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"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 you 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 by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."
- Matthew 5:21-26
We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount, which began with the Beatitudes. Then Jesus taught, "You are the salt of the earth." On Saturday, we read that He taught, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 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."
"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.'" Jesus elaborates on what it is to practice a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. He cites the law against murder, found in Exodus 20:13 and also Deuteronomy 5:17.
"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." We read of calling people names here. It might surprise us to have linked with an anger that is akin to murder name-calling that isn't the curses we'd expect. Jesus condemns calling others stupid, unintelligent. "Raca" is an Aramaic word that means "empty," implying empty-headedness. Throughout the Near and Middle East it's still common to be called "pumpkin-head" or a word that means any generic type of gourd or squash, implying empty-headedness. The word for you fool (μωρέ) has come to mean baby or infant in Modern Greek, but just what its translation implies as used in the Gospels. "Infantile" relates to both. We derive the English word "moron" from this use. How often in arguments do we hear people attacking the intelligence or lack of knowledge of others?
"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave you gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." My study bible tells us that peace with other believers is a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25). The liturgical "kiss of peace," or expression of fellowship at the beginning of the eucharistic prayer is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness. This prepares the faithful to offer the holy gifts at the altar (1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14).
"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 by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny." My study bible points out that Luke places this teaching of Jesus in the context of the end of the age (see Luke 12:57-59). But Matthew's Gospel shows Jesus preaching here in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy. A note tells us, "Delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils" (see Ephesians 4:26-27).
How many times do we hear others being called stupid, or ignorant, or unintelligent and uneducated? It's really a kind of go-to insult particularly in political arguments, I find. I look out on the internet and social media, rifts between those of different political parties, on one side or another of an issue, and this is what I see most often. We see comedy played out this way, too, and it's linked to the same dynamic. What's funny is ridicule, a sort of sneer at the intelligence on the other side of the aisle. Often, I find, there seems to be a disconnect between certain bodies of information. That is, one side and the other are working with a different set of facts and experience. I can't help but think that our disagreements with one another often stem from the same thing, and that listening should at least help to remedy this, even if it doesn't always fix a problem. But it seems really noteworthy that Jesus' focus is on calling others stupid. That's a way of avoiding a real argument, in which we debate facts and opinions. It very simply slices down the whole person, all that they are in their mind and heart. That's a kind of murder in the heart. It's also a warning to us that when we provoke another, we're just escalating the violence potential, breaking more bonds. I must admit, I'm tired of the sneers, often from people with whom I traditionally agree. The world around us gets more and more violent. Polarization happens everywhere, on both a macro and micro level. Jesus here gets us right down to the micro, and specifically speaking, to the level of each one of us, to "I" and what "I" am doing. Christianity, in following the Gospels, really asks us to focus in on what "I" am doing, as a responsibility in discipleship. Jesus is addressing the crowd, a multitude of followers from every region, and as such speaks to them in the plural "you." But the "you shall not murder" is singular, and so is "whoever says to his brother." So as we begin to get into election season in the US, as we grapple with problems all over this world (and my readers are from all over the world), let's start with "me" and what "I" do. Watch the language. Debate facts and opinions, and listen for what we might be missing -- especially when we assume others are just ignorant or foolish. Beware of ridicule as a tool; often it's a substitute for intelligence, an easy shot to deride and to belittle. Dialogue makes communion, even when we disagree. And sometimes, when dialogue isn't possible (because that takes more than "I"), prayer is the best we can do, for everybody. I must confess, it's often me who needs that prayer more than anyone else!
