The Thursday after the Second Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 22, 2026 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 5:17-26 (NKJV)
5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.”
Devotion
It is very tempting for our sinful minds to believe that the Gospel is more important than the Law; in the sense that only the Gospel matters, and that the believer in Christ can do whatever he wants without consequence or concern.
Christ teaches the truth here, that because of our sin our understanding of the Law is wrong. We see the prohibition against killing, and we want to take that only in the narrow physical sense. But God’s Law is actually stricter than that. It does not merely prohibit violence leading to the death of another person, but prohibits even thoughts and words that so often precede such violence. Thus, God’s Law performs three critical functions for Christians: it still stops some of the coarse outbreaks of sin; it still accuses us and shows us where, what, and how we have failed; and it still shows us how we can live in accord with God’s will.
The Gospel is the message that Christ has paid for our sin, and forgives our sins because of His work and merit. This does not free us from the obligation to obey God’s Law. Rather, it shows our need for reliance upon the merit and salvation of Jesus Christ, and thus, the Gospel frees us to do our best to keep the Law as we should, by faith in Him.
Collect: Almighty and Everlasting God, Who dost govern all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of Thy people, and grant us Thy peace all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
