Matthew 5:17-37

 SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A

Commentary of Fr. Fernando Armellini

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 

A good Sunday to all. 

Like all pious Israelites, Jesus considered the Torah sacred. It was the law that God had given his people, and as the word of God, it could not be denied or contradicted. At some point, Jesus referenced the Torah in an argument with the scribes and the Pharisees, and it was agreed that the Torah could not be annulled. 

As we heard at the beginning of today's gospel, why does Jesus need to clarify his position regarding the law that God gave to the people of Israel? He says: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets." 

The verb "abolish" that we find in our translation is not correct. Jesus never gave the idea that he wanted to abolish the Old Testament. Not. The verb used in Greek is “καταλῦω” = katalúo =, and this verb does not mean ‘to abolish,’ it means ‘to demolish,’ ‘to collapse,’ ‘to give way.’ 

What did Jesus say or do to give the impression of bringing down the Torah? Just go back to a page in the Gospel of Matthew, and we will find why he proposed demolishing the expectations and hopes raised by the Torah and the Old Testament. Jesus had said: "Blessed are the poor" ... and all the other beatitudes. And, indeed, people will have wondered: "But what is he saying?" In the sacred books, isn't it perhaps said that God blesses the righteous by filling them with goods? 

All the Jewish sects—the Zealots, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes—had their image of the messiah they were waiting for. At this point, they all agreed on one aspect that this Messiah should have: that he would succeed and give success, wealth, and well-being to all who followed him. This was also the idea that the disciples of Jesus had. 

We remember Peter when Jesus tells him that it is necessary to donate life, and Peter says: NO. ‘They have to serve us.’ This was the conviction raised in all the people of Israel, including the disciples, raised by the writings of the Old Testament. Remember Psalm 72: “May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts" (Ps 72:8-10)—a Davidic king who reigns over all. Also, Moses, in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28, tells the people of Israel: “May the Lord put you first, not last; may you always be above others, never below” (Deut 28:13). Further down will be the rest of the people. 

And Jesus wanted to turn all this around. It brought down all hopes. He proclaimed great not to the ruler but to the one who serves, not the one on top but the one on the bottom. The expectation of Jesus did not correspond to the hopes of the people. And that is why Jesus reaffirms: “Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law until all things have taken place.” Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” 

Jesus mentions the least of these commandments. He does not despise them, but they are not the ultimate goal. To enter the kingdom of heaven, it is necessary to verify whether the first part of the Lord's revelation, the Old Testament, has been internalized. These are the "minimum" commandments compared to those he presents. 

In fact, after recognizing the value and intangibility of the law of the prophets, Jesus continues with an affirmation that prepares the six examples of the following text that are necessary to comply with the justice of the Old Testament. He does not deny it but says it is necessary to move on: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” 

Observe the Torah. Torah derives from the verb ‘iará,’ which means to throw an arrow, indicating a direction. And the Torah has indicated the right direction. But at some point, the Torah has stopped. It is necessary to go further. It did not indicate the last horizon it is necessary to reach. It is required to leap forward. And Jesus gives six examples based on what the Torah says. ‘The Torah has come this far ... now I tell you where it is necessary to arrive, the last goal.’ 

We will agree when we examine these six examples that it is impossible to go any further beyond these horizons. It is the most human thing that Jesus presents. Further, it is impossible to walk. 

Let us now listen to the first step forward, which starts from the Torah Jesus asks us to take: to those who want to be his disciples or, better yet, who simply aspire to be a genuine, fully realized person. 

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill, and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. 

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors." That passive: "was said" to your ancestors, is a ‘divine passive.’ "You have heard that God has said: you will not kill." It's one of the ten words regarding the intangibility of man's life. 

Remember what the book of Genesis says in chapter 9: “I will demand a reckoning for the life of his fellow man… for in the image of God has God made man” (Gen 9:5-6). That is, like what the kings did, God has built his statue. What did the pharaohs or the kings of Mesopotamia do in Egypt? They built their statues, and touching those statues meant attacking the sovereign. And God uses this comparison: ‘I made man in my image.’ He who touches this image touches God. And Jesus continues, but first a note. 

Some translations say: "But I tell you." This is not correct. That ‘but’ would seem to contradict what God has told us. In the original Greek text, this ‘but’ does not exist. The Greek text says: ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν = that means what has been said ... then I tell you. What has been said to the ancestors is very good and must remain. ‘Now I tell you where it is necessary to go to respect the image of God that is man.’ In the six examples of Jesus, there is no ‘but.’ Some take these examples as an antithesis to the Old Testament. This antithesis does not exist. Jesus does not oppose the Old Testament but gives continuity and shows where this word of God should go. 

