Commentary on the Gospel of
Jesus, the Wisdom of God is our New Covenant
Moses says to the people: ’hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live.’ God’s law communicates life and love, because ‘God gives what He is.’ His will is that we may live! Hence, Moses invites us to embrace that which gives life. In the first reading he points out two very important features of psycho-spiritual development that one enjoys for obeying the law. He says: ‘Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your ‘wisdom’ and ‘intelligence’ to the nations.’ It is not enough to be intelligent. Gift of wisdom from Wisdom Himself, that is our Lord Jesus Christ, rightly focuses our natural intelligence. Experiences show that there are many who are very intelligent, come first in all formal examinations, but yet are ‘earthbound’ in thought and deed; the spirit of wisdom does not seem to be animating and directing their course in life. But our lot is the invitation from Wisdom Himself!
We can therefore understand why Wisdom Himself speaks out in today’s gospel reading: ‘I have come not to abolish but to fulfill’ the law and the prophets. He knows the will of His Father and has come to help us do the right discernment. What was communicated in the law, animated by the prophets is here present in our midst: the fulness of the law, the Wisdom of God. To possess God’s wisdom, to be led by God’s wisdom entails being rightly guided on the course that leads us back to God Himself.
We therefore have one responsibility, namely to stay with God’s wisdom:
Search for God’s wisdom;
learn God’s wisdom;
teach God’s wisdom;
think God’s wisdom;
act God’s wisdom;
indeed, live God’s wisdom.
And that’s what the Lenten season reminds us of: obey God’s commandments and teach others to do the same for you will be great in heaven, says the Lord Jesus himself.
