As a third-year divinity school student, I have spent time over the last few years thinking about “the law” and the relationship between Judaism and Christianity in the early church. In our readings for today, we hear about the law in Paul’s letter to the Galatians and in the Gospel reading from Luke.

In the epistle, Paul does not deny the importance or value of the law, as much as he resists the notion that in adherence to the law, one may find justification before God. God’s grace and love are so abundant that one does not require merit gained from following “the law” to secure one’s place at God’s heavenly table. Our place is already there, and the table is set. God awaits our coming, whether we follow the law or not. Paul is not throwing the law away as much as he is clarifying what the law is for. The law is meant to bring us closer to God, just as faith through Jesus Christ brings us into deeper relationship with God. In the Gospel text from Luke today, Jesus makes this reality known to the Pharisee. Jesus does not tell the Pharisee to stop following the law (in this case, the washing before a meal). He clarifies to his Jewish brother that the law should be approached as a set of purifying devotions that bring one closer to God. The law itself is holy if approached as means to cultivate holiness in the world and in the heart.

I share these perspectives on the text because I believe it is important that we as Christians honor the Jewish roots of our tradition. We must be cautious to avoid any presumption that Christianity is a repudiation of Judaism; the law is a pathway to the devotion and fidelity to God that has marked the Jewish tradition throughout time.