A reductive interpretation can be made from this precept, not to take away any biological life. But, to God, human life does not mean a life that vegetates, that survives. We meet people who are healthy and then say: this is not life.’ It takes a lot to be a life worthy of a person. The first example Jesus gives is homicide; although biological life is not touched—this was already said by the Old Testament—now Jesus shows the ultimate goal. 

In order not to touch the person's life, he gives the first example: You cannot get angry; he who gets angry takes the brother's life. Let's try to understand that anger is the reaction of rejection in the face of injustice, evil done against us, or any other. Anger is an impulse that God has set and is born of love for good. He who does not get angry in the face of evil means he doesn't love. 

In fact, in the Old Testament, there is much more talk about the ‘wrath of God’ than of the wrath of man. And if God did not get angry, he would be indifferent, impassive, and unable to love. And we remember that the Baptist spoke of the "imminent wrath of God." How so that this passion of God is good... this anger of God? Because, unlike ours, it is not unleashed against the one who does evil but against evil. In us, anger quickly loses control and degenerates into aggression, hatred of the one who commits evil, and hatred for a brother or sister. Anger must be unleashed against evil, not against the person who commits it. 

This is what Jesus says: ‘Although you do not take away biological life from the brother if you lose control of the anger and instead of blaming evil, you blame the evildoer, you commit a homicide. Ordinarily, we do not make this distinction and identify evil with the person who commits it. And we try to remove the evil by removing the person from the middle. Not that we kill him... but if a disease takes him, we will not regret it much because then, the evil he committed there will be no more because the person does not exist. 

This anger is homicide. The formula for homicide is always this: "I don't want you to exist," I don't want you to live, "the world would be better off if you didn't exist." Why? Because he does evil. NO. Evil must be eliminated, not the person who commits it. What Paul says is beautiful in the letter to the Ephesians, in chapter 4: "Be angry but do not sin" (Eph 4:26). That is, control this compulsion that God has given and point out the evil that exists, but do not lose control and snatch against the person who commits evil. "May the sunset not surprise you in your anger." 

The second example of homicide is the one who calls his brother, 'You fool.' The Hebrew term is ‘raqá,’ which means ‘empty head.’ It is not a serious expression, but for Jesus, it is about homicide. In other words, it removes even the small joy of living from the brother. We must not do it. 

Third example: "Whoever calls him renegade will be liable to fiery Gehenna.” These are examples that Jesus gives to tell us that a word that can take away, even if it is someone's smile, is already a small homicide. For example, rumors, gossip, curses, slander ... are forms of homicide with the tongue. 

And we know that we all commit these homicides. It would be a big mess if they could be captured with X-rays to see what kind of cemeteries we have in our hearts. We will be ashamed of what we have committed. Because of our fragility, we inevitably take life away from the brother and sister. 

How to behave? It is what Jesus now says: 

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise, your opponent will hand you over to the judge, the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be imprisoned. Amen; I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny. 

We live with our brothers and sisters; we practice good, but we also do evil. This will inevitably happen. What to do? Jesus says it: It is necessary to reconcile with the brother or sister. And this reconciliation is so important to him that he has given it absolute priority. 

To explain this, Jesus uses a paradoxical comparison of the religious culture of his people. The rabbis had established that one could not interrupt the prayer when one began to pray. And they added, ‘Not even if a snake curls up on your leg.’ To reconcile with the brother or sister, Jesus says that one should interrupt prayer and even the sacrifice offered in the temple. 

Remember what Jesus says: if you remember that your brother has something against you. Someone can say: ‘I received a very big offense,' and I have something against my brother. Therefore, I cannot approach the Eucharistic banquet. NO. It’s not about that. Let's heed what Jesus says: ‘If you remember that your brother has something against you.’ If you received an offense from your brother, you cannot resent him. But what Jesus asks is that you, before offering the sacrifice on the altar, should always ask yourself: ‘Is there anyone who has something against me?’. 

This is the reason: the sacrifice is something we renounce, but in Hebrew religiosity, the sacrifice = ‘corban’; it is derived from the verb ‘enakrib,’ which means ‘to come’ coming closer to the Lord. The sacrifice is coming closer to God and the brothers. If you are away from your brother, knowing that he has something against you because you did something wrong, if you are coming closer to God, you are a hypocrite because you must first solve the reason why your brother is far from you. You cannot come closer to God when your brother has moved away from you. The Lord does not accept your sacrifice. It is hypocrisy. 

And then the urgency: "Quickly seek an agreement with your brother while you are on the way with him." This ‘way’ is nothing but the path of our life. Before the final meeting with the Father in heaven, you must agree. You can't reach the Father in Heaven If you have done something against your brother or sister. 

Some years before the Gospel of Matthew was written, the Didache was written. We are in the same context of the city of Antioch, where it was also written Matthew's Gospel. Before the Gospel of Matthew, this catechism was written called the Didache. ‘On the Day of the Lord, come together, break bread, and hold Eucharist, after confessing your transgressions that your offering may be pure; but let none who quarrels with his fellow join in your meeting until they are reconciled, that your sacrifice be not defiled’ (Didache 14:1-2). 

