The Letter and the Spirit: Murder
Matthew 5:21-26
There is a famous quote about the Bible which has been attributed to everyone from Abraham Lincoln to Mark Twain. The quote is this: “It’s not the parts of the Bible I do not understand that worry me, it’s the parts I do understand but do not want to do.”
I wanted to begin my mentioning this quote this morning because we are about to embark upon the meat of the Sermon on the Mount wherein Jesus will be correcting the many misunderstandings of the Jewish teachers.
He will say, “You have heard it said... but I say to you”
Throughout this, He will say some things which may possibly be hard to hear.
But the reality is that they are hard to hear not because they are hard to understand, but because many of them are simply hard to obey.
They require putting away of the flesh and total dependence upon the spirit.
I pray that in the weeks to come that we will see that Christ is here outlining the ethic of the Kingdom; one wherein believers operate in the spirit and not as slaves to the flesh.
READ: Matthew 5:21-26
In the book of Romans the apostle Paul makes a point about the Law of Godwhich is very important to our study today.
Romans 2:29 “But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”
In this passage, Paul makes a distinction between the “letter” of the law and the “spirit” of the Law.
This idea of understanding law as both having a literal application and a foundational backing (or spirit) has been discussed down through the ages, and it is often a big debate in interpreting laws; it often inspires great disagreement when discussing how laws are supposed to function within a society.
The question becomes, are we obligated to the letter of the law only, or the spirit with which it was intended?
Now, I mention the apostle Paul because this idea of the “Letter and Spirit” of the law is often attributed to him, since he used that language in Romans.
However, before Paul ever wrote one word on this subject, Jesus had already demonstrated this principle in the Sermon on the Mount.
In our text today, Jesus begins a series of teachings wherein He will be demonstrating that the teachers of His day had become masters of the “Letter” of the Law, but that they had abandoned the “Spirit” of the Law, thus they were not properly “Applying” the Law.
OUTLINE:
The Letter of the Law (Do Not Commit Murder)
The Spirit of the Law (Anger and Hatred are the Root of Murder)
The Application of the Law (Seek Peace with Others)
I. The Letter of the Law - Do Not Commit Murder
Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.”
Now, it is important to point out at this point that this is a true statement:
The Law forbids murder.
But, why is murder so evil to begin with?
Some may think this is an inane question.
Why is murder bad?
Because people are hurt in the process.
Because people have to go through pain and suffering.
Because it inflicts injury upon the victim and emotional turmoil on the victim’s families.
Murder is bad because through it people’s lives are cut short.
Everyone knows why murder is bad!
Well, everyone knows why murder is bad from our perspective; and from our perspective it is pretty bad. Few things really ever compare to it.
But the Bible tells us that there is more to murder than just the injury it causes the victim.
God has specifically pointed out murder as a heinous sin because of the nature of human life.
There is an inherent sanctity of human life which is different than all other life in the world.
Consider the command given to Noah when he came down out of the ark.
Genesis 9:6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”
According to genesis 9, why is human life valuable?
Because mankind is made in the image of God.
We bear the imago dei, and as a result to indiscriminately kill a human being is to demonstrate a lack of reverence for the Creator of that human being.
NOTE: In recent times, people from the “animal rights” movement have tried to equate animal life with human life.
QUOTE: “Many animal-rights activists dismiss any distinctions between humans and animals as “speciesism.” Princeton professor, Peter Singer, defines this as “a prejudice” that favors “the interests of the members of one’s own species . . . against those members of other species.” (http://www.christianpost.com/news/equating-animals-with-humans-31539/)
There is even pushes by some in our land to grant certain animals constitutional rights, equating them with human beings.
People from this perspective would see the eating of animals as inherently wrong, and would equate hunting animals with coldblooded murder.
But beloved, the reason why it is wrong to take a human life, and not necessarily wrong to take the life of an animal is in the very definition of terms.
There is no animal which has been made in the image of God.
No matter how smart a dolphin is...
No matter how nurturing an ape may be...
No matter how much an elephant mourns...
No matter how advanced the communication is between orca whales may be...
None of these animals bear the imago dei.
Animals are not humans; and there is a difference between human death and animal death.
The fact that this even needs to be said demonstrates a massive shift in the ability to think logically in our world today.
SIDE NOTE: Just to be clear, mistreatment of animals is sinful. While animals are intended for food, according to Scripture, and there is a way to humanely raise animals for that purpose, the act of indiscriminate animal cruelty is a sin.
Proverbs 12:10 “Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.”
So, again, the reason why murder of human beings is wrong is because humans have an inherent value having been made in the image of God, and as image bearers of God, to murder someone is a direct affront to the God who Created him of her.
Some of you may be thinking, “Pastor its obvious murder is wrong; why spend so much time expressing that?”
Because, quite frankly, I think we have lost the understanding of the sanctity of life in our world (in particular, our nation).
