Explication
Every day
Biblical commentaries
The verb Jesus used, “think not,” means that it is about correcting a mistake. No doubt he wants to deny the rumor, maintained by his adversaries, according to which he would like to “abolish” the Law of Moses.
So, at the moment when he has just exhorted his disciples to bear witness to the Gospel through their “good works”, Jesus reminds us that this Law remains the norm. It is the ethical charter given to the people, allowing everyone to live with others, in freedom and mutual respect. Its multiple “commandments” guarantee in particular the rights of the weakest: the widow; the orphan, the stranger…
This solemn clarification is nevertheless astonishing, when we know that Jesus himself will take some liberty with this Law. He then clarifies his position with these words: “I have not come to abolish it, but to fulfill it. » This means that he came to give it its true aim and its full realization, through his life, his teaching and his actions. He has already indicated to his disciples that their “good works” should have no other goal than to “glorify the Father” (v.17) Not to glorify themselves, like the religious authorities of the time. The Law only has a liberating meaning if it is in the service of God and neighbor. To fulfill the law is to put it into practice, never forgetting that “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. » (Mk 2:27)
Other readings: 1 Kings 18, 20-39; PS: 15 (16)
