6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (year A)

(Mt 5:17-37)

Matthew 5:19 Whoever breaks one of these least commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practises and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

This verse presents a parallelism characteristic of the Hebrew rhetorical style, which here contrasts transgression with observance, the least with the greatest, or, if you will, the relative with the whole, highlighting how the smallest of the commandments can make those who do not observe it small, thus demonstrating the great spiritual power of a commandment considered small by human sophistry, but nevertheless great because it reflects and expresses the will of God, which must always be carried out.

Note how this sentence of Jesus unfolds in two moments which, although radically opposed to each other, nevertheless find their common point of reconnection in the verb 'to teach'. To be minimal or great, it is not enough to 'transgress' or 'observe', but there must also be teaching. It is, therefore, the way of behaving and relating within the community, understood here as the place of the kingdom of heaven, that makes one small or great within it.

A simple personal violation of the commandment is not enough to be degraded, but it must also be accompanied by teaching in that sense. Personal violation in itself does not seem to be serious enough to condemn the person ipso facto, perhaps because such violation is considered the result of human weakness; but when the error is transmitted through specific teaching, then it becomes ingrained and there is a clear desire to spread it, which therefore becomes a stumbling block for others. Similarly, scrupulously observing the commandments in one's private life is of no benefit if it is not accompanied by public witness, for the lamp must always be placed on the candlestick so that it may give light to all those in the house.

In Israel, in fact, observance or violation of the Law was never considered a private matter, even though it personally engaged every single Israelite in its practice. The Sinaitic covenant was a covenant made with the people, and its violation was always understood primarily as a collective fault, which was always followed by collective punishment. Evidence of this can be found in the Babylonian exile and, even earlier, in the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians. Throughout the history of Israel, God never speaks to individuals, but only to the people or their legitimate representatives. For this reason, teaching is what qualifies violation or observance, establishing the respective position of each member within the kingdom of heaven, of which the new community is a sacrament.

What are the minimum commandments? There is some confusion about this. Are they all the precepts of the Law? But if we look at what the evangelists have handed down to us about Jesus, we see, for example, that Jesus did not observe the laws of purity concerning lepers (he touched them). When Jesus speaks of repudiation, he speaks differently from Moses; he saves an adulteress from stoning. On some occasions, he did not observe the most important law, that of the Sabbath, at least according to the Pharisaic interpretation, and so on.

We must therefore understand Jesus' words bearing in mind that these minimal commandments are none other than those he has just proclaimed from the Mount through the image of the Beatitudes. Why are they considered minimal? Why this expression? It is what Jesus will declare to those who want to follow him: "My yoke is easy and my burden is not heavy". In this sense, we can interpret the minimal commandments. It is true that putting the message into practice involves commitments, and that these commitments are often demanding, but they are never crushing commitments, as the Law was for all those who tried to put it into practice.

Jesus, speaking of the Beatitudes as the minimum commandments, is telling us that although observance involves a commitment, it is not a commitment that cannot be carried out, like a kind of yoke placed on the neck that prevents one from walking. Those in the community who betray the message – the commandments of the Beatitudes – and teach others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but those who practise and teach them will be considered great.

The two categories, the contrast between least and greatest, do not refer to a hierarchy, as if there were first- and second-class Christians in the kingdom or community. Rather, it is a way of speaking according to Semitic language: to be least means to be excluded from a reality; to be greatest means to be part of that reality. Jesus says that those who betray the spirit of the Beatitudes, those who do not live according to this teaching, had better give up; they cannot feel part of the community of the kingdom, they exclude themselves. On the contrary, full participation in the kingdom belongs to those who will put it into practice and teach others to do so.

 Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books 

- Apocalypse – exegetical commentary 

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers – Law or Gospel?

Jesus Christ, true God and true Man in the mystery of the Trinity

The prophetic discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24-25)

All generations will call me blessed

 Catholics and Protestants in comparison – In defence of the faith

 The Church and Israel according to St Paul – Romans 9-11

(Available on Amazon)