As a result, we now see an entire generation which seems to have no understanding of the inherent value of life.
There are young people who make it their mission to go about and smash people in the head with their fists for no reason at all (They call it a “game”!)
They could easily take a person’s life - and they DO NOT CARE.
We are seeing a generation raised up which has no understanding of the sanctity of life.
Furthermore, I believe it would be inappropriate to mention the devaluation of life in our land without also mentioning the fact that we have also sanctioned murder in our land.
Murder is against the Law of God, yet it goes on everyday by the thousands.
Millions of babies have been murdered in the womb for the sake of convenience, and I believe such a holocaust surely has brought judgment upon our nation.
People ask me if the sexual revolution will bring God’s judgment.
I say no, it is God’s judgment.
When we read Romans, it says that because of suppression of His truth, He gives people over to a debased mind, and the first result of that “giving up” is that people give up the natural sexual desires and burn in lust for that which is unnatural and perverse.
That’s where we are; and you cannot convince me that the millions of babies which have been destroyed tortuously in the womb has nothing to do with it.
Also, some might argue, “This is a political subject and shouldn’t be addressed from the pulpit”.
Let me respond by saying this: Abortion is not just a political issue; abortion is a horrendous act of ungodliness and it is a moral failure for a people.
If God’s people are afraid to speak about this issue, then who will?
If it cannot be spoken from the pulpit, where will it be spoken from?
Someone may ask, “Pastor, if you are so opposed to abortion, why aren’t you opposed to the death penalty? Isn’t that murder?”
In fact, it was Larry King said, “Until the Christian community speaks out against capital punishment, I’m not going to take seriously their protests against abortion.”
Beloved, there is a difference between murder and the just taking of a life. The Bible shows this throughout its pages.
“Thou shalt not kill” is not in the Bible!
“Thou shall not commit murder” is what the Bible says, making a distinction between the necessary taking of a life, and cold-blooded murder.
When a person commits murder, he forfeits his own life as a result, according to Scripture (Genesis 9:6).
Why? Because he has sinned against that person and also the Creator of that person, in whose image he/she was made.
So, we see the foundation of this Law.
Murder is sinful and an affront to our Creator.
The problem is that this is where many people stop. They do not understand that there is an underlying principle which creates the foundation for the sinfulness of murder.
There is a spirit within this law that affects not only murder, but our attitude towards one another as well....
II. The Spirit of the Law - Anger and Hatred are the Root of Murder
Matthew 5:22 “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.”
The word “insults” here is sometimes written as “Raca” in our bibles.
The reason is that the word “Raca” is the Aramaic word which is used here by Christ.
It means to call someone “empty headed” or “stupid”.
RC Sproul makes the point that “Raca” and “Fool” actually work together in this passage to make a point.
To call a man “Raca” is to imply he has an intellectual deficiency (they are stupid).
But to call a man “Fool” is to imply that he has a moral deficiency (they lack wisdom to do right). Remember, it is the “fool” who has said in his heart there is no God (Psalm 14:1; 53:1).
Both of these words are words of insult and derision.
They are hate-filled words intended to hurt an individual.
QUESTION: Is Jesus saying that anger and insults are the exact same as murder?
No, they are not the exact same.
I think people get confused when Jesus says that both are worthy of judgment that He is saying they are functionally the same. This is not correct.
Obviously it is better if someone hates me, or uses words of insult woard me, than if someone murders me.
Insulting someone is not the same as murdering him.
To make the two an absolute equation is not what Jesus is doing here.
Instead, His point is to demonstrate that you cannot say that you are NOT sinning just because you do not commit murder.
NOTE: This was the problem of Jesus’s time.
There was such a demand for adherence to the letter of the Law that the Spirit of the Law had been abandoned.
So long as you did not murder someone, you were free to harbor all of the spite and hatred in your heart that you desired!
But the problem is that they are both fruit of the same tree.
Murder and anger and hatred are not the same sins, but they are all sins.
QUOTE: B. Schwertely: “If we harbor unjust anger in our hearts, then we will commit murder with our tongues. There is the tongue murder of the personal insult and there is the tongue murder of gossip and slander. Many a man’s personal reputation has been permanently destroyed by the murdering tongue.”
It may not be taking person’s life, but our hateful words which spew from angered hearts still sinful because they are attacks upon a person who bears the image of God.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The ‘Without Cause’ Clause. There is a very important textual issue which arises here at verse 22.
In some translations, the phrase says, “I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” while others add the clause “without cause” making it, everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be liable to judgment.”
Some of you may even have a note at the bottom of your bible indicating that this clause is found in some manuscripts and not in others.
We have not the time today to discuss all of the nuances of textual criticism and manuscript history, but it is important that we understand that this clause does make a very important point, which is supported elsewhere in Scripture: Not all anger is sinful anger.
