“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." _ Jesus (Matthew 5: 21-26)
It is impossible for me to do an adequate job in a short blog on this group of verses, so I am going to give a few thoughts and let you explore it deeper in your own mind. First, this is the first of several contrasting sections where Jesus compares what has been verbally taught by the scribes and Pharisees and the true intent of God's words. So, as you read He will say... "You have heard that it was said" and then give a "But I say" as a means to contrast truth and untruth. When Jesus is pointing to scripture, He will say... "It is written"; but when he is referring to oral teaching he uses "you have heard it was said".
So, for sure He is talking about a teaching that had taken hold and continued to be taught by religious leaders. The command that is referenced here is found in Exodus 20:13, "Thou shall not murder" and the penalty was death. The second part of the teaching is the tradition, "whoever murders will be liable to judgment". The teaching held that it was the act only and not the intent that mattered. A self-righteous legalist could be satisfied that he had not committee the act, yet harbor murderous thoughts towards his brother. With murder in his heart, he could say, "I have kept the Law".
Jesus moves the ball down the field and relates the keeping of the Law to the intent of the heart. No longer was it the act that determined the obedience, now it is about our intentions. He says, hate your brother, call him names, say he is good for nothing, tell others that he is a fool... face judgment. For you see, the act of "murder" is more than the taking of a life. Long before the trigger is pulled or the knife is wielded, the heart has determined an action. For out of the heart come evil thoughts--murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. (Matthew 15:19)
Jesus then calls on us to be reconciled with our brother or sister. He tells us that our worship is to be interrupted by this. Let's pause for a moment and let that settle in... our relationship with our family is to have priority over our worship of the Father. Problem with a brother, put down the song book and fix it! Dispute with a sister, stop talking to God and go talk to her! First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Our relationship with the Father is not what it should be when we harbor animosity towards our family members, so He calls on us to take action to fix our broken relationships and come back to worship when unity is restored.
How's your heart? What are your motives? How are your relationships? Jesus deals with difficult issues because He wants you and me to have the best life possible, here and hereafter. Take a moment and think about what your heart is filled with. He calls on His disciples to clean house, allow God to move in and change you from the inside out. Think about it.
Wise or Foolish?
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