Continuing the conversation about life in the Kingdom, Paul turns to the fundamental concepts of the prophetic tradition that describe the relationship between God and the people of God: mercy (“mercy”) and faithfulness (“truth”). This turn is, of course, no accident, since mercy and faithfulness remain fundamental also for those living in the Kingdom in their relationship with Christ. Speaking of the circumcised, that is, of the Jews, the apostle recalls not so much the people’s faithfulness to God as God’s faithfulness to the promises once given and the covenant once made. Turning to the recent Gentiles who have come to Christ, he recalls mercy, because unlike the Jews, God had promised the Gentiles nothing and had made no covenants with them. If the way into the Kingdom is nevertheless opened to them, it is solely as a gift to which they have no right and on which they cannot in any way count, at least not in the sense in which Jews rely on it, since certain promises had indeed been given to them.

Since the Kingdom is founded on mercy and faithfulness, the relationships among those who live in it must also be permeated with these qualities. Mercy and faithfulness presuppose condescension toward the weaknesses of those who, by definition, cannot be strong, having only recently been joined to the life of the Kingdom. For unlike an ordinary religious community, where common views and their orthodoxy are what matter, in the Kingdom the spiritual unity of the faithful comes to the fore. From the point of view of religion, what matters most are people’s views, their ideas and opinions; from the point of view of the Kingdom, what matters most are relationships, without which it is impossible to glorify God. For religion, what matters most are people’s views, their ideas and opinions; for the Kingdom, relationships without which it is impossible to glorify God. And for the sake of relationships one can make peace with many religious and worldview differences, especially since without such humility one can hardly count on the spiritual unity, the “unity of mind,” of the Church of which the apostle speaks just above, in verses 4–5.

How frightening freedom is... Responsibility inevitably follows it. Free choice is our problem, our headache. Even choosing yogurt in a supermarket is unbearably difficult for us because, if we choose wrongly, we alone will be to blame, and we are afraid of being at fault. So, sometimes even subconsciously, we seek a lack of freedom, decisions forced upon us, proofs, and signs—like the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew's Gospel.

But refusing the freedom to choose is also a decision, and one for which we must answer. Refusing to see the signs of God's action in our lives and demanding ever more proof leave us in the wrong before God even when compared with repentant pagans.

Both the scribes and the Pharisees ask Christ to perform a sign, and many among the people would, perhaps, have joined in such a request. It appears that the crowd not only knows in advance what such a sign should be, but also would like to dictate the conditions under which it is performed. Refusing to let the crowd see what it can imagine and is already prepared to interpret according to its own understanding, Christ gives another sign: His Resurrection. It will be rejected by many people, but it will still become a sign for the whole world, completely unexpected and impossible to fit into consciousness, yet grasped by faith. Signs by themselves may not lead to faith, but faith gives the ability to see the meaning of signs.

The words about what can happen after an unclean spirit is cast out apply not only to those who cast out demons "without proper qualification." Here we see a warning about the difficulties that arise on the paths of spiritual life, about its seriousness, and about the responsibility to preserve what has been received. For we risk handing the swept room over to seven more evil unclean spirits every time we voluntarily return to habitual sinful inclinations that had supposedly already been cast aside. It is hardly accidental that these words stand next to the warning about the inadmissibility of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Lord is merciful. But is it possible to receive mercy while turning away from its Giver?