Two centuries later, a bishop of the same region exhorted his brothers in these words: (the bishops were the ones who pronounced the judgments with community members when there was a problem); says this Didascalia of the apostles: ‘Pronounce your judgments on Monday so that, having time till Saturday, you may resolve the disagreement (between the members of your community) and for Sunday to reconcile those who are at odds with each other’ (Didascalia 2, 59, 2). 

Let's listen now to the second example of the leap forward that Jesus expects of those who want to enter the kingdom of heaven. Let's listen: 

"You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, 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 to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. 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 to have your whole body go into Gehenna. 

"You have heard that it was said: You shall not commit adultery." Jesus begins there with what is written in the Torah. Why do these deviations happen? God has done everything well and wanted the husband and wife to be involved in a unique love relationship, unconditional, definitive, and total love in the marital bond. Therefore, any sexual relationship with another person other than with one's spouse is called adultery in the Torah. 

It is not a provision given by God; if one does not obey, one sins, and then God punishes —nothing of this. The love of God worries that you will be happy, that everything is humanizing, and that God puts us on guard because certain options if one makes them, dehumanize you. 

So, this is what is written in the Torah. And it's OK. Jesus does not deny it. He does not say: "But I tell you...." Jesus says: this is fine. Now I tell you, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” It is said that some rabbis never looked at women in their lives. Jesus does not behave this way. Jesus is serene, simple, spontaneous, and free in his relationship with women. Remember the incident when a sinner enters the house of the Pharisee, and Jesus allows her to hug and kiss; the friendship he had with women, with Martha and Mary from Bethany, with Mary Magdalen. 

For Jesus, the problem is not looking at a woman or not looking at a woman. It's about knowing what you carry in your heart... where you want to go. Well, friendships, feelings, and relationships are already betrayals, even if they do not reach the physical act. The lover makes his heart impure. Marital fidelity is a law that is not foreign; it is written in the very nature of spousal love. The rest is death options, not options of life. Options that dehumanize you. 

And Jesus indicates the unequivocal way where adultery begins: It starts in the heart. This sin is attacked at its root. It is too late if you wait for the desire to produce its fruit. And that's why Jesus refers to certain behaviors that then take you to actions that dehumanize you. "If your right eye leads you to sin," desire, getting involved in certain love relationships, and certain seductions. Facing a situation of sin, facing a sexual seduction, the question that everyone spontaneously asks is: Should I take the opportunity or let it pass? If I let it pass, maybe then I will regret it… 

These are the questions people ask. Should I feed, or should I cut certain relationships? Jesus is evident: have the courage to cut sooner; don't wait because you can lose control and end your life in Gehenna. 

What does it mean to ‘end in gehenna’? Not in ‘hell.’ Gehenna was the garbage dump; it was in the southwestern part of the city of Jerusalem. It is not that God sends you to hell. You get into the garbage dump with your life if you don't immediately cut certain behaviors. 

Then, “If your right hand leads you to sin, cut it and throw it away. You better lose a part of your body that end up whole in the gehenna.” We are in a field where, very quickly, one risks losing control of instincts and then comes to the big problems that affect not only those who did things wrong but the family, the children, and, sometimes, as the Scripture says, the consequences of sin affect the third and fourth generation. That is why Jesus insists. 

In the face of certain situations, you must have the courage to make the necessary cuts, even if they are painful, before the first wishes become adultery. 

Let's hear the third example of the leap one should make, starting from the Torah, to reach the kingdom of God. 

It was also said: Whoever divorces his wife must give her a divorce bill. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife - unless the marriage is unlawful - causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. It is what God has said: "Whoever repudiates his wife should give her a divorce certificate." 

The divorce certificate in Hebrew is: ‘sefer keritut.’ ‘Keritut’ comes from the verb ‘karat,’ which means ‘cut,’ ‘To go back,’ therefore, something very painful. It is the document of the rupture of a spousal relationship. While reading the evangelical text, you may have observed a ‘ketubah,’ but now you can see two behind my back. 'Ketuvot' (Hebrew: כְּתוָּבָּה; "something written" is the marriage contract document. 

This document is signed under the ‘hupá,’ which is the baldachin always present in the marriage rite, and ‘ketubah’ is signed in front of two witnesses. It is exquisitely decorated with leaves, as you can see, with many colors. They are a true hymn to joy and life. Pigeons, grape bouquets, and flowers are painted. And they are written in Hebrew, the sacred language. Chagall has also painted ‘ketuvots’. The ‘sefer keritut,’ the marriage divorce document, is a legal way of preparing a paper written all in black and English, not Hebrew. 

