You shall not murder

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will be no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

- Matthew 5:21-26

Jesus continues with the Sermon on the Mount. Already, he has taught us the Beatitudes, about his disciples as Salt and Light, and that in him is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, which shall remain for fulfillment Till heaven and earth pass away. Today, we begin with his expression of the fulfillment of the Law, beginning with the law against murder, and how his teachings expand righteousness in view of the Law. At the end of yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Today, he tells us what that righteousness is like.

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire." My study bible says in a note: "But I say to you indicates Jesus' authority (7:28, 29). Jesus, the Son of God, acting with the Father, created human nature and gave the Law of the Old Testament. As the Old Law is fulfilled in the New Law, so human nature is healed by Christ. Jesus forbids sinful anger (see Ps. 4:4 and Eph. 4:26 for anger, or righteous indignation, that is not sinful), identifying such anger with murder. The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews. Hell (Greek Gehenna; see 10:28...) is the final condition of sinners who resist God's grace." "Raca!" means "empty head" in Aramaic, and so, I imagine, is a common insult. (And it still is, in the Near and Middle East, as elsewhere.) "Fool" is in Greek "More' " or calling someone "baby, infant" (in the second person singular form) - from which comes "moron" (noun form) as used in English. In writing these commentaries for over a year, I have encountered in the readings many times when Jesus is angry, or seems to be very angry, indeed. Those times are, for example, when he overturns the tables of the money changers and the seats of the dove sellers in the temple, or when he tells a parable against the leadership in the temple. He tells his disciples to "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." John the Baptist calls Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism a "brood of vipers." So, I feel that we are to understand indeed, the difference between one type of anger and another. It seems to me that what Jesus is speaking of is an abusive anger. Not only do we have the qualification "angry with his brother without a cause" but we also have examples of what it is to be abusive, provocative. So, the emphasis here is on those who are responsible for provoking strife, unnecessary conflict and hardship, and abusing or belittling others.

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." Once again, my study bible notes, "Peace with other believers takes primacy over duties of worship (Mark 11:25). In early Christian worship the liturgical 'kiss of peace' at the beginning of the Communion prayers -- not after -- was a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness, preparing the Church to offer and receive the Eucharist (1 Cor. 16:20; 1 Pet. 5:14)." So, the emphasis here is on peace, and effort at reconciliation. What I find interesting is Jesus' emphasis on our own responsibility regarding the wrongs we have done to others ("if your brother has something against you") - and the need to redress the wrong and attempt reconciliation. So, our attempts are always to reconcile, especially before God (our state of being when we offer our gift to God).

"Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will be no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny." My study bible notes, "Luke 12:57-59 places this teaching in a context dealing with the end of the age; here it is in the context of reconciliation. In both cases it is clear that quarrels must be settled quickly, not allowed to continue. Delaying reconciliation and good works gives room for the working of more evil (Eph. 4:26, 27)." So, we are to make every effort to reconcile ourselves, particularly if we are at fault, and to work out peace. I see this in the context of a process of repentance and self-examination, attempting to be fair, to practice good judgment. I do not see it, however, as a recipe for the tolerance of abuse, or acceptance of the abrogation of rights or decent behavior. But certainly the emphasis on peace and reconciliation is clear: we are to exhaust every effort in this respect.

So, Jesus takes the law against murder, and expands its teachings. Murder is seen in the context of provocation and unnecessary strife. We are to seek to avoid the escalation of conflict, and to practice all effort possible at reconciliation. To create peaceful relationships takes work and thought. One must make an effort. I believe it's quite notable, also, that there is to be no sense of "might makes right" in any form -- there is no mention here of position of authority or deference. On the contrary, to call someone "empty-headed" or a "fool" is seemingly to demean someone of a lower status, or at least to place them as such. I believe that we can infer from the text that we are to treat one another as equals before God, and therefore we stand a better chance of true reconciliation and just understanding, not merely the imposition of "peace" by any form of force or authority, with an unjust solution in which wrongs are not addressed, but rather swept under the rug instead. In the context of the Beatitudes, and the Law and the Prophets, this is not a recipe for bypassing justice, nor mercy for a victim.

But first we take the great emphasis on peace and reconciliation between brothers and sisters. We must keep this foremost in our hearts - and always consider where we may have erred and how to correct it. I am reminded also of modern courses of "assertiveness training" - learning to advocate or express a perceived wrong for the purpose of reconciliation, as opposed to aggression which is quite another thing. All must be done with peaceful purpose in mind, but righteousness is the point. Righteousness encompasses both justice (it is the same word in Greek) and mercy. All too often, I feel, these words are used to silence those who are truly concerned with justice. They are not to be used to hide corruption or injustice - which are also forms of aggression and violence, and in my opinion, fall under Jesus' teachings here expanding our understanding of the law against murder, and about reconciliation and the need to redress wrongs before we present our gift at the altar. Our righteousness is to exceed those of the scribes and Pharisees. So, where do we start with these teachings in our hearts? Do we do things that are unjust, that provoke others and create strife? Do we resolve conflicts with a sense of justice, as swiftly as possible? Do we sweep things under the rug, making victims of those with less power - and call that "peace" or "reconciliation?" All of these thoughts come under the categories of murder. To call others names, to belittle them and abuse them, is also a form of murder, just as we can practice violence emotionally or psychologically against others; we diminish them in this way. And we also murder relationships by this behavior. Righteousness is right-relatedness, to relate to others with justice. Justice and reconciliation, then, go hand in hand. And they both bring us to peace. We go back to the Beatitudes, and we recall Jesus' words about those who thirst for righteousness (or justice), those who practice mercy, who seek purity of heart, and are the peacemakers or reconcilers. Here, he expands on these thoughts under the Law against murder. We examine our hearts, and need to come to terms with the ways in which we may still make an appearance under the strict interpretation of the law, but may fail in the righteousness Jesus asks of us. It is a plea against manipulation. Let us consider carefully his words, and remember how many ways there are to provoke conflict, an injustice, to belittle or diminish, to fail in reconciliation and the righteousness he asks of us. I see these contexts for righteous behavior also as a serious plea for simple practice of kindness to one another, the importance of its action to counter provocation, hostility, and thoughtlessness. How do we reconsider and reconcile this behavior? How do we redress its effects without escalation?