Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Some have asserted that the law is the opposite of grace, faith, and the Spirit. They say that because no one can fully fulfill the law that it can only bring death. And it is true that the letter apart from the Spirit brings death (see Second Corinthians 3:6). But upholding the law by faith and the power of the Spirit is necessary for life. It is not an either/or proposition. The just demands of the law are fulfilled in those who live by faith (see Romans 8:4).
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 wasn't speaking only to those outside of his Kingdom when he said that the law could never be changed. He was clearly talking to his followers who were meant to be part of that Kingdom. In other words, to his disciples, and also to us. If even minor infractions make one the least in the Kingdom of heaven then what must then be true of major transgressions? They imply rejecting our faith and willfully separating ourselves from the love of God, what Catholics call mortal sins.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
Obedience to the commandments is not something of which we are capable by our own efforts or by our own power. We need the Holy Spirit, which is given only through faith. This is why the letter alone is dangerous and can be deadly. If not infused with the Spirit it leaves us in an even worse position than when we started, since before the letter we might have at least pleaded ignorance. But we weren't meant to remain in ignorance, and it is a disservice to others not to teach them. Following the law, by the power of the Spirit, is necessary if we want to have the abundant life promised by the Lord. Even aside from mortal sins a lack of concern for God's will as described in the law implies at best a lukewarm relationship with him. It may mean that we experience rules as though we are slaves rather than as sons and daughters. Sons and daughters must also obey the rules of the house, but hopefully they have a greater appreciation for their benevolence than would a slave.
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
The law is God's revelation of himself and his plans for us and the world. It is not evil. It is not meant to be stifling. It is given that we may thrive. Thus we Christians have even more grounds to boast, since in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught about the deep inner dimension that the laws implied. He didn't want our hearts to be saying one thing and our actions another, always desiring what we were not meant to have. He didn't want it because he knew that what he desired for us is better than anything we know how to desire for ourselves.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us (see Ephesians 3:20).
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