Divorce in Hebrew is: ‘get,’ composed of two letters: ‘gimmel’ and ‘tet,’ as indicated in the background. These two letters, therefore, ‘get,’ are not found in biblical Hebrew. This word was adopted in times of the Talmud to indicate divorce. The rabbis have noted that not only does this word not appear in the Bible, but in all the words of the Bible, these two letters: ‘gimmel’ followed by ‘tet’ never appear. 

And they have also noted that no Hebrew word that ends with ‘gimmel’ is followed by the next word with ‘tet.’ They concluded that God had not wanted this word to appear in the Torah. Let us remember what the prophet Malachi says in the name of God: “For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel” (Mal 2:16). 

And the rabbis said: when a marriage is broken, God cries too. This is what the Torah said: ‘If you want to divorce, give the woman ‘sefer keritut,’ the document that testifies that you left her, that you wanted a divorce. It is not God who has allowed divorce. Still, he says, ‘If you divorce, to protect the woman, provide her with the separation document because if you don't give her that document and she remarries, you can accuse her of adultery. Therefore, since you want to divorce her, give her that document. It is not God who has allowed divorce in the Torah. ‘Now I tell you…” So far, everything has been refined, as the Torah says. 

Jesus says: Whoever repudiates his wife induces her to adultery. Jesus' words are very clear. He spoke very little about sexuality, which later obsessed certain moral traditions... but his words are very clear. We must be attentive because today circulates a mentality that thinks that now the times are different, that we no longer live in the Middle Ages... that it is necessary to evolve, to be modern… where everything is fine, everything is lawful, each one freely decides to do what they please. This rule regulates the behaviors: ‘Do what you like,’ ‘just do it.’ 

The question we must ask is different: "The current mentality, permissiveness, sexuality banalization is humanizing or dehumanizing, the dissipation of customs... All these can easily make one forget the words of the Master and make the strongest convictions falter and persuade that it is normal, humanizing, appreciable what instead is only a palliative, a retreat, an order dictated by the wisdom of this world, from which one will be defeated from these experiences. This is God's project of love. An unconditional, definitive love. And you have to bet a lot to do it; it also involves sacrifice abnegation. 

And we know that not everyone risks embodying these values in their lives. It is in sight of all that happens in our world. And Jesus has offered the criteria to discern right and wrong, what humanizes and dehumanizes. Therefore, no concessions can be made on the principles as we will not be loyal to people if we indicate and approve non-life options. The Master does not suggest them. But Jesus does not give anyone the right to prosecute or condemn people. 

Those who happen to make specific painful options, certain cuts, must always be accompanied within the Christian community. The Christian community must always feel understanding and rapprochement. Any option of death can and must be disapproved, but you can never judge and condemn the person who commits it. The person must always be helped. 

Let us now listen to the fourth leap of quality that the disciple of Christ must make from the Torah: 

Again, you have heard that it was said to your ancestors: Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all you vow. But I tell you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one." 

In the Torah, God says, "Do not take a false oath.” Why? Because there were certain cases where it was necessary that an oath could be made. For example, if a person had been entrusted with an animal, an ass or an ox, and then this animal was hurt or died or stolen, there were no witnesses, then how could he who had received these animals in his care show that he had nothing to do with what had happened? 

In this instance, he swore before the Lord. And the owner had to accept the testified truth from the one in charge of the animal. During the Babylonian exile, the Israelites had assimilated, among other bad customs, to swear for any reason. To such an extent that no claim was made without adding an oath: ‘May the Lord fulminate me if what I am saying is not true.’ 

Then, to avoid pronouncing the name of God, they went to less compromising forms. Thus, they swore by the sky, by the temple, by the earth, by their head, by their parents…. "But I say to you, do not swear at all.” 

For Jesus, the oath did not make any sense. This is for two reasons. First, if one swears, it is the symptom of a society where distrust, censorship, disloyalty, and reciprocal suspicion reign, and his disciples belong to a world that is no longer guided by these interests where one is willing even to deceive the brother or sister. NO. This is the ancient world. 

The disciple of Christ has entered a new world with unconditional love for the brother and sister. Therefore, you cannot deceive, and swearing makes no sense. In this sense, Jesus is in tune with the healthiest spirituality of his people. Thus, Josephus Flavius says about the Essenes of Qumram: “Everything they say has more strength than an oath, but they refrain from swearing because they consider it worse than perjury." 

And Philo, a contemporary of Jesus who lived in Alexandria, said: "If the person learned to be honest in all his statements, his words would be worth as an oath." Therefore, Jesus agrees: “Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one." Another very important reason why swearing makes no sense to Jesus is that the oath presupposes a pagan idea of God: May God intervene with thunder and lightning to destroy and punish those who in mind invoke him for a lie. God is not an avenger; therefore, it makes no sense to take oaths. We have considered these quality jumps that, starting from the Torah, reach the ultimate goal that Jesus proposes. 

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.