Jesus Is the Fulfillment of the Law

Homily for Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

The Divine Law, promulgated through Moses on Mount Sinai, was the basis of the relationship between the Lord God and the chosen people. It was essential in helping to shape and define them as a people, making them stand out from every other civilization in the Mediterranean Crescent. One day, salvation for all creation would come from them, the descendants of Abraham, from the royal lineage of King David of the House of Israel.

This context is important as we hear today’s Scriptures. Before his conversion, St. Paul had practiced strict adherence to the laws of the Sinai Covenant. However, the passage that we read from his Second Letter to the Corinthians sounds like he is completely dismissing that as part of his old life before his conversion. He makes specific reference to the laws carved in stone, engraved on the tablets in the ark of the covenant. He calls these laws a ministry of death because following the law did not bring about reconciliation with God; only Jesus’s sacrifice did.

In reality, St. Paul is witnessing to what Jesus teaches in today’s Gospel passage. The law was not dismissed or abolished by Jesus but fulfilled in him. Repentance and belief in Jesus Christ free us from death because his eternal sacrifice brings about forgiveness and reconciliation with our God. What the letter of the law could not do in its impermanence, the spirit of the law in its eternal presence can give life.

Our personal relationship with Jesus Christ gives us access to the one who gave the law. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. The written law could only do so much. When we allow Christ to enter our hearts, when we follow him, we are not simply seeking to comply with God’s commandments. We are experiencing the fullness of life that comes in our identity as the children of God.