Homily on Matthew 5:17-19: Jesus Fulfills the Law

Homily on Matthew 5:17-19: Jesus Fulfills the Law ( Wednesday the 26th of March 2025)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

A young apprentice once worked under a master sculptor and was given the task of chiselling a small portion of a magnificent statue. The apprentice worked arduously day after day and thought the amount of work he did seemed very insignificant. He became frustrated and asked the master, “Why does this small carving matter? No-one will ever notice it.” The master said to him, “But you are not able to see what the finished work will become. Keep on doing the work entrusted to you with patience and in the fullness of time you will understand.”

In today’s Gospel Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Mt 5:17). The Laws or commandments given through Moses were indeed like an unfinished sculpture. Each commandment was a like the stroke of the chisel meant to shape the people of God into something beautiful. But it is only in Jesus we can see the entire masterpiece.  Hence, He is not erasing the Law but completes its beauty.

In the Old Testament the commandments of God guided people towards righteousness, but many of them did not follow them to the fullness of the law. In the New Testament Jesus goes deeper and completes the laws of the Old Testament. He teaches that the law is not about outward obedience alone but it is about love. Saint Augustine said, “Love and do what you will.” This does not mean we are free to sin, but that when we truly love we are compelled to love and understand everyone, then naturally we will fulfill the law. If our hearts are filled with love, we will adhere to God’s laws and not steal, lie, or harm others. Love perfects the law.

 So it is clear that Jesus does not destroy the law but perfects it. The Old Testament was like a seed which Jesus brings to full bloom. If we can imagine a tree which grows from a seed for a moment. The seed was just the beginning of the tree’s full potential and purpose is fulfilled as it grows. In the same way, Jesus fulfills what God had started through Moses.

A good example of this can be seen in the Law of Moses, “You shall not kill.” But Jesus goes further and says, “Do not even be angry with your brother” (Mt 5:22). The Law of Moses forbids adultery, but Jesus calls us to purity even in our thoughts. The Pharisees measured holiness by rules, Jesus measures holiness by purity of heart. Holiness is not only about avoiding sin but about becoming more like God, inheriting a heart just like that of Jesus.

A renowned saying of Saint John Chrysostom illustrates this point. “Faithfulness in little things is a big thing.” This is exactly what Jesus tells us: “Whoever obeys the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5:19). A simple act of honesty, a kind word, a silent prayer or a helping hand. All these seems to be small acts of choice, nevertheless, they shape our holiness. Just like the novice sculptor who could not see the finished creation, we may not always see the full picture of our obedience to the law of Jesus. Yet each act of faithfulness is like the stroke of a chisel in the hands of God.

Some may believe that rules limit freedom. But true freedom is not doing whatever we want but it is doing what is right.  A train, for example is free when it stays on the tracks but once it derails, it is no longer free but broken. The commandments are the tracks that lead us to God. Jesus does not abolish them but shows us how to live the law with love and fulfill its very purpose.  

 As we reflect on this Gospel passage, let us ask for the grace to understand the true essence of the law and to live it with love , not as a burden, so that we may fulfill the will of God in our day today lives. 

Let us pray:

Lord, help us to follow Your ways with love, knowing that every small act of obedience brings us closer to You. Amen.

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God Bless