Scripture Scribbles: February 12, 2023
the Gospel
Matthew 5:17-37
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
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.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you,
whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment;
and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,'
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin;
and whoever says, 'You fool,'
will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.
"You have heard that it was said,
You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.
"It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife - unless the marriage is unlawful -
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
"Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
Do not take a false oath,
but make good to the Lord all that you vow.
But I say to you, do not swear at all;
not by heaven, for it is God's throne;
nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;
nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.'
Anything more is from the evil one."
the devotion
In a society that so often encourages us to “live our best life” by pursuing pleasure, power, money, or the perfect instagram post, obeying the Ten Commandments seems archaic - a past-time that no one really practices anymore. As I read this Gospel, however, Jesus reminds me that our true Joy - Heaven - comes with ownership and responsibility for our actions.
This Gospel compels me to examine my conscience and ponder on whether or not I am following the guidelines Jesus lays out for me - not because He wants to enforce strict laws full of rules for me to abide by, but because He desires what is Best for my eternal soul. Jesus knows if I follow Him, He can offer me so much more than the fleeting pleasures I tend to pursue.
I am called to deeper conversion in the Commandments our Lord gave to the Israelites eons ago and still apply to me today. His guidelines to True Joy are not archaic, they are not made for a stagnant past; they are a part of the Living Word, transforming my spirit.
The gift of self-love that Christ offers us freely doesn’t just happen, I must take a further step and say, “yes” and mean it. Yes to conversion. Yes to obeying Him so I may be free. Yes to being present to my children. Yes to disciplining my vices. Yes to forgiving my neighbor. Yes to His Mercy. I must also say, “no” and mean it. No to lusting after things that don’t belong to me. No to judging others. No to gossip. No to harboring resentment and anger. No to making that perfect instagram post. No to what takes me away from the Lover of my Soul.
What are you saying yes and no to these days?
Today’s devotion was written by Diana Giard
