Wednesday June 9th: Go Ahead. Break the Law.

‘Break the law if you must – but keep the spirit.’

Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus continues to be a walking contradiction. This was a man who frequently found himself on the wrong side of the Pharisees precisely because he seemed to have no regard for the Law. He ‘worked’ on the Sabbath, picking corn with His disciples; he healed on the Sabbath (Mk. 3:1-6); He touched lepers and others considered unclean. Yet here He is declaring to his disciples, ‘I have come not to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to complete them.’

His words and actions are not misaligned. At its heart, the Law and the Prophets is the law of Love. Love worships the one true God, accepts God’s love and mercy, and is just to the poor. Jesus is simply bringing the law back to the basics and encouraging us to do the same.

Oftentimes, being hard and fast with the rules and all the dos and don’ts can alienate God’s people. But the law of love touches hearts and reaches to the ends of the earth.

Break the law if you must – but keep the spirit of it. Love.