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Third Sunday of Lent (Year B)

Reflection

Has Christ Rendered the Old Testament Law Obsolete?

Third Sunday of Lent (Year B)

Exodus 20:1-17

In those days, God delivered all these commandments: “I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain. “Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything else that belongs to him.”

1 Corinthians 1:22-25

Brothers and sisters: Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

John 2:13-25

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken. While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.

Edmond Lo

The psalm of this Sunday extolls the virtues of the Law. The proclamation of the Decalogue on Mount Sinai in reading one also reminds us that the heart of the Old Testament Law is the Ten Commandments. But when people speak of “the Law”, they also refer to the ceremonial, purity, and dietary laws of the Mosaic Code, namely, circumcision, sacrifices and offerings, Sabbaths and festivals, purifications and unclean foods, and much else. As Christians, we no longer observe these laws. Given our Christian non-observance, how do we explain the psalmist’s tribute to the Law in Psalm 19? Is our non-observance a rejection of the Old Testament teachings that generally equate righteousness and piety with strict observance of the Law? More importantly, Jesus himself teaches that “until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law” (Mt. 5:18). Has Christianity deviated from Jesus’ teaching? Is it guilty of spurning God’s commandments?

To compound this perplexing issue further, Jesus himself appears to be dismissive of the Old Testament laws when he disagrees with Moses on divorce and remarriage (cf. Mt. 19:8), downplays the significance of unclean foods (cf. Mk 7:15), and heals on the Sabbath (cf. Mk 3:1-6). How do we explain this apparent contradiction? Here we have a scriptural equation that doesn’t seem to add up: the Old Testament requirement of unreserved submission to the Law vs. the New Testament teaching of Christian non-observance.

Some people believe the solution lies in accepting either the Old Testament teaching or the New Testament teaching, but not both. The problem with this view is that it sees the Bible not in its harmonious whole but as a collection of conflicting books that are seriously polarized. The Judaizers took this view and disagreed with St. Paul and the early Church. In their zeal to protect the Law of Moses, they joined hands with Rome to persecute the Christians. The heresy of the 2nd-century Marcionism, on the other hand, advocated for the abandonment of the Old Testament God whose “unreasonable” moral precepts were deemed as incompatible with the teaching of the “good God” of the New Testament.

When caught in a bind like this, we Catholics always have the luxury of turning to the Church Fathers and 2000 years of Church tradition for an answer. Saints and believers before us had already encountered most of our problems. Instead of re-inventing the wheels, why not turn to them for help? The Patristic writers’ answer is complex. To put it all in a nutshell, they had identified different categories of law in the Old Testament books: those with universal and abiding application (usually identified with the Decalogue) and precepts necessitated by the historical circumstances of God’s people. They called the latter “the secondary legislation”. For example, the sacrificial and purity laws were imposed as a response to the sin of the golden calf (cf. Ex 32). Such laws are prophetic in nature in that they point us to Christ, in whom the Law finds perfect fulfillment. Jesus’ emergence means that the purpose of the secondary legislation has been served and thus observance is no longer necessary. (For a better understanding of the Church Fathers’ teachings on this issue, see M. Barber’s article, “The Yoke of Servitude – Christian Non-Observance of the Law’s Cultic Precepts in Patristic Sources”, in Letter & Spirit, vol 7, St. Paul’s Center for Biblical Theology.)

This Sunday’s gospel is a good illustration of the Patristic teaching above. Jesus’ aggressive actions in the cleansing of the Temple are a prophetic sign of the Temple’s imminent destruction which also signifies the passing away of the Old Testament sacrificial laws (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament on John 2:15). He chooses to do it when the Passover is near because the sacrificial laws of the Passover will be fulfilled by the Pascal Mystery of the Lamb of God, and the Temple replaced by the Body of Christ – the Heavenly Temple, “the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up” (Hebrews 8:2). Once we have the real Temple and the eternal, heavenly liturgy, what’s the point of continuing to follow the sacrificial laws of the Old Testament, which are but “a copy and shadow” of the heavenly realities (Hebrews 8:5)?

