Seventh Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: Can We Be Perfect? 我們能成全嗎？
The Hebrew Scriptures were compiled when the people of the southern Judah kingdom were exiled to Babylon. Their cultural, economic, political and religious centre, the first Temple in Jerusalem was burnt down before they were exiled in 586 BC. This exile is known as the “Babylonian Captivity” which went through two stages, the first of which lasted roughly for twenty years. The second stage lasted for fifty years and ended when the Persians conquered the Babylonian Empire and sent the Jews home to rebuild their Jerusalem Temple. For some people, the Babylonian Captivity lasted for seventy years while for others, fifty. Whether the duration was seventy or fifty is not essential. The significance of the Babylonian Captivity for the people of the southern Judah kingdom was to affirm their identity as the Chosen People of God. Their religion had transformed into Judaism and the people into Jews! Abiding by the Law, not solely offering sacrifices in the Temple became the path to salvation. It was because after the Assyrians had conquered the northern Israel kingdom which consisted of ten tribes of Israelites who were exiled, dispersed and subsequently vanished in human history! Thus, the people of the Judah kingdom in the south were anxious to establish their identity during their turn of exile. They did not want to suffer the same fate as the ten tribes in the north! Now that their Temple was destroyed, they could only resort to compiling the Hebrew Scriptures to establish and preserve their identity.
The Hebrew scriptures consist of three parts: Torah, Prophets and Holy Writings. Roughly speaking, the Torah consists of the Law of Moses. Prophets include their history before the Captivity and the writings of major and minor prophets. Holy Writings consist of the wisdom literature and some readings for 5 festive celebrations. The Hebrew Scriptures need to answer at least two crucial questions. “Why do the Chosen People of the Creator God suffer under the hands of Gentiles?” and “Do the Chosen People have any hope in the future?” The Hebrew Scriptures explain that the Chosen People has disobeyed their God who is not only almighty but is also righteous. Therefore, God sent the Gentiles to punish them. However, God is also merciful. Therefore, their sufferings would not last forever. There is hope in the future because God will send the Messiah to deliver them.
So, what should the Chosen People do for now? God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments observing which was sufficient to redeem them. But when we take a closer look, the Torah has set a lofty and seemingly impossible goal for them, “Be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:26). Thus, God’s intention is more than redemption. He wants to elevate humanity to partake in His divinity. However, are we able to attain divinity? Throughout the ages, men took short-cuts and did the easier part. They observed the letters of the Law and gradually forgot its spirit. Thus, the Father sent Jesus Christ to restore the distorted world. Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17). Not only does Jesus come to fulfil the teachings and prophecies of the prophets, but He also comes to restore the spirit of the Law. Observing the Law in the spirit of the Law will heal our hearts of the wounds sustained by sins, thus enabling us to partake in the divinity of God in the future. Taking short-cuts of obeying only the letters of the Law will miss God’s original intention and effect of giving us the Law!
In previous weeks, we read of how Jesus points out the true spirit of various commandments. For example, not only shall we not kill, but we also need to manage our anger because anger is the very root of all violence (5:21-26). Not only shall we not commit adultery, but we also need to uproot our lust because it is better to lose one of our members than to have the whole body thrown to hell (5:27-30). Not only should we not take a false oath, conjuring God up to strengthen the credibility of our witness, but we also should not swear at all because speaking anything other than the truth is evil and stands against God (5:33-37) because God is the Truth.
This brings us back to the beginning when God forbade Adam to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and cautioned him that when he ate from it he would die (Genesis 2:17). Why didn’t God want us to know good and evil? And yet, God planted the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. It is hard not to see this as a trap! As of the time of writing, I could only explain that Adam was not yet ready to eat the Forbidden Fruit. When the time came, God would give Adam this knowledge. If he disobeyed, dire consequences would arise as history has shown. For example, we don’t teach the general theory of relativity to kindergarten children, do we? Regrettably, Adam was not patient enough to wait and the rest is history. Consequently, we’re only equipped with incomplete knowledge of good and evil. One of the flaws is the oversimplification of situations by dichotomizing them into either black or white, good or evil. Most of the time, we’re unable to see evil in “goodness” and vice versa. When we see some evil in an action, we judge the action totally evil and refuse to see/are unable to see any goodness in it!
Just think about it. Who is born intrinsically evil? I’m sure infant Hitler was as adorable and innocent as the Holy Infant! When he grew up frustrated, subsequently attained power, started a war to kill millions of people, had love ever been totally evaporated from his heart? Who, except God, is capable to pass judgment?
When we enjoy what our hands provide and be content (Psalms 128:2), do we have enemies? Evils arise when we become obstacles to others’ greed and lust. Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16) is a case in point. Naboth was undoubtedly innocent and was murdered. To add fuel to the fire, God spared the life of Ahab when he tore his garments and put on sackcloth, fasted and went about subdued (21:27, 29). And yet, this is righteousness, divine righteousness and not human righteousness! What could Jesus tell the kindergarten kid in us about divine righteousness? He says, “For He makes His sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45b). He invites to transcend ourselves to attain perfection (5:48). Otherwise we are not different from those we label as tax-collectors and pagans (5:46-47). Previously, Jesus instructs us to surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (5:20). Attaining perfection surpasses human righteousness.
Brethren! Still, is it possible for us to attain perfection? With human efforts alone, it is truly impossible. But God always stands by us to lend us a helping hand. How can I be so sure? It is because of the reassurance God gives in Leviticus 19 when we read eight times the phrase “I am the Lord” like a chant! Of course, you may interpret it as God claiming His authority over us. However, from another perspective, God may be pledging us that despite our frailty, He will faithfully support us to fulfil the Law. So brethren! Trust in the Lord and invoke the coming of the Holy Spirit. Nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37). Amen.
God bless!
2020 Reflection
Picture Credit:saintbenedict.com
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