The Gospel today provides a beautiful exposition that sheds some light on several critical points of Jesus’ doctrine. There are interpretations of Christ that attempt to portray Him as a renegade rule-breaker who simply discards political, social, and religious norms at will, but the reality is that this could not be further from the case. The Son is never at odds with the Father. Jesus did not come to undo or abolish the relationship that God had established with his people. Rather, Jesus’ mission on earth is the culmination, the fulfillment of the original covenant with Israel. Christ’s teachings are not meant to diminish the importance of the Jewish law but rather to elevate it and to bring God’s people to a greater understanding of the nature of relationship that He desires with them.
A key move that Jesus makes is to clarify the importance of personal intentionality. Broadly speaking, in the context of the Jewish law, the primary emphasis was on the proper execution of external actions. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is not negating the importance of adhering to the law but rather emphasizing that truly living according to the law in right relationship with God is not only about doing the right thing but doing the right thing for the right reasons with the right intentionality. It’s not enough to simply go through the motions or to avoid overtly bad behavior. Rather, it is critical to understand that living in right relationship with God means actively working to mold our hearts and minds so that we truly will to will the will of God in all things in accord with the designs of our Creator and Lord.