1st Reading – Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18
The LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.
“You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD.”
The book of Leviticus focuses mainly on the Israelite tribe of Levi, and particularly on its priests and their duties in regard to divine worship. The book is a kind of manual for liturgy intended primarily for priests (also known as Levites), whereas Deuteronomy is intended primarily for the laity.
Today we read a selection from what is called the Holiness Code, which spans chapters 17-26 of the book of Leviticus. It’s called the Holiness Code because the whole section emphasizes the holiness of Yahweh and urges the Israelites to be holy as Yahweh is holy.
The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.
This command is the first of a two-part passage that serves as today’s first reading. The exhortation made for holiness is based on the highest possible reason: the fact that God is holy.
Holiness is the quintessential characteristic of God. It is much broader in scope than mere goodness; it might be best understood as “godness,” or divine majesty.
God is holy — totally set apart from and above everything else — and he expects his people to be holy, too. The laws we find in the traditions of Israel, particularly those described in the Holiness Code, are directives that outline for us the way we are to accomplish this.
In the verses immediately after this, which are not included in the lectionary, the Holiness Code elaborates on the Ten Commandments.
You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart.
In order to be holy as God is holy, we must refrain from nursing hatred in our hearts.
Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen, do not incur sin because of him.
The Israelites were required to correct others when necessary, under pain of sin.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people.
We are forbidden to entertain any form of vengeance.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The passage ends with the most famous verse in the book of Leviticus, the words that Jesus quoted in the gospels. The well-being of others must be as important to us as our own.
Note the communal nature of all these directives: our likeness to God is determined by the way we relate to others.
The Holiness Code, like Jesus himself, required much more than legalistic observance of the law. To be holy, the Israelites must have a conversion of heart, and always act justly and lovingly toward others. Said another way, holiness is not the consequence of obedience to these laws; rather, holiness is an all-inclusive way of life.
I am the LORD.”
The reading ends with the solemn divine self-proclamation: I am the Lord! This is the way it is to be.
2nd Reading – 1 Corinthians 3:16-23
Brothers and sisters:
Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person;
for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.
Let no one deceive himself.
If any one among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:
“God catches the wise in their own ruses,”
and again:
“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,
that they are vain.”
So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.
Last week we heard Saint Paul tell of the true wisdom of God. This week he again addresses the divisions in the people of God and reminds the Corinthians — and us — who we really belong to.
Brothers and sisters: Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Paul reminds his audience of their holiness. The temple is no longer a material building, but rather the collection of people who gather in God’s name. Just as the presence of God made the Temple in Jerusalem holy, so it is the presence of the Spirit of God that makes this new temple holy, and the Spirit dwells in all of the members.
Later, in chapter 6 (6:19), the metaphor of the Temple is applied to the body of the individual Christian, because the Spirit dwells in every one of the baptized. However, it is important to note that the individual application is secondary. The Spirit comes primarily into the community and gives himself to individuals through the community.
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.
The community is holy because it belongs to God; this is a fundamental theological reality to which Saint Paul often refers.
Both pagans and Jews regarded desecration of a temple as a heinous crime. The kind of squabbling in which the Corinthians are engaging destroys the unity of the church and so is wrong.
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise.
Paul then goes on to debunk the kind of “wisdom” with which some of the Corinthians have become enamored, instructing them to become “fools” by accepting the foolishness of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
The standards the world uses to determine wisdom are often diametrically opposed to the standards of God. Therefore, those who wish to be wise with the wisdom of God will have to choose a path that will be judged foolish by the standards of the world.111
for it is written: “He catches the wise in their own ruses,”
A reference to Job 5:13.
“How does God catch the wise in their own craftiness (Job 5:13)? By showing them that while they imagined they can do without God, just then they would have all the more need of Him. They are reduced to such a strait as to appear inferior to fishers and illiterates, whose wisdom they cannot now do without.” [Saint John Chrysostom (A.D . 392), Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 10,3]
and again: “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”
Psalm 94:11. Both of these sayings challenge the merit of human insight. As necessary and valuable as that it may be, it is nothing compared with God’s knowledge.
