Grace Trumps Law

Grace Trumps Law Jody Winston June 19, 2005

Sermon Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.1 It appears ironic to me that on Father’s Day, a day on which we celebrate a father’s contributions to his family, we have a Gospel reading, which tells us how Christianity can separate children from their parents. It would seem that we should instead have a reading, which tells us of a father’s love for his child, how this love positively influences the child’s life, and lessons that we can all learn from both the father and the child. But it appears at first glance that we have no such story in the Gospel that is assigned for today. Instead, in this difficult text found near the end of today’s Gospel reading, Jesus gives us three possible ways that this division between child and parent can occur: between a son and his father, between a daughter and her mother, and between a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law.2 In other words, Christ may split families into two sections, one group that follows Christ and one group that does not.3 In today’s society, where family breakdowns happen due to many reasons such as divorce, we have grown used to seeing broken families. We do not feel the same terror when we hear that families will be divided by the sword as those who heard it in Christ’s time. For when this Gospel was written, no one could live apart from their family because families were responsible for the survival of its members. An individual’s survival apart from their family of original was practically impossible because these people, the orphan, the widow, and the stranger legally 1

Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3. 2 Matthew 10:35. 3 Matthew 10:34.

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have no house or household.4 That is one of the main reasons why the Scriptures are so concerned with the care of the these individuals. The widow needed support to survive. The orphan needed to be helped. The stranger needed to be welcomed. It is up to the members of the community to bless those in need. Even today with many nonfunctional families, Christ’s promise to divide families into two groups is troubling. On the surface, we would like to think that we live in a world that follows Jesus. We hope that every family is Christian. We pray that all Christian fathers have Christian children. But this is not, nor ever has been, reality. Many people in our world have never heard of Jesus. There are families, even in our neighborhoods that are not Christian. We all know of families who have been touched by sin and that have members who refuse to hear the Good News that Jesus loves them. However, going deeper still, this message of family strife appears to completely refute Christ’s message in Matthew that He will not change or remove any portion of the Law because, how can one honor father and mother when Jesus is preaching a message of division?5 In order to see how Jesus can uphold the Law while telling us how families will be divided, we need to look at Christ’s words and actions in the Gospel according to Matthew. Jesus clearly tells his followers in the Sermon on the Mount that He came to keep the Law not abolish it6 and that His followers must serve others7 just as God serves.8 This theme of upholding all of the Law continues throughout the Book of Matthew as Jesus preaches that the kingdom of Heaven in near, teaches anyone who listens about God’s kingdom, and heals those with many different ills. All of these actions portray Jesus as the ultimate interpreter of the Torah.9 One of the final interpretations of the Law by Jesus occurs before today’s Gospel reading when the Pharisees ask Christ’s disciples why Jesus eats with both tax collectors and sinners.10 Jesus overhears their conversation and quotes from the prophet Hosea11 by answering that the Pharisees need to learn the meaning of 4

Matthews, Victor H. and Benjamin, Don C., Chap. The Widow In Social World of Ancient Israel 1250-587 BCE. 2nd edition. Hendrickson Publishers, August 1995, p. 133. 5 Matthew 5:17-18. 6 Matthew 5:17-18. 7 Matthew 5:38-42; 5:43-45; 7:12. 8 Matthews 5:45. 9 Daniel J. Harrington, S.J.; Idem, editor, The Gospel of Matthew. Volume 1, Sacra Pagina Series. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1991, p. 76. 10 Matthew 9:11b. 11 Hosea 6:6.

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“I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.”12 This interpretation of the Law is reiterated later in Matthew when Jesus once again quotes Hosea to the Pharisees when they ask about the legality of harvesting food on the Sabbath.13 In the writings of Hosea, we hear that “God’s love is greater than law and emotion.”14 Christ wants to tear down all the walls that divide us, even the walls of God’s Law. This view is summerized in the phrase that God wants mercy and not sacrifice. God wants wants compassion more than anything else. This love for others is part of the great commandment to love God and neighbor.15 One needs to love everyone in society, including the most despised. In Christ’s time, this was those who could not by their profession lead lives of righteousness.16 This grace must happen at all times. Compassion must be shown to everyone, even on the Sabbath.17 Unfortunately, some of us do not want to show love to God. We feel that we are in charge of our own lives. We divide ourselves from God. Others of us in this group think that we only can love God on certain days or in certain places. This too separates us from the love of God. Others of us refuse to love our neighbors. We could rationalize our thoughts by thinking that our needs are the most important in the world or that we could never associate with those individuals who are below our station in life. When we do this, we draw the sword between our neighbors and ourselves. God has sent us His Love, Jesus to break down everything that keeps us from Him. Jesus not only told us how to apply the Law so that it brings life to our lives, but He also lived a life that upheld every one of God’s Laws. God has even allowed this Love to overrule God’s Law since God desires for us to live with Him forever. This is the Good News that God’s Grace trumps God’s Law. This love, this gift of grace, came at a great cost. Jesus had to suffer and die for us. Because of His sacrifice, we are forgiven and we have been given the gift of eternal life with Him. The difficulties associated with today’s Gospel reading have shown us the lengths that God will go in order to save His people because God wants compassion and not sacrifice. He will allow His Law to be set aside so that Christ’s followers may be forgiven and inherit eternal life. 12

Matthew 9:13a. Matthew 12:7. 14 Heschel, Abraham J., The Prophets. Volume I, Harper Torchbooks, 1975, p. p. 51. 15 Matthew 22:38-39. 16 Daniel J. Harrington, p. 128. 17 Ibid., p. 173. 13

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Maybe, after all, this Gospel reading is a good reading to have on Father’s Day. We have learned of a God who not only loves His Only Son but all of creation. We have seen how God’s Love has changed God’s Law. We have heard how this love, in the form of forgiveness, has given us acceptance. Now that we have learned of the Father’s gifts to us, we should go and tell others of this amazing God who is a Father to us all. “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”18

References Daniel J. Harrington, S.J.; Idem, editor: The Gospel of Matthew. Volume 1, Sacra Pagina Series. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1991, ISBN 0-8146-5803-2.bAnnoteFile bib:Harrington Heschel, Abraham J.: The Prophets. Volume I, Harper Torchbooks, 1975, ISBN 0-06-131421-8.bAnnoteFile bib:HeschelV1 Matthews, Victor H./Benjamin, Don C.: Chap. The Widow In Social World of Ancient Israel 1250-587 BCE. 2nd edition. Hendrickson Publishers, August 1995, pp. 132–141, ISBN 0-913573-89-2.bAnnoteFile bib:MatthewsAndBenjamin

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Philippians 4:7.

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