QUOTE: B. Schwertely “Obviously, not all anger can be labeled as sinful because God Himself has anger, indignation and wrath toward the devil, his angels and all unrepentant sinners. Our Lord became so angry he drove the money changers and all those who bought and sold animals out of the temple complex by overturning their tables and swinging a “whip of cords” (Mt. 21:12; Mk. 11:15; Jn. 2:15). God and the Savior are perfectly holy and pure and cannot sin. Even Christians, at times, can experience righteous indignation at injustice, sin and persecution. Thus Paul could say, “Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil” (Eph. 4:26).”
QUOTE: William Hendricksen “Anger as such need not be sinful. It is ascribed even to God (1 Ki. 11:9; 2 Ki. 17:18; Ps. 7:11; 79:5; 80:4, 5; Heb. 12:29), and to Christ (Ps. 2:12; Mk. 3:5; Jn. 2:15-17). In fact, the age in which we are living could use a little more ‘righteous indignation’ against sin of every type. Also, the angrier every believer is with his own sins, the better it will be.”
The danger in anger is not that there are things which should cause us to be angry in this world - there certainly are.
The problem is that we often become angry with the wrong things, and allow ourselves to be governed by the emotion of anger rather than love for God and love for our neighbor.
We often get angry about things that do not matter, and we allow this anger to cause us to use our tongues as weapons against others.
Christ’s point here is that it is not enough just to say, “Well at least I didn’t kill the guy!”
The spirit of the law goes to the very heart of our attitude toward our fellow man.
If we hold hatred and animosity and spite toward another person, we are in sin.
If we allow our tongues to stab them with words of hatred, we are in sin.
Christ does not end with his explanation of the spirit of the Law, but also provides for us an application of His interpretation.
The Application of the Law - Seek Peace with Others
Our job as Christians is to seek to live at peace with others.
Our walk is supposed to be marked by forgiveness and encouragement and peace.
It is not supposed to be marked with strife and turmoil and drama.
This requires that we do two things:
Working to reconcile with those who are at odds with us.
Not letting situations get out of hand.
Working to reconcile with those at odds with us:
v.23 “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
Notice that the onus of the responsibility is placed upon us.
It says if someone has a problem with us, we should go to them.
He even indicates that not doing so should interrupt our worship.
When we come into the church, and we know there are people in the world who are angry with us, and yet we have not reached out to them for reconciliation, then we need to do that first.
Note: It is not always possible to be reconciled with everyone, because quite frankly some folks have decided they refuse reconciliation.
Yet, the responsibility is ours to do what we can to bring reconciliation.
Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
Not letting situations get out of hand
v.25 “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. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”
I think this may be confusing to some, but it shouldn’t be.
Jesus is making a point that there is a natural progression to conflict.
It starts out slow, but escalates fast.
Have you ever been in a situation, and asked yourself, “How did we get here?” and “How did this get so BAD so FAST?”
Jesus is saying that we need to preempt situations before they get out of hand.
If someone is going to accuse you before a court, go and reconcile with them quickly, so that the situation does not erupt into a series of negative events --- which end finally with a problem so big it is seemingly insurmountable.
We understand how this applies to us...
If someone is upset with us, a series of unfortunate events can happen as a result.
Most of us are familiar with this, because we have experienced it.
And often we ask ourselves: Why didn’t I just go to this person before all this started, and try to work this out?
Our responsibility, as believers, is to not allow our own anger to keep us from seeking reconciliation as we ought.
Our goal should always be reconciliation.
Unfortunately, it seems that some folks love to live in drama.
Their lives are lived in constant and perpetual frustration because they are always upset with someone about something.
They seem to stay angry all the time.
Beloved, this is no way for the Christ-follower to live.
CONCLUSION: So, we see in this section of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus has expressed to His followers three things...
The Letter of the Law - Murder is a sin.
The Spirit of the Law - Anger and Hatred are the Root of Murder
The Application of the Law - The Believer is not to be governed by anger, but rather by a desire for reconciliation.
It is important to remember that the Sermon on the Mount is not intended to stand as a model for how a person is to be saved.
We are saved by the work of Christ alone.
Perfect allegiance to the Law, by the Letter or by the Spirit is out of our grasps.
The only perfectly righteous person was Christ.
Only in Him are we made righteous.
Having said that, we mustn’t discount what the Sermon on the Mount does teach us.
It provides for us the foundation for Christian ethics.
It shows us that simple do’s and don’t are not the point.
It is the heart from which our actions flow which matters.
Are we harboring a hateful heart?
Do we have anger and turmoil in our spirits?
Does this anger becomes words and actions of hatred toward others?
Beloved, that is the point of Christ.
It is not enough to simply not kill those we are at odds with.
But our goal should always be to reconcile, so that instead of harboring a heart filled with anger, and lips laced with hate, we might enjoy a relationship which has been fused together by the bond of forgiveness.
