Milk and Honey?

In the first reading from Deuteronomy, we hear Moses speak to the people telling them to, “Fear the LORD, your God and follow His commandments.” If they are careful to do so, then the LORD will keep the promises that He made with their fathers to give them a land flowing with milk and honey.

According to research, the phrase milk and honey occurs, at least 20 times in the Bible. This phrase had a double meaning. When they reached their goal of the promised land, God’s chosen people would find that the soil was rich, and their animals and harvests would be bountiful. This was a sign from God that He recognizes their faithfulness, and a symbol of the sweetness of their rich spiritual blessings they would receive when they arrived. Moses goes on to tell them how to reach that goal: “Love the LORD, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

In the Gospel, Jesus directly quotes Moses. The scribe who asked the question of which is the greatest of all the commandments, would have recognized these words as well as the context from whence they came. Jesus is correlating the experience of the chosen’s journey to the promised land and directing us there as well. Since Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, he is extending this covenant to YOU! We are invited on this journey and instructed how to arrive in the promised land = our goal = Heaven!