Everyone knows that “Thou shalt not kill” is one of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:13). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expands on this commandment. He has been discussing The Law and how it has not been made obsolete with His coming on the scene. Now, He begins to address specific points of The Law, starting with this commandment.
“Thou shalt not kill” is pretty straight forward and most people have no problem with not murdering anyone. While we may wish we could, from time to time, most of us would never really think of actually doing it. But here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us that there is more to this commandment than meets the eye. Read today’s text in Matt 5:21-26.
In verse 22, we are told that three things violate this commandment:
- Harboring anger toward someone without cause
- Saying ‘Raca’ to someone - an Aramaic term of contempt meaning "empty-headed" or "worthless"
- Calling someone a fool
In verse 22, Jesus is speaking of having a heart full of anger. He is talking about real anger, irrational anger, which leads to hatred. We are not talking here, about being annoyed with someone. Jesus is addressing a person who is harboring anger in their heart and not being willing to let it go. Being angry enough to wish someone dead.
Here in verse 22, ‘hell fire’ is actually the English translation of ‘Gehenna’. Gehenna is a valley south of Jerusalem with a dark history of idolatrous child sacrifice. Ahaz and Manasseh sacrificed their sons to Molech in the fires here (2 Kings 23:10). Later, it was used as a refuse-burning site and became a metaphor for hell in the Jewish culture. Essentially, Jesus was saying that this hatred-inducing anger leads to hell fire.
What does the Bible teach us about anger? Explore the following verses:
- Psalm 37:8
- Prov 19:11, 14:17, 15:1, 15:18, 16:32, 22:24
- Eccl 7:9
- Eph 4:26, 31-32
- Col 3:8
- 1 John 3:15
In verses 23-24, Jesus taught that, even if you are in the middle of worshipping God, if you remember that there is an issue between you and someone else, go and get it resolved, immediately, and then come back and finish. You cannot be right with God if you are not right with your fellow man. God wishes us to live in peace with others (Rom 12:18, 2 Cor 13:11).
Verses 25-26 address situations where someone may have an issue with you. Have you done something to offend someone else? This is not being mad at them… this is when someone is mad at you. Sometimes we are the person in the wrong. Someone else is the one who is angry. Jesus is telling us that we need to care about these situations also. It is not just the other person’s problem. Go. Make it right. Don’t just wait to worry about it if you end up in court. God expects us to do the right thing because it is the right thing.
Anger, hatred, murder… these are all steps in the same progression. Each one leads to the next. Jesus is teaching us here that God sees them as the same problem. There is a serious consequence to this sin (Isa 1:15). Murder had a serious penalty under The Law (Numbers 35:16-21). And anger led to the Pharisees wanting to kill Jesus (Matt 12:14) and to the Jews wanting to kill the Apostle Paul (Acts 23:12-14). Jesus taught against these sins in agreement with other Bible teachings.
Read Prov 6:16-19.
Responding to God: Worship God and praise Him for His wisdom. Thank Him for His forgiveness and mercy. Seek His help in finding forgiveness and mercy for others. Ask His guidance in resolving conflicts in your personal relationships. Rejoice in His goodness and share His love and joy with others.
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