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.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brotherwill 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. 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. 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.
– Matthew 5:21-26
MATTHEW 5 BASELESS ANGER & INSULTS ARE HEART-MURDER
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
All those who serve the Lord are called to respect life and not murder
But insulting someone is a different kind of killing and so also is anger
When there is no reason for outbursts of anger, it can be a form of killing
We heart-murder when we insult others based on our own thinking
Those who hold on to offense and unforgiving will be judged severely
When we favor others over another, we are discriminating them harshly
They cannot worship the Lord if they continue to hold on to offense
Groundless anger and insults are also as lethal as physical murder.
The Sermon on the Mount precedes these following verses. Jesus was addressing how the Jews only recognize murder as physical. The Mosaic law as understood by the Pharisees and the Scribes regarding murder were mostly political rather than spiritual. The Jews created more laws in order that the people are burdened instead of obeying God as a covenant people. They missed out on looking at the heart which is the source of murder.
Jesus expounds on the other form of murder in verse 22 when he pointed out another form of murder which is baseless anger and insult. It is a matter of the heart when we decide to kill someone either physically or verbally. Anger in itself is not murder but if there is no reason for the anger and is an expression of disgust, annoyance or vendetta, then they are forms of heart-murder. Insult is another attack on the creation of God. Because we are all made in God’s image, we are assaulting the Creator himself when we insult someone else. Slander and gossip can be forms of heart-murder too because we are spreading untrue things and attacking someone else’s character.
Jesus warns us to take these heart-murders as seriously as we would any physical murder. He also makes them aware that this is a form of defilement and if they are to worship the Lord or make an offering, they need to make amends with those that have offended them. The purity of our hearts is what God expects from his people since he is a holy God.
REFLECTION
· Why is it important for us to address anger at its core and process the source of it?