Edmond Lo

As a Catholic speaker, writer and RCIA Catechist, Edmond is very active in promoting and defending the Catholic faith. He has a MBA, a CPA-CMA, and a MTS (Master of Theological Studies) from U.T., St. Augustine’s Seminary. Having worked many years as the CFO of a non-profit organization, he retired at 55 to follow his special vocation of evangelization. The activities he conducts include the CMCC Bible Study Program, the Catechism Revisited Program, the FLL Spiritual Formation Program, Living in the Holy Tradition, RCIA, family groups and retreats, etc. Edmond is a member of the FLL Core Team. He writes Sunday Mass reflections regularly for the weekly FLL NewSpiration. His personal blog: http://elodocuments.blogspot.com/
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乙年 四旬期第三主日

主日聖言及反省

是基督讓舊約聖經的法律變得不合時宜嗎?

乙年 四旬期第三主日

出谷紀 20:1-17

那時候,天主發言,說了以下這一切話:「我是上主、你的天主,是我領你離開埃及、奴隸之所。「除我之外,你不可有別的神。「你不可製造任何彷彿天上、或地上、或地下水中之物的雕像。「不可叩拜這些像,也不可敬奉,因為我,上主、你的天主,是忌邪的天主;凡惱恨我的,我要追討他們的罪,從父親直到兒子,甚至三代四代的子孫。凡愛慕我,及遵守我誡命的,我要對他們廣施仁慈,直到他們的千代子孫。「不可妄呼上主、你天主的名字;因為凡妄呼他名字的人,上主決不讓他們免受懲罰。「應記住安息日,守為聖日。六天應該勞作,做你一切的事;但第七天是為恭敬上主、你的天主,當守的安息日;你自己、連你的兒女、你的僕婢、你的牲口,以及在你中間居住的外方人,都不可做任何工作。因為上主在六天內,造了天地、海洋和其中一切,但第七天休息了,因此,上主祝福了安息日,也定為聖日。「應孝敬你的父親和你的母親,好使你在上主、你的天主,賜給你的地方,延年益壽。「不可殺人。「不可姦淫。「不可偷盜。「不可作假見證,害你的近人。「不可貪你近人的房舍。「不可貪戀你近人的妻子、僕人、婢女、牛驢,及你近人的一切。」

格林多前書 1:22-25

弟兄姊妹們:的確,猶太人要求的,是神蹟;希臘人尋求的,是智慧;而我們所宣講的,卻是被釘在十字架上的基督。這為猶太人,固然是絆腳石;為外邦人,是愚妄;但為那些蒙召的,不拘是猶太人或希臘人,基督卻是天主的德能和天主的智慧;因為天主的愚妄總比人明智,天主的懦弱也總比人堅強。

若望福音 2:13-25

猶太人的逾越節近了,耶穌便上耶路撒冷。在殿院裡,耶穌看見賣牛、羊、鴿子的,及坐在錢莊上,兌換銀錢的人。耶穌於是用繩索做了一條鞭子,把眾人連羊帶牛,都從殿院趕出去,又傾倒了換錢者的銀錢,推翻了他們的桌子。耶穌對賣鴿子的人說:「把這些東西從這裡拿出去,不要使我父的殿宇成為商場。」耶穌的門徒就想起了經上記載的話:「我對你殿宇所懷的熱忱,把我耗盡。」猶太人便問耶穌說:「你顯什麼神蹟給我們看,證明你有權做這些事?」耶穌回答他們說:「你們拆毀這座聖殿,三天之內,我要把它重建起來。」猶太人就說:「這座聖殿建築了四十六年,你在三天之內,就能把它重建起來嗎?」但耶穌所說的聖所,是指他自己的身體。所以,當耶穌從死者中復活以後,耶穌的門徒就想起了耶穌曾說過這話,便相信了聖經,及耶穌說過的話。當耶穌在耶路撒冷過逾越節時,有許多人看見他所行的神蹟,便信從了他;耶穌卻不信任他們,因為他認識所有的人;他並不需要誰告訴他,人是怎樣的,因為他洞悉人的內心。

