But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment

Baptistery, Florence, Italy, 1240-1300

 "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, an 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

In our current readings, Jesus is preaching the Sermon on the Mount.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus 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.'  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."  Jesus begins to give examples of what He means by a righteousness that "exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees"  (see yesterday's reading, above).  He goes to the heart, the place where "bad acts" begin, even the psychological foundations of harm.  He first takes the statute in the Law against murder, which is the subject of today's passage.  He will repeatedly use the formula but I say to you as His subject of righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, His restatement of the Law.  My study bible calls "but I say to you" a statement of total, divine authority (7:29).  As both our Creator and also the Author of the Law, Christ is able to speak with this authority, my study bible says.  Raca means "empty" in Aramaic, it's an insult denoting a lack of intelligence or brain; fool is from a word in Greek that forms the basis for the English word "moron."  My study bible notes that there is anger which is not sinful (Psalm 4:5, Mark 3:5), but Jesus forbids a kind of sinful anger, which He identifies as akin to murder.  The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews.  Hell (Gehenna in Greek; see 10:28) is the final condition of those who continuously resist God's grace. 

"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, an then come and offer your gift."   Jesus speaks here about peace with other believers; my study bible calls this a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).   The liturgical "kiss of peace" or fellowship at the beginning of eucharistic prayer is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness, which my study bible says prepares the faithful to offer the holy gifts at the altar (1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14).  The Law as given through Moses was a set of laws to establish a community among believers; Christ gives us a formula for right-relatedness and peace which is the basis for His community.

"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 notes that Luke places this teaching in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59).  But here it is in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  It adds that delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26-27). 

Jesus here addresses the subject of anger, and relates it to the statute against murder.  How is anger related to murder?  How is it akin to murder?  While there is a type of righteous anger, Jesus specifically addresses certain manifestations of anger.  The first is name-calling against a brother.  We should keep in mind that He's speaking to His disciples, who've come to Him up on the mountain to hear Him preach (see this reading).  Therefore in this context, "brother" is indicative of the relationship between those who follow Him, even those who would be called "sons of God."  If the gender-specific language is annoying, one should keep in mind the many women who are "ministers" to His ministry and are included as those who follow Him from Galilee (Luke 8:1-3, 23:49, 55).  If we look at the whole of today's passage, it is a recipe for peace, and it drives home the Beatitude Jesus preached when He taught, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9).  This peace is the substance of right-relatedness.  To diminish others through name-calling is a way to destroy peace, to damage relationships.  The examples that Jesus gives are particularly those that diminish intelligence and maturity, the capacity of a person for understanding their lives and their capacity for making choices.  It is a way to diminish the full being of a person.  Let us keep in mind that Jesus will give a formula in Matthew' Gospel for correction within the Church, so He is not saying that legitimate matters that need review for reconciliation or adjudication are to be swept under the rug (see Matthew 18:15-20).  In today's passage, He addresses an unrighteous anger and its expression, which is damaging to others and to relationships.  He speaks of hell fire, judgment, and the judge.  These are all statements that allude to a spiritual judgment, and to a sense in which it is not the punishments of the Law one need fear, but rather a higher and deeper, more absolute authority.  These are statements which place a great deal of responsibility on our own shoulders for our conduct.  They emphasis self-responsibility and self-mastery, a kind of courage and capacity for reflection and self-awareness.  This is the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.  It is the ability to be aware of our relationship to God at all times, and our own status as children of God, but most especially the responsibility that comes as part of such a package.  We should remember that discipleship is a journey, and in this context we are to work at this, and through experience come to know ourselves better -- in particular, those things we need to correct and jettison from our own internal cabinet of habits and tendencies.  Jesus speaks of resolving conflicts as quickly as possible, so that anger does not fester and grow into something more -- and more costly to oneself.  To air a legitimate grievance is to speak plainly, not to hold a grudge nor to inflame others.   But the basis for all of this is a spiritual basis of understanding that has as its root the two greatest commandments in the Law:  to love God with all one's heart and soul and strength, and neighbor as oneself.  It is a righteousness rooted in a peace that is a product of inner orientation, mindful of God and our relationship to God and in Christ.  Jesus reminds us that uncontrolled anger is a danger; and our desire to indulge ourselves in such passions can have disastrous consequences.  Let us remember that names can wound -- and they may diminish both others and ourselves.    In all ways, Christ seeks to make us aware of our own conduct, our unconscious behaviors that cause harm.  Where do you start with the kind of maturity He asks of us?  Where do you begin to address the ways in which you handle even a legitimate grievance?