“I’d Kill You If I Could”
Introduction:
Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Law - but came to fulfill it - not one jot or tittle would fade from the Law. In our text today, Jesus is not contradicting God’s Law, but rather getting to the ‘heart,’ or intent of the Law.
Read: Matthew 5:21-26 NIV.
You Have Heard.
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ’Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5: 21).
Jesus began His statement here by referring to the Sixth Commandment found in Exodus 20:13 & Deuteronomy 5:17. This quotation is also based on Leviticus 24:17 which states, “If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death” (And it is based on Deuteronomy 19:12 and Numbers 35). They had heard these teachings through the Rabbis.
Question: What is the judgment that He was referring to? The Amplified Version says, “and whoever kills shall be liable so that he cannot escape the punishment imposed by the court.” The NASB says, “Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.” This would be referring to a local court. Basically this says that a person who murders will be found guilty by a local court.
Murder is a horrible crime. It is destroying the creation of God that was made in His image. Listen to this: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man” (Gen. 9:6). It is literally an all out assault on God. Jesus was only stating the obvious; the very thing everyone knew and heard via the Rabbis.
The problem is that the teachers of the Law focused strictly on externals.
But I tell you.
“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:22).
Jesus isn’t contradicting the Law here, but rather getting to the heart of it. They’d heard that they had better obey the Law outwardly. But now they are hearing teaching stating that a man can be guilty of murder even if he never did anything to physically harm someone.
Question: What is Jesus talking about, being “angry with his brother?" And, is it always wrong to be angry?
Righteous indignation against sin, and even sin in an individual’s life, is a necessary thing. There are times when people make us angry by wronging us, but Paul warns us, “and ‘don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27 NLT).
Everyone will experience anger. But it is the boiling, festering anger that one holds in their heart, that Jesus is equating with murder. This kind of anger seeks revenge and would kill if it could.
Example: Cain felt this anger toward Abel and it bred physical murder.
This kind of anger is literally, at the heart of murder. In fact it is the attitude that precedes the action. So while the Rabbis may have been teaching the outward repression of murder, the internal heart of the issue was not being dealt with. Some may even have felt sure they’d never broken this Law, but now Jesus was exposing the truth.
“Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him” (1John 3:15 NIV).
“…anyone who says to his brother, ’Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin” (Matthew 5:22).
Question: What is meant by the word Raca? This word is basically calling someone a blockhead, brainless idiot, empty headed. It’s an abusive term.
The person who speaks with contempt towards another is answerable to the Sanhedrin (the national council of 71 members that was presided over by the high priest). Obviously this was not to be taken literally. In other words, the sin of a long-lasting, seething anger that you keep inside towards another is bad and worthy of judgment, but the sin of taking your anger and hurling it with insults at the object of your wrath is even worse! And it is worthy of a greater judgment.
“But anyone who says, ’You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell” (Matthew 5:22).
The meaning here is to slander someone - “character assassination:" killing a person’s reputation. A person involved in this venting of anger shows true hate and murder in their heart.
The word here that is translated into "hell" is "Gehenna," the Valley of Hinnom located south-west of Jerusalem. King Ahaz had introduced the practice of sacrificing children in the fire to the god Molech. This was stamped out by good king Josiah. Hinnom eventually became a burning dump where Jerusalem’s waste was burned. This place was used by Jesus and others to describe a type of hell. Thus, Jesus got His point across about hatred in the heart and the insults that result from it and the serious judgment that results.
Words can kill. Proverbs 15:4 says, “…a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”
Paul points out in Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
James, writing to Christians about the unruly tongue, states that with it “we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in the likeness of God…these things ought not be so” (James 3:9-10 ESV).
Be reconciled, Then Come and Worship
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).
John Hoke says, “our attitudes impact our worship.” We cannot possibly think that our fellowship with God is not affected by our relationships with others. If we have a breach in a relationship with someone else, then we must first try to mend it.
John MacArthur, Jr. writes, “The phrase, ’your brother has something against you,’ could also refer to anger or hatred on the brother’s part. That is, even if we hold nothing against him, if he is angry with or hates us, we should do everything in our power to be reconciled to him” (MacArthur’s New Testament Commentary on Matthew p.297).
Settle Matters Quickly
“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny” (Matthew 5:25-26).
Take care of the problem before its consequences pile up and make it worse. After things got to the courts, judgment would be rendered and time for reconciliation was lost. The practical advice for our everyday lives is to take care to mend a problem with a brother or sister quickly, so as to avoid any long term damage to your relationship, and to your life.
The eternal perspective on this is that you’d better take care to make things right with your fellow man now, because one day you will stand before a Judge that will judge you for either dealing with the situation or allowing it to become worse. And realize that YOU and I are to take the initiative to make things right in a situation in which we’ve wronged someone else.
Conclusion:
I’m sure the Pharisees of Jesus’ day thought they were not guilty of murder, because they had not committed the act physically. Jesus showed them clearly that God looks at the heart, and that His judgments go much deeper than what they thought. Everyone is guilty of murder because we have all hated. So we have all broken God’s Law. This is another reason why we can’t look to the Law for salvation; because we cannot possibly keep its intent.
One source that I read said that even the Pharisees, as religious as they were, are an example of the destructiveness of hate, because their hate of Jesus eventually made them accomplices in Jesus’ murder.
Jesus knew we that couldn’t live up to the Law. That is why a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees is needed in our own lives. That righteousness doesn’t come from a Law we can’t keep, but through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit then begins to change our lives and attitudes, and replaces our hate with love. Therefore, we begin to keep the Law on a practical basis as we walk in the Spirit.
We should take heed to reconcile ourselves to one another, when any animocity exists. Our cursing of others doesn’t mix well with our praise to God. Even when we’ve got nothing against another person, we should still try to diffuse their anger against us if at all possible. Allowing problems to fester will surely result in multiplied consequences later.
