“But if thou art called a Jew and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approves the more profitable things, being instructed by the law, art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them that are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, having the form of knowledge and of truth in the law. Thou therefore that teachest another, teachest not thyself: thou that preachest that men should not steal, stealest: thou that sayest, men should not commit adultery, committest adultery: thou that abhorrest idols, committest sacrilege: thou that makest thy boast of the law, by transgression of the law, dishonourest God. (‘For the name of God through you is blasphemed among the Gentiles,’ as it is written.’)”
Greater than any Greek philosopher or seeker of wisdom is the wisdom of the Old Testament, for in it are commandments to live uprightly, and much wisdom concerning the nature of God. It tells the story of God’s merciful love for His people, and how He always follows them to draw them back to Himself, even amongst grave infidelities: “Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? And if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee” (Isaias 49:15). There is a great knowledge of the one God in it, “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, for I am the Lord that exercise mercy, and judgement, and justice in the earth” (Jeremias 9:24), and in this knowledge many rested. To know His will by way of the commandments, being able to discern what the greater was from the lesser, and teaching others the wisdom of God and His commandments is what is laid out in many of the books of Scripture: “The wise man will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients, and will be occupied in the prophets. He will keep the sayings of renowned men, and will enter withal into the subtilties of parables” (Ecclesiasticus 39:1-2). These teachers thought that by their teaching, they were justified in the sight of God, not truly knowing the ways of the Lord. For the way of the Lord is a simple, all-encompassing way: “Jesus said to him: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself’” (Matthew 22:37-39). It is not enough to teach, but to love, and to steal is to act contrary to love, as is to commit adultery, commit sacrilege, or to act in any way against the Law, for it was given as a structure of how to love by God to Israel. Now, when one loves, the way of the Lord is engraved upon the heart, for one that truly loves his wife does not need the fifth commandment, but will by love not act commit adultery against her. To have the way to love, but to act against it, is to have the letter but no spirit, to dwell in spiritual death despite having the words of life: “Thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:69). When others see the good that someone does because they are acting in accord with the ways of the Lord, they can be brought towards Him: “So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). The good works of His people is the glory of God: “In this is my Father glorified; that you bring forth very much fruit, and become my disciples” (John 15:8), and to bear His name but act contrary to His ways is to humiliate Him before others. It gives ground for others to blaspheme Him, because it seems that the whole tree is rotten for bringing forth bad fruit. No, the lover of God is to “put me as a seal upon thy heart,” with love, “as a seal upon thy arm” (Song 8:6) with works of love, that His nature may be seen through you. For it is not in isolated acts of love that make a Christian, but a life of love, a continual prayer, a love that is constant and unyielding. It is an art, which is painted and tailored by the Divine Artist. You are His canvas, and His brushstrokes are His words: “In this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 John 5:2-3). Therefore, St. Paul rebukes those who had the words of love and life and acted against them, telling them to find the spirit of the Law, which is love, and to act in accord with it, that God may be loved by those that see His love through His people.