“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:21–26 (ESV)
Yesterday’s lesson was the hinge where Jesus claimed His authority and up to that point He consistently quoted the Old Testament or pointed backward to the Law. Now verse 22 is when He said something that should catch your eye as it did the religious leaders.
“But I say to you.”
Those words are similar to when the prophets would preface with “thus says the Lord.”
You already know this type of phrasing in your own world. “Mom said” or “Dad said,” or put whatever authority you answer to in between those quotation marks. This is precisely what Jesus is doing. Moving through this next section He will continue to use this phrase, and every time He does, understand both the claim and the weight of what He is asserting.
Where does He begin? With a somewhat obvious statement: murder. Almost as if, just to make sure you are listening. The sixth commandment still holds true. However, the religious leaders put their toe all the way to the edge of the line, holding murderous intent in their hearts but withholding their actions as if to say, “We didn’t kill anyone!”
Then the author and creator of the commands begins to teach, clarifying that murder is only a part of the actual commandment, and while it is the most blatant version, the action is a result of a heart filled with contempt, anger, and wrath. To insult, to cast false blame, to assassinate someone’s character, all of which were already happening, were the beginning. Even to carelessly call someone a fool, the same word used in Psalm 14:1 where the fool denies God in his heart, would have been like damning someone’s soul.
Jesus says, look. You put the law on the very edge of obedience. You should be going the other direction entirely and loving those same people. When you are angry, calling them names, backbiting and cutting at them, you are acting like a murderer and it is only a matter of time.
Try this. Drive somewhere. Sit in an airport. Notice what happens inside you when someone cuts you off, takes too long, or gets in your way. That heat you feel over nothing is the very thing Jesus is addressing, because the heart will always lead what the hands do, and He knows exactly where that road ends.
Unresolved anger against another image-bearer is a capital spiritual offense.
What does this reveal in your life?
What anger do you need to give over to the Lord?
Stay on Mission
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