Edmond Lo

這個主日的聖詠頌揚了天主法律的美善。讀經一講述天主在西乃山頒布十誡,也提醒我們十誡是舊約法律的核心。但一般人所指的「法律」,也包括梅瑟法律中的禮儀、潔淨和飲食上的規律,割損、祭獻和奉獻禮、安息日和節日、取潔禮和不潔食物等等。作為基督徒,我們不再遵行這些法律。若作為基督徒,我們不遵行法律,又如何解釋《聖詠》19篇作者對法律的讚揚?舊約聖經教導常將嚴守法律看作等同正義和虔誠,那麽我們不遵守法律是否等如拒絕接受舊約聖經的教導?更重要地,耶穌自己教導說:「即使天地過去了,一撇或一劃也決不會從法律上過去」(瑪 5:18)。基督信仰是否偏離了耶穌的教導?又是否摒棄了天主的誡命?

這個問題使人更感困惑的是,耶穌自己似乎對舊約的法律也不以為然。他不同意梅瑟的離婚和再婚法律(參看 瑪19:8),不重視不潔食物的意義(參看 谷 7:15),並在安息日治病(參看谷 7:15)。我們如何解釋這明顯的矛盾呢?這裡似乎存在着一個計算不來的聖經方程式:舊約聖經要求人對法律毫不保留地服從,新約聖經則教導基督徒不必遵守。

有些人認為,解決辦法是接受舊約或新約的教導,而不能兩者並存。這個觀點的問題, 在於不將聖經看成一個和諧的整體,而將它視為一本彙集著互相矛盾和兩極化的作品的書。猶太教徒採納了這個觀點,所以反對聖保祿和早期教會。基於維護梅瑟法律的熱忱,他們不惜與羅馬聯手迫害基督徒。另一方面,二世紀的異端馬西翁主義則主張放棄舊約的天主,認為祂那「不合情理」的道德誡律,與新約「令人喜愛的天主」的教導並不相符。

陷入這樣的夾縫中,可幸我們天主教徒可以從教父和二千年的教會傳統中尋求答案。大部分的問題,以前的聖人和信徒都曾經遇過。與其重複前人的研究,何不向他們請教?但教父們的答案很複雜。總而言之,他們在舊約書中確定了不同的法律類別:有些是全部信眾都應遵守的法律(通常以十誡為標識),有些法規卻是與當時天主子民有關的歷史環境下所衍生的。他們稱後者為「第二法規」,例如祭獻禮和潔淨法是針對拜金牛的罪而立的(參看 出 32)。這些法律的本質是預言性的,將我們指向基督;在基督內,法律得到完美的實現。耶穌的出現意味著第二法規的目的已得到滿全,因此無需繼續遵守。(為深入理解教父們在這個問題上的教導,可參閱 M. Barber 的文章 “The Yoke of Servitude – Christian Non-Observance of the Law’s Cultic Precepts in Patristic Sources”, 刊登在 St. Paul’s Center for Biblical Theology 出版的 Letter & Spirit, vol 7。 )

這個主日的福音正是上述教父們的教導的一個好例證。耶穌在潔淨聖殿中的激烈行為,其實在預表著聖殿即將被毀滅的事實,也象徵著舊約祭獻法則將成過去(見 Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament 若望福音 2:15)。祂選擇在逾越節臨近的時候這樣做,因為逾越節祭獻法則將由天主羔羊的逾越奧跡所滿全,而聖殿本身則將要被基督的妙身所取代,即天上的聖殿,「這(真)會幕是上主而不是人所支搭的」(希 8:2)。我們既有了真正的聖殿和永恆的天上禮儀,那麽繼續遵守那些只是天上事物的「模型與影子」(希8:5)的舊約祭獻法還有什麼意義呢?

