March 6th Lenten Reflection

Matthew 5:17–19

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. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Reflection by Anna Venenga

The big word that stuck out to me in our reading for today is “fulfill.” Jesus is sitting with His disciples after delivering the Beatitudes. Jesus reminds His followers that He did not come to the earth to get rid of the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill what was not completed through them. This passage is a big reminder of the fact that Jesus paid it all for every wrong deed committed by humanity and that we are no longer bound by the Law which was a key in reminding us that as broken humans, we are incapable of completely following the Law.

The peace I found in this passage was the word mentioned above. It made me wonder how I find myself doubting the abilities of Jesus. Jesus fulfilled it all for all of humanity. If Jesus could give us the key to eternity through our faith, Jesus can be trusted to help us with our other needs. If Jesus could heal the sick, make the blind see again, and feed 5,000 people (until they were full) with a mere 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, Jesus can help fulfill the needs that we find ourselves needing help with today. Find peace in knowing that Jesus is capable, but also remember that this peace requires us to partner with our Creator to fulfill our needs.