Reflection on August 13, 1980

https://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/jp2tb34.htm

Christ is there to fulfill all that the law and prophets had set down, not to abolish or change what was written or said. But this fulfillment comes, perhaps, in an different way than we might think fulfillment would come. Christ doesn’t “do” anything during the Sermon on the Mount other than give a correct interpretation of what is already there. The law says do not commit adultery. Over the many centuries, Jews read that to mean one thing, Christ is giving them a correct interpretation in order to bring to fulfillment what was meant by the original command. If Christ interpretation of the words is that important, then we must understand how important the correct interpretation of all of Scripture is.

There are many out there that are relying on people that are interpreting Scripture without any authority to do so. We watch Christ change the entire focus of a single command by His correct interpretation and should fully realize how dangerous it is to follow an incorrect interpretation. Yet, there are so many that are doing so. If we look at the very issue that is discussed in these talks, divorce, we can see how someone’s interpretation can lead people astray. There are countless denominations of Christianity that fully accept that divorce is allowed. That belief is based on those leaders of those denominations interpreting Scripture in a certain way. We can see how different interpretations can be confusing to Christian followers and how important it is to have one voice, why Christ established One Church. Christ either taught the divorce is okay or that it was not. Christ is not wishy washy and He does not teach contradictions. What He teaches is a correct interpretation of God.

I thought the brief look at the lack of monogamy in Abraham and David was interesting. We see Abraham’s act was done out of an overwhelming longing for heirs and at the encouragement of Sarah. David’s was done out of lust for another man’s wife, much closer to our understanding of concupiscence. But both lay the foundations for a tradition that is firmly planted when Christ comes. Adultery was seen as a violation of a man’s property (his wife or wives) by another, but fully allows for polygamy. Christ disagrees with their interpretation and points them back to the beginning, one man, and one woman. Christ has come to correct their distortion of God’s command. I would imagine you could take this analysis of Christ interpreting the command of adultery and apply that too many of the laws of the Jews that Christ came to “fulfill” by a re-interpretation.