So let no one boast about human beings,
This echoes what Paul wrote earlier in this letter, in 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 (part of our second reading four weeks ago). The boasting refers to the false pride the Corinthians took in identifying with various religious leaders (Paul, Appollos, Kephas).
No Christian should glory in men, calling himself a disciple of any preacher, to the detriment of the unity of the Church.
for everything belongs to you, Paul or Apollos or Kephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you,
The Corinthians are reminded that they do not belong to their heroes. Preachers like Paul and Apollos are servants of the church, and so belong to the church — not the other way around.
and you to Christ, and Christ to God.
Preachers belong to the church, the church belongs to Christ, and Christ to God.
It is in this wisdom that they must live.
Gospel – Matthew 5:38-48
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand over your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.
“You have heard that it was said,
‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
We continue for the fourth consecutive week with the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’ re-interpretation of the law, begun last Sunday, continues today.
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
Jesus quotes the portion of Mosaic law that regulated revenge and retaliation for damages (Exodus 21:22-25; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21). It is based on the oldest written law in the world, a legal policy called lex talionis (“talion” means “such” or “same”). This law dates back to the code of the Babylonian ruler Hammurabi, from as early as 2,000 years before Christ.
Prior to lex talionis, the law of vengeance ruled among the Semites, from whom the Israelites stemmed. Often that vengeance went much beyond the injury: a life for a scratch. (The book of Genesis records (4:23f) a terrible example of this in Lamech, who boasted to his wives that he had killed a man for wounding him, and a boy for bruising him.) This led to interminable strife and countless crimes.
Lex talionis, therefore, was actually a giant ethical, social, and legal advance: no punishment could exceed the crime, and punitive retaliation was outlawed.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
As we have now come to expect, Jesus demands much more from his disciples than the law requires.
He begins by rejecting the customary principle of self-defense; he will go on to exhort his disciples not only to refrain from seeking revenge but to give willingly what is unjustly demanded, and to give voluntarily to anyone who merely asks.
A sense of forgiveness and an absence of pride are foundational to one’s ability to live out this teaching.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.
Jesus’ re-interpretation of the law is that for a given injury, we are not only to refrain from vengeance, we are to return a corresponding blessing.
This does not suggest that disciples do harm to themselves by remaining in an abusive situation, nor is it suggesting that they stand by unmoved while a third party is mistreated. Rather, it is teaching them that they must not adopt the methods of evildoers by acting in kind, nor may they relieve themselves of their responsibility to give witness to God’s love in situations where the other person is failing to love them.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well.
Having addressed the law of revenge, Jesus now teaches the disciples to have mutual charity among the children of the Kingdom, a charity that presupposes and enhances justice.
They are not to meet legal action with legal action, but to yield what is contested and even beyond what is contested.
The tunic is a long shirt worn next to the body, and the cloak is a heavier outer garment that protects against the cold and rain. These were normally the only two garments worn by the Palestinian peasant. In Exodus 22:25-26, the creditor who takes the cloak in pledge is directed to return it at sundown so that the debtor may have a covering for the night.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.
This “law of the second mile” is a picture from an occupied country, such as Palestine was under Rome. Forced labor or service was a part of the contribution of the subjects of ancient states to the occupying government. If a soldier of the occupying forces compels them to carry his gear for a mile (as the Romans often did), they should be willing to carry it twice that distance.
An example of this occurrence is Simon of Cyrene, when the Roman soldiers compelled him to carry Jesus’ cross to Calvary (Matthew 27:32).
Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.
The point of these examples can be summarized as: always act lovingly, and give to whomever asks. In fact, give more than is asked. Disarm them with your willingness to go beyond what is required and you will gain honor in their sight.
This leaves open the possibility of psychological or moral resistance, exemplified by Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, where the goal is to shame the opponent into a change of heart.
The theme of giving to beggars and borrowers goes beyond the scope of non-resistance to evil to advocate general kindness, forbearance, generosity, and an open attitude toward people.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
The precept of loving one’s neighbor is quoted from Leviticus 19:18 (today’s first reading). The second part of this saying, “hate your enemy,” is actually not in the Law of Moses; Jesus is referring to a widespread rabbinical interpretation which understood “neighbor” as meaning “Israelites.”
