Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matt 5:17) The Old Testament was leading to Jesus. Jesus is the focal point of the Old and New Testaments. There is a famous phrase by St. Augustine, “the New Testament is concealed in the Old, and the Old is revealed in the New.” (Questions on the Hexateuch Book 2, §73 (on Exod 20:19)). The Old and New Testament form a unity. St. Paul wrote that the Old Testament law was like a tutor or custodian or guardian until Jesus came (Gal 3:24).
So how does Jesus fulfill the Old Testament Law? Above all, Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Law by his sacrifice of himself on the cross to his Father to atone for our sins replacing forever all the sacrifices of animals in the temple atoning for sins (Heb 10:11-12). Jesus, so to speak, is the fulfillment of the temple, is the New Covenant temple (see John 2:20-22). That is why the curtain of the temple tore in two at the moment of Jesus’ death. For the same reason, God allowed the destruction of the temple by means of the Romans after Jesus died and all efforts since then to rebuild it ended in failure, some in very dramatic ways.
There were laws for clean and unclean food in Leviticus 11 but Jesus declared all food clean saying that what makes one unclean is what comes out of one’s heart (Mark 7:17-23).
The scribes and Pharisees used to watch Jesus to see if he would cure someone on the Sabbath which they regarded as breaking the Jewish law prohibiting working on the Sabbath (Luke 6:7). Jesus said they untie their ox and donkey on the Sabbath to lead it out to water (Luke 13:15) so he defended healing on the Sabbath (Luke 13:16).
When Jesus and his disciples went through grain fields on the Sabbath, the disciples were hungry, picked the grain, and ate it. Picking grain on the Sabbath was forbidden since it was regarded as harvesting. Jesus defended them and said the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath (Matt 12:1-8). Because of Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday and his appearances to his disciples were on Sundays, they gathered on Sundays to break bread to celebrate his resurrection. So gradually Sunday became the Christian holy day rather than the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus takes some Old Testament laws and looks at them in a new way—you have heard it said . . . but I say to you. Firstly Jesus quotes the commandment not to kill and then lists ways in which one can cause harm to another (Matt 5:21-26). Two of the examples Jesus gave refer to what people say so words can cause harm to someone. Words can kill, kill the life in another person. Words, attitudes towards another, harsh judgments, cynicism, negativity, and hating others kill life.
Secondly Jesus addresses the topic of adultery and says it is possible to sin with one’s thoughts and mind (Matt 5:27-30). Jesus is asking for fidelity to one’s spouse not just in actions but in one’s mind. On another occasion, Jesus summarized the commandments as loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves which obviously includes loving one’s spouse in a special and particular way.
Thirdly Jesus addresses the topic of divorce (Matt 5:31-32). Moses allowed divorce but Jesus said a man divorcing a woman causes her to commit adultery. In Palestine at that time, it was the man who initiated the divorce. Wives depended financially on their husbands for everything and if the husband divorced his wife, she could be financially destitute and would be forced to marry again which Jesus described the husband making the wife commit adultery. Elsewhere in the Gospel we see Jesus giving a more extended explanation: “they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” “They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?” He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” (Matt 19:6-8)
Finally, in today’s Gospel, Jesus addresses taking oaths and swearing (Matt 5:33-37). It seems a little strange to us because oaths have to be taken by those taking up various public offices. Just as what Jesus says about divorce is explained more fully later in the Gospel, so also we get additional explanation of this oath swearing later (in Matt 23:16-22). People used to take all kinds of oaths in private conversation, for example swearing by the temple or swearing by the gold in the temple. Instead Jesus says simply be truthful in what you say instead of continually taking oaths in private conversation.
Jesus’ teaching is challenging but Jesus is always waiting for us to go to him asking for his mercy and forgiveness and to ask his help to do better.
The Old Testament was leading to Jesus. Jesus is the focal point of the Old and New Testaments. Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matt 5:17)
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2026
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for the Sixth Sunday Year A
Loving with the heart, not just fulfilling obligations 2020
Related Homilies: Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it 2013
Jesus completed and perfected the Law and can complete us 2014
If your hand should cause you to sin cut it off: avoiding occasions of sin
Fidelity in marriage 2024
What God has joined together, man must not divide