In the reading today from the Old Testament the people of Israel had strayed far from a communal relationship with the God of the faith tradition. Many families had opted to recognize and worship foreign gods, especially Baal. The prophet Elijah laments how the people have strayed and that he is the only surviving prophet. So, he calls all the people together and challenges the prophets of Baal to show the power of their god. They receive no reply to all their prayers. Then he repairs an altar. The text carefully states that the altar was renewed with a base of 12 stones to represent the 12 sons of Jacob, who God had re-named Israel. In doing so Elijah is calling the people to remember and re-live the conversion of being Jacob, an independent, self-supporting man to being Israel, a new person strong in faith before God. That was a profound change in the person of Jacob. The sacrifice on that new altar is received by God. Renewing and reliving their tradition and faith in that moment of their history changed the entire community of Israel and strengthened their faith and relationship with God.
In the Gospel today Jesus is proclaiming that he has come to do the same. He is building on the faith relationship initially established in the Old Testament. Many at the time saw what he was doing and preaching as a break with the traditions. This was especially true for people and religious leaders who had based their relationship with God and their tradition mainly on the observance of law. They had reduced their relationship with God to nothing more that ritual observances. Today Jesus says he has come to show us how to transform the tradition to the maximum: fulfillment. He comes to us to transform our lives beyond our reductionist tendencies.
We like to be lazy; to choose the easy way; to find the fast and easy answer. We like to choose what benefits us the most and does not involve any change.
Jacob had to stop living for himself and renounce his personal self-centered mindset to receive the new name of Israel from God. Jesus comes to show us the way of the cross is the fulfillment of life. That is our challenge as Christians. We must take our tradition to the maximum to be called true Christians. For a true Christian, it is such a joy to be living in the days of Elijah, the days of Jesus.