Edmond Lo

As a Catholic speaker, writer and RCIA Catechist, Edmond is very active in promoting and defending the Catholic faith. He has a MBA, a CPA-CMA, and a MTS (Master of Theological Studies) from U.T., St. Augustine’s Seminary. Having worked many years as the CFO of a non-profit organization, he retired at 55 to follow his special vocation of evangelization. The activities he conducts include the CMCC Bible Study Program, the Catechism Revisited Program, the FLL Spiritual Formation Program, Living in the Holy Tradition, RCIA, family groups and retreats, etc. Edmond is a member of the FLL Core Team. He writes Sunday Mass reflections regularly for the weekly FLL NewSpiration. His personal blog: http://elodocuments.blogspot.com/
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乙年 四旬期第三主日

主日圣言及反省

当天主居所成了贼窝时

乙年 四旬期第三主日

出谷纪 20:1-17

那时候,天主发言,说了以下这一切话:「我是上主、你的天主,是我领你离开埃及、奴隶之所。「除我之外,你不可有别的神。「你不可制造任何仿佛天上、或地上、或地下水中之物的雕像。「不可叩拜这些像,也不可敬奉,因为我,上主、你的天主,是忌邪的天主;凡恼恨我的,我要追讨他们的罪,从父亲直到儿子,甚至三代四代的子孙。凡爱慕我,及遵守我诫命的,我要对他们广施仁慈,直到他们的千代子孙。「不可妄呼上主、你天主的名字;因为凡妄呼他名字的人,上主决不让他们免受惩罚。「应记住安息日,守为圣日。六天应该劳作,做你一切的事;但第七天是为恭敬上主、你的天主,当守的安息日;你自己、连你的儿女、你的仆婢、你的牲口,以及在你中间居住的外方人,都不可做任何工作。因为上主在六天内,造了天地、海洋和其切,但第七天休息了,因此,上主祝福了安息日,也定为圣日。「应孝敬你的父亲和你的母亲,好使你在上主、你的天主,赐给你的地方,延年益寿。「不可杀人。「不可奸淫。「不可偷盗。「不可作假见证,害你的近人。「不可贪你近人的房舍。「不可贪恋你近人的妻子、仆人、婢女、牛驴,及你近人的一切。」

格林多前书 1:22-25

弟兄姊妹们:的确,犹太人要求的,是神迹;希腊人寻求的,是智慧;而我们所宣讲的,却是被钉在十字架上的基督。这为犹太人,固然是绊脚石;为外邦人,是愚妄;但为那些蒙召的,不拘是犹太人或希腊人,基督却是天主的德能和天主的智慧;因为天主的愚妄总比人明智,天主的懦弱也总比人坚强。

若望福音 2:13-25

犹太人的逾越节近了,耶稣便上耶路撒冷。在殿院里,耶稣看见卖牛、羊、鸽子的,及坐在钱庄上,兑换银钱的人。耶稣于是用绳索做了一条鞭子,把众人连羊带牛,都从殿院赶出去,又倾倒了换钱者的银钱,推翻了他们的桌子。耶稣对卖鸽子的人说:「把这些东西从这里拿出去,不要使我父的殿宇成为商场。」耶稣的门徒就想起了经上记载的话:「我对你殿宇所怀的热忱,把我耗尽。」犹太人便问耶稣说:「你显什么神迹给我们看,证明你有权做这些事?」耶稣回答他们说:「你们拆毁这座圣殿,三天之内,我要把它重建起来。」犹太人就说:「这座圣殿建筑了四十六年,你在三天之内,就能把它重建起来吗?」但耶稣所说的圣所,是指他自己的身体。所以,当耶稣从死者中复活以后,耶稣的门徒就想起了耶稣曾说过这话,便相信了圣经,及耶稣说过的话。当耶稣在耶路撒冷过逾越节时,有许多人看见他所行的神迹,便信从了他;耶稣却不信任他们,因为他认识所有的人;他并不需要谁告诉他,人是怎样的,因为他洞悉人的内心。

Edmond Lo

这个主日的圣咏颂扬了天主法律的美善。读经一讲述天主在西乃山颁布十诫,也提醒我们十诫是旧约法律的核心。但一般人所指的「法律」,也包括梅瑟法律中的礼仪、洁净和饮食上的规律,割损、祭献和奉献礼、安息日和节日、取洁礼和不洁食物等等。作为基督徒,我们不再遵行这些法律。若作为基督徒,我们不遵行法律,又如何解释《圣咏》19篇作者对法律的赞扬?旧约圣经教导常将严守法律看作等同正义和虔诚,那么我们不遵守法律是否等如拒绝接受旧约圣经的教导?更重要地,耶稣自己教导说:「即使天地过去了,一撇或一划也决不会从法律上过去」(玛 5:18)。基督信仰是否偏离了耶稣的教导?又是否摒弃了天主的诫命?

