Office Of Readings | Week 18, Monday, Ordinary Time | From The Letter Attributed To Barnabas | New Law Of Our Lord Jesus Christ

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Office Of Readings | Week 18, Monday, Ordinary Time | From The Letter Attributed To Barnabas | New Law Of Our Lord Jesus Christ

‘The new law of our Lord, Jesus Christ.’

The reading presents a sustained reflection on what constitutes true religious observance under the new covenant established by Jesus Christ. The author contrasts external, ritual observances with internal, moral and spiritual devotion, arguing that the new law is centred not on offerings and fasts, but on justice, mercy, and integrity.

Context And Background

Attributed to Barnabas, companion of Paul, most scholars agree the letter was written anonymously between 70 and 135 AD, likely in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is addressed to a Christian audience, probably Gentile, who were negotiating their relationship with Judaism and the Mosaic Law. The destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70 likely influenced the letter’s critique of sacrificial worship, which could no longer be practised.

The letter is not part of the New Testament canon but was included in some early Christian collections.

Rejection Of Sacrificial Religion

The writer declares that ‘God swept away all these things,’ referring to burnt offerings and temple sacrifices. Citing prophetic texts, he argues that even in the Hebrew Scriptures, God’s priority was not ritual, but ethical conduct. The rhetorical question from Jeremiah—’Did I command your fathers… to offer me burnt offerings and sacrifices?’—emphasises that moral intent outweighs ceremonial practice.

The author follows this with quotations reminiscent of Psalm 51: ‘The sacrifice for the Lord is a contrite heart.’ This aligns the message with a long tradition in Biblical thought where internal disposition is more important than external ritual.

The Nature Of True Fasting

The passage draws extensively on Isaiah 58, where the prophet criticises empty fasting and redefines it as social justice: freeing debtors, feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, and housing the homeless. This reinterpretation emphasises action over abstention. The spiritual fast God desires involves lifting oppression rather than engaging in ritualised sorrow.

This reframing is part of a wider early Christian pattern of transforming Jewish practices into ethical principles under the ‘new law’ of Christ.

Corporate Responsibility And Humility

The author warns against religious individualism and spiritual arrogance: ‘Do not withdraw into solitude as if you were already considered righteous.’ Instead, believers are to seek the ‘common good’ through shared worship and mutual support. The line, ‘Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,’ from Isaiah 5:21, cautions against self-reliance and urges a communal, humble disposition.

This aligns with New Testament teachings about the Church as the body of Christ, where members are interdependent and united by shared responsibility.

Ethical Living As Worship

The passage calls believers to become a ‘temple consecrated to God’, echoing Paul’s language in 1 Corinthians 3:16. Living in reverence, following God’s commandments, and striving for upright conduct are all positioned as the proper way to honour God.

The passage firmly insists that salvation is not guaranteed by mere association with the Church or religious identity: ‘Let us never complacently think of ourselves as “called”.’ Instead, each person is accountable for their actions. Divine judgement, the author affirms, will be impartial.

A Warning From Israel’s History

The letter closes with a sobering reminder: despite witnessing ‘great signs and wonders’, Israel was ‘finally abandoned’. This retrospective reflection on Israel’s history functions as a cautionary example, warning Christians not to presume on divine favour. The line ‘many are called but few are chosen’ (from Matthew 22:14) reinforces the urgency of continued faithfulness and moral vigilance.

From The Letter Attributed To Barnabas | New Law Of Our Lord Jesus Christ

God swept away all these things. The new law of our Lord Jesus Christ imposes no yoke of coercion and its sacrifice is not one made by man. In another place he says to them, Did I command your fathers when they came out of the land of Egypt to offer me burnt offerings and sacrifices? No, but I commanded them this: ‘Let none of you cherish any evil in his heart against his neighbour, and let none of you be fond of breaking vows’ If we have any sense then we will understand the loving intention of our Father. He wants us not to err as these people did but to seek how we may make our offering to him. And he tells us: the sacrifice for the Lord is a contrite heart, a heart that glorifies its Maker is a sweet savour to the Lord. My brethren, we must look closely into the matter of our salvation so that the Evil One does not slyly enter our hearts and drag us away from the life that lies before us.

God also says to them, Why are you keeping a fast for me and filling this day with your whinings? I have not decreed this fast, says the Lord, nor this humiliation of man’s soul. Turning to us, he says Here is the fast I decree: relax your iniquitous restrictions, loosen the shackles of your oppressive contracts, let your ruined debtors go free and tear up your unjust agreements. Break your bread and give it to the hungry, if you see a man without clothing, give him clothes of your own. If you see one who is homeless, bring him into your own house.

Let us flee from all vanity, let us hold in aversion the Way of Wickedness and its works. Do not withdraw into solitude as if you were already considered righteous, but come together and seek out the common good. For Scripture says: Woe betide those who are wise in their own eyes and knowledgeable in their own sight. Let us be men of the Spirit, let us be a temple consecrated to God. As far as we can, let us devote ourselves to living in the fear of God, and let us strive to keep his commandments so that his ordinances become our delight. When the Lord judges the world he will have no favourites: each will receive according to his deeds. If he is good then his righteousness will lead him forward; if he is evil then the reward of iniquity will be in front of him. Let us never complacently think of ourselves as ‘called’, let us never doze in our sinfulness, or the Prince of Evil may gain power over us and thrust us out from the Kingdom of the Lord. And consider this also, my brethren, you see what great signs and wonders were wrought in Israel and yet in the end they were finally abandoned – let us be very careful not to be among those of whom it was written that many are called but few are chosen.

Christian Prayer With Jesus Christ

God of justice and mercy,
You have taught us that true worship is found not in words alone,
but in the care we show to others and the integrity we live by.
Help us to offer you a contrite heart,
to loosen the bonds of injustice,
to welcome the poor into our lives,
and to resist the subtle temptations of pride and complacency.

Keep us alert to your calling,
patient in difficulty,
and humble in our walk with you.
May our faith be active,
our charity sincere,
and our hope firm in your promise.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Glossary Of Christian Terms

New law – Refers to the teachings of Jesus, which focus on inner transformation and mercy rather than external rituals.

Contrite heart – A sincere, humble, and repentant attitude toward one’s sins; seen as an acceptable offering to God.

Burnt offerings / sacrifices – Ritual animal or grain offerings commanded in the Old Testament, now seen as replaced by spiritual worship and moral living.

The Evil One – A name for Satan, understood as the spiritual enemy who tempts people away from God.

Fast – A religious practice of self-denial, especially from food; redefined in Scripture as caring for others and acting justly.

Vanity – Pride in oneself or in superficial things; considered spiritually dangerous when it leads to selfishness or false righteousness.

Way of Wickedness – A phrase describing a life lived in opposition to God’s will, involving sin and injustice.

Temple consecrated to God – A metaphor for the Christian believer whose life is dedicated fully to God’s presence and purpose.

Called / chosen – A distinction in Christian thought: many are invited to faith, but only some remain faithful and are chosen by God.

Common good – The well-being of the wider community; early Christians were urged to seek this rather than living in isolation.

Israel – The people of God in the Old Testament, used here as a cautionary example of those who fell away despite seeing God’s works.