There are numerous times in his ministry when Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees concerning observance of the Law of Moses. It is this Law that forges the common identity for the Jewish people, keeping them connected to one another and to their tradition. 

The discipline of the Mosaic Law, with its 613 precepts, demands strict and careful adherence for the Jews. Yet, even at the time of Jesus, some of the mandates of the Law were very difficult to live in a practical way. The Pharisees and Sadducees found ways to exempt themselves from some aspects of the Law due to their status and all that they did above and beyond the Law.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus addresses the nature of the Law relative to the individual believer. The assembled crowd on the Mount certainly knew what the law required of them. 

It is not a surprise, then, that Jesus too would address the Laws of Moses. He knew that his Jewish audience would expect to learn some insight from him as to how they should live out those laws on a daily basis.  

Jesus gave them much more than they expected.

Jesus stands as the fulfillment of the Law and, although he himself does not abolish the Law, his disciples greatly modify the demands of the Law as they proclaimed the Gospel to the Gentiles. As with the church today, when some people hope for an easing of some of the laws of the church to be more “inclusive” while others hold to the strictest possible application of the laws, so, too, were the Jewish people of Jesus’s time. Some probably hoped he would say that the time for the Law was at an end and that there were other ways of living out their Jewish identity. The Pharisees and Sadducees were clearly on guard against any hint from Jesus -- or any other preacher for that matter -- that the law had become moot. 

Jesus takes neither position and instead, he seems to further expand the Laws of Moses.. No longer is just murder a sin, so is anger; no longer is just adultery a sin, so is lust. The various provisions used by the Pharisees and priests to bypass the Laws were also unacceptable to Jesus. 

Yes, this had to be discouraging to those who wanted less and not more. This was also unsettling for the Pharisees who saw their hypocrisy exposed. To be a disciple of Jesus means more than just obeying certain laws. True observance of the Law required a disposition towards the Law for the good of the Law and not merely its observance. It is not law for the sake of law, but law for the sake of justice; a law that connects one deeply to the intentionality and interconnectedness of their thoughts and actions. 

Jesus fulfills the Law in his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Jesus has paid the price that the Law demanded, but this does not then excuse us from living lives in accord with that Law. 

The idea that there are demands in being a Christian, that sometimes the cost of discipleship is a great personal burden demanding sacrifice is not appealing to many in our own time.  

We want quick answers, easy solutions, and feel good religion. Jesus gives us tough love and demands that we live to standards that are in opposition to the world and not in conformity with it.  

Discipleship is lived at a cost. But it also comes with a profound promise -- the promise of eternal life.  

As we heard from Sirach so we hear from Jesus – we must answer “yes” or “no” to the covenantal promise. But when we say “yes” we must live it to the fullest.

Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.