Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent - Humble role models in the Kingdom of God

Readings: Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9; Psalm 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20; Matthew5:17-19.

Matthew 5:17-19 is the beginning of the “expounding of the Law” in the Sermon on the Mount. The “adherence to the Law”, meaning here the Mosaic Law, was a heated debate in the first years of Christianity. Some Christians wanted to ignore the Mosaic Law, saying that Jesus Christ changed the Law; some others wanted to stick to that law and suggested that the Gentiles were to be required to do the same. Obviously, the Jews could not just move on without taking with them all those laws that they believed were from God and meaningful to them. Saint Matthew, who wrote his gospel for a Jewish community, needed to give the view of Jesus towards the Mosaic Law. While Jesus might have appeared to be a revolutionary who came to abolish the “old law” in favour of his new commandment, he still could be seen as the one who came to explain the law and make it more significant and accessible to the people of Israel.  

However, the most astonishing statement in today’s Gospel is not the fact that Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but the fact that he still allows those who lead others astray into his kingdom, even though they might be considered as the smallest there. Our interrogation would be: if those who break the Law are allowed into the kingdom, why bother respecting the Law? Two things could be considered from there: first we all break the law thus leading others to break it, secondly and consequently, we may not be worthy of the position we might allot to ourselves in the kingdom of God.

Role models shape our lives in many ways. When they are noted for commendable acts, we are proud of them and strive to follow their good example; when we are scandalised by their deeds, we are discouraged and we feel betrayed. Those of us who are very weak might suffer long-lasting sorrow. When we have felt let down by our models, it is sometimes difficult to forgive them. However, we often forget that, in one way or another, we all are role models to many others. Whichever our position we have in the society or in the church, there are many people who consider us as role models and expect us to be their guides in many ways.

Jesus says that “whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.” This verse provides an answer to our first question: despite our imperfections, we still share in the inheritance of the kingdom. Nevertheless, we are called to humility: as it is clear that often, consciously or unconsciously, we mislead those who refer to us as role models. And as it makes us become the smallest in the Kingdom of God, we'd better humble ourselves and avoided to condemn others who go astray; we could find ourselves in the same “category “than them in the kingdom of God.

As we journey in our Lenten Season, let us pray for the gift of humility.