But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,
Jesus corrects this misinterpretation of the Law: for him, everyone is our neighbor (see also the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37). Our enemy is evil itself (i.e. sin), but not the sinner.
Jesus himself put this into practice with those who crucified him (Luke 23:24), and he continues to act in the same way toward sinners who rebel against him and despise him.
Consequently, the saints have followed this example — like Saint Stephen, the first martyr, who prayed for those who were putting him to death (Acts 7:58-60).
that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
Jesus is insisting that the disciples’ love must be patterned after God’s love, which is given unquestioningly to the just and the unjust alike. This is the apex of Christian perfection: to love, and pray for, even those who persecute and hate us.
It is the distinguishing mark of the children of God.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?
If Christ’s disciples only love those who love them, but harm those who harm them, they are merely fulfilling the admonition “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”
In teaching this, Jesus refers to two despised classes among the Jews: tax collectors and Gentiles (i.e., pagans).
The Roman Empire had no officials of its own for the collection of taxes; in each country, it used local people for this purpose. The global amount of tax for each region was specified by Roman authorities, and the tax collectors levied more than this amount, keeping the surplus for themselves. This led them to act rather arbitrarily, which was why the people hated them.
In the case of the Jews, insult was added to injury by the fact that the chosen people were being exploited by Gentiles.
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
In a sense, this verse summarizes the entire fifth chapter of Matthew’s gospel, including the Beatitudes. By the kind of love Jesus describes, the disciples will be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect.
The Hebrew word for “perfect” (téleios) means complete, undivided, grown to full stature. God certainly is complete and undivided, the essence of righteousness and splendor.
Strictly speaking, it is quite impossible for a created being to be as perfect as God. What Jesus means here is that God’s own perfection should be the model that every faithful Christian tries to follow, even though he realizes that there is an infinite distance between himself and his creator. That infinite distance is surmounted by the grace of God, if we allow it.
This is the standard to which the disciples must strive, and this standard is what makes the interpretation of Jesus so radical.
Connections and Themes
An eye for an eye. In the gospel, Jesus radically re-interprets the law of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” which was designed to set limits on the reparations demanded for injury. He tells us to go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, outdo ourselves in generosity, rise above the fray. He is not suggesting that we allow ourselves to be abused but that we not perpetuate the antagonism out of which mistreatment arose. He is not advocating passivity, but he is saying we should not retaliate in kind. Jesus is describing what we today would call “active non-resistance.” This is the attitude taught by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. They believed in the basic goodness of all human beings, even those who wrong us. They further believed that the victims’ willingness to suffer rather than retaliate would wear down the aggression of the oppressor. This is precisely what Jesus teaches. Right the wrongs by overcoming evil with good, not with revenge.
This is not to deny that some live in very threatening circumstances, circumstances against which they must protect themselves. Jesus is not suggesting that we allow ourselves to be abused, but that we not perpetuate the antagonism by retaliating in kind.
Love your neighbor. We know that our neighbors include people that we don’t particularly like (favoring the title “friend” for those whom we do like), and that we should love and be kind to them anyway. Jesus takes it further — the neighbors we are to love are people who do not particularly like us. We are to love those who deliberately exclude us, those who make us feel as though we are not good enough for them, those who resent us for our accomplishments. We are even to love those who exploit us or do us harm.
Once again, Jesus is not suggesting that we allow ourselves to be abused, but he is saying that we should not retaliate in kind. The only way we will have peace will be through love of neighbor, and the way to turn enemies into neighbors is through acts of kindness and generosity: turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, outdoing ourselves in generosity.
Yes, Jesus’ interpretation of the Law is more demanding than we might have expected. But there is ample evidence of the devastating effects of life lived according to the rule of “an eye for an eye.” Which way will we choose?
Work of the Spirit. Overwhelming our enemies with acts of kindness is considered foolish and even dangerous by the standards of the world, but Jesus tells us that this kind of love is true wisdom. Paul understood this, and was convinced that we can overcome the obstacles to this love because we possess the power of the Spirit of God, who dwells within us.
Sunday Readings 