这个问题使人更感困惑的是,耶稣自己似乎对旧约的法律也不以为然。他不同意梅瑟的离婚和再婚法律(参看 玛19:8),不重视不洁食物的意义(参看 谷 7:15),并在安息日治病(参看谷 7:15)。我们如何解释这明显的矛盾呢?这里似乎存在着一个计算不来的圣经方程式:旧约圣经要求人对法律毫不保留地服从,新约圣经则教导基督徒不必遵守。

有些人认为,解决办法是接受旧约或新约的教导,而不能两者并存。这个观点的问题, 在于不将圣经看成一个和谐的整体,而将它视为一本汇集着互相矛盾和两极化的作品的书。犹太教徒采纳了这个观点,所以反对圣保禄和早期教会。基于维护梅瑟法律的热忱,他们不惜与罗马联手迫害基督徒。另一方面,二世纪的异端马西翁主义则主张放弃旧约的天主,认为祂那「不合情理」的道德诫律,与新约「令人喜爱的天主」的教导并不相符。

陷入这样的夹缝中,可幸我们天主教徒可以从教父和二千年的教会传统中寻求答案。大部分的问题,以前的圣人和信徒都曾经遇过。与其重复前人的研究,何不向他们请教?但教父们的答案很复杂。总而言之,他们在旧约书中确定了不同的法律类别:有些是全部信众都应遵守的法律(通常以十诫为标识),有些法规却是与当时天主子民有关的历史环境下所衍生的。他们称后者为「第二法规」,例如祭献礼和洁净法是针对拜金牛的罪而立的(参看 出 32)。这些法律的本质是预言性的,将我们指向基督;在基督内,法律得到完美的实现。耶稣的出现意味着第二法规的目的已得到满全,因此无需继续遵守。 (为深入理解教父们在这个问题上的教导,可参阅M. Barber 的文章“The Yoke of Servitude – Christian Non-Observance of the Law’s Cultic Precepts in Patristic Sources”, 刊登在St. Paul’s Center for Biblical Theology 出版的Letter & Spirit, vol 7。 )

这个主日的福音正是上述教父们的教导的一个好例证。耶稣在洁净圣殿中的激烈行为,其实在预表着圣殿即将被毁灭的事实,也象征着旧约祭献法则将成过去(见 Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament 若望福音 2:15)。祂选择在逾越节临近的时候这样做,因为逾越节祭献法则将由天主羔羊的逾越奥迹所满全,而圣殿本身则将要被基督的妙身所取代,即天上的圣殿,「这(真)会幕是上主而不是人所支搭的」(希8:2)。我们既有了真正的圣殿和永恒的天上礼仪,那么继续遵守那些只是天上事物的「模型与影子」(希8:5)的旧约祭献法还有什么意义呢?

Edmond Lo

As a Catholic speaker, writer and RCIA Catechist, Edmond is very active in promoting and defending the Catholic faith. He has a MBA, a CPA-CMA, and a MTS (Master of Theological Studies) from U.T., St. Augustine’s Seminary. Having worked many years as the CFO of a non-profit organization, he retired at 55 to follow his special vocation of evangelization. The activities he conducts include the CMCC Bible Study Program, the Catechism Revisited Program, the FLL Spiritual Formation Program, Living in the Holy Tradition, RCIA, family groups and retreats, etc. Edmond is a member of the FLL Core Team. He writes Sunday Mass reflections regularly for the weekly FLL NewSpiration. His personal blog: http://elodocuments.blogspot.com/
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