Transcript
In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself and guided His people through the Law and the Prophets. The Law began with the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai, which later expanded into 613 precepts in Jewish tradition. Just as Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive God’s commandment, Jesus ascended the Mount of the Beatitudes to give the New Law, the Sermon on the Mount. In today’s gospel, Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” To “fulfill” means not to replace or cancel, but to bring the Law to its full meaning, to reveal its true purpose. The Gospel of Matthew, written for Jewish Christians, shows how Jesus completed what began in the Old Covenant. While the rabbis, especially the Pharisees, focused on strict external observance, Jesus invited his followers to a deeper interior righteousness, one that transforms the heart. He began His teaching with the Beatitudes, not as a list of prohibitions but as a vision of what we are called to become: peacemakers, merciful, pure in heart and hungry for righteousness. Through His words and example, Jesus showed that holiness is not just about keeping rules but about living with integrity, compassion, and love. People may see our actions, but God looks at our hearts. Obedience without love becomes hypocrisy, a mistake that Jesus frequently condemned. He did not abolish the Ten Commandments, rather, He perfected them, calling us to move from simple duty to love, from law to grace, from outward compliance to inner conversion. The greatest commandments, love of God and love of neighbor, summarize the whole Law. The Law, rightly understood, leads us to love God and neighbor, the two greatest commandments. Jesus illustrated this by saying, “You have heard it said, ‘Do not kill, but I tell you, do not even be angry.” Hatred is the root of violence and unforgiveness destroys love.