Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
Imagine an open field with lots of people playing and having fun, when all of a sudden a fence is put up around the edges of the field. Everyone becomes angry because their freedom has been taken away. However, this field is the top of a plateau, and there are steep cliffs at the edges of the field. The fence was installed to keep everyone from falling off the edges. The purpose of the fence wasn’t to limit freedom but to preserve it, to allow the people to continue playing in the field, without falling off the edges.
This can be a metaphor for the rules that God gives us.
Both of today’s passages from Scripture are about rules. Moses is reminding Israel that even in this new land they still must follow the rules and we also have Jesus talking about how his purpose is not to abolish any of the law. “The rules are there because I love you.” I can’t remember where I read or heard this being saying, and Google was no help to me. When I asked my mom if it was her, she said that it sounded like Mister Rogers. While this saying was true (even if unspoken) in my childhood, it is also true and perhaps truest when it comes to God, our common father and mother. God gives us rules, out of what he creates all things, out of love. God loves us enough to give us the free will to not love him back and God also loves us enough to give us rules to help us discern how to use our free will.
Scripture is filled with rules. In today’s first reading Moses reminds the Israelites that following the law will make them closer to God. In the paragraphs which follow today’s passage from Matthew, Jesus takes many of the Old Testament laws and expands them, making it clear that as disciples, we mustn’t only follow the letter of the law, but we must avoid whatever may lead us to breaking the law. By adhering to God’s law more closely we will become closer to God. These laws don’t limit our freedom but give us the opportunity to live in the truest freedom that comes following God’s law.
Lord God, giver of laws, source of all authority, we come to you asking for the grace and strength to follow your laws. Help guide us to stay away from whatever may lead us to breaking the law. You sent your one and only son to give us an example of how to live and to help us understand your law, we ask all this through him. Amen.
-Will Marsh