  (vs. 18)

Matthew is writing to a community that is predominantly Jewish converts who hold the law in high esteem.  

This doesn’t mean that in seeking to write to this community that Matthew has put words in the mouth of Jesus, but rather Matthew may have tailor made the teachings of Jesus to an audience that needs it.

As means for salvation, the law, as prescribed, has no value in itself in the new order of Salvation set forth by Christ.

If the diligent practice of the law saved the Israelite then in the new order set forth by Christ Jesus we are saved by faith through grace. 

Jesus Christ, who came to free us from the yoke of slavery to the law, clearly clarifies the importance of the law for himself so as to fulfill its demands, as a demand set forth by God and thus to become our savior by fulfilling every demand of it perfectly.

Then do we abrogate the law as useless? No, it is the law with its demands, which had the power over us  and which could still have the power over us if we submit to it wholeheartedly, which is useless.

In the new order set forth by Christ we live in the greater freedom of Christ's Spirit, in which we rise above the law that subjugates and kills and submit ourselves to the life giving spirit, Jesus Christ who saves.

To live by the Spirit means to live a life of much more perfection than what the law required and what is more the grace of the Holy Spirit assists us in our walk as Christians to lead a noble and dedicated life in Christ Jesus.

For a Christian the knowledge of the law is an aid in knowing the mind of the Spirit of God, who is far greater than the law he has given.

Prayer: Lord you have promised to pour out your Holy Spirit into our hearts and cause us to walk in your ways. (cfr. Ez. 36:27) 

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Follow Him

Scripture/Bible:  And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: 'Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." Mark 10:17-27

Reflection:  Finally, we have a man, a rich young man, who had all the self confidence of an apparent faith. Though he seemed unsure of eternal life but he seemed very sure of his rights. He seemed sure that he was the child of God and if he followed certain rules and ethics of life he would inherit God’s Kingdom.

The facts that he used the word ‘inherit’ smacks of a certain kind of arrogance based on confidence, sonship and rights.  Only a son or a close relative can seek to inherit and if it is a son then he can demand his share of inheritance, as in the above Gospel text above.

If anyone thought that following the commandments or selling everything is enough to inherit eternal life, then you are wrong.

You have to first acknowledge your true state, which is evil and steeped in sin: “No one is good but God alone.”  (vs. 18)

The rich young man failed to see this element and hence Jesus had to remind him about the commandments he needed to keep; “Yet, if it had not been for the law, I should not have known sin.” Rom 7:7 And he needed to be reminded of the commandments so that he may know his true worth.

But it made little impact on the man whose conscience failed to show him his defects in the light of God’s perfect law and its limitations. 

For though he seemed to have kept God’s law perfectly, he missed out on the most important commandment which Jesus had not pointed out to him so far; to love the Lord your God with all your heart….……more than your possessions too.

From this we know that the rich young man missed out on that truth which clearly says that we need to love the Lord our God more than our possessions of wealth and money, image and false sense righteousness based on the law. .

Prayer: “Restore us, O God of hosts; let thy face shine, that we may be saved!”  Ps 80:7

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