Foretaste Of The Sermon To Come

A little nibble of the Revised Common Lectionary

Sunday’s readings are Isaiah 58:9b-14, Psalm 103:1-7, Luke 13:10-17

I’ve always been a little confused when Jesus said, “I have not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.” What does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law? We still live with the Law – the Spirit convicts Christians when we disobey it, when we sin, and drives us to the foot of the cross. Jesus commanded his followers to love God and neighbor – Law.

Of course Jesus fulfilled the Law when it no longer was used to justify humanity because now humanity receives its justification, its righteousness through the saving work of Jesus himself. But is that all fulfilling the law means?

Galatians 5:13–18: “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

In our gospel, the woman with the disabling spirit receives Jesus’ healing without even asking for it. Jesus heals this daughter of Abraham, the very sister of all in the synagogue, while he was teaching. The ruler of the synagogue was indignant and chastised him publicly because he’d broken the Law by doing “work” on the sabbath, but Jesus, the fulfiller of the Law, elevates the chastisement and asks why he would rather water his donkey than have Jesus release their sister from Satan’s binding. Jesus’ adversaries were put to shame and the rest of the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that he had done.

There are many places were Jesus elevates the people’s understanding of the law — equating lust with adultery and hate with murder for example. He laser-focuses the law on the two greatest commandments, loving God and loving each other, and while nobody in our story gets it yet, they will be justified by Christ alone, not by the Law at all. Fulfillment.

And, filled with the Holy Spirit and in full knowledge of what Jesus commands, we still don’t do what we ought. But Jesus knows that too, and by fulfilling the Law, he took that sin on himself to justify us anyway. Thanks be to God.