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"

"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 by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

- Matthew 5:21-26

Yesterday 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."  In yesterday's reading (above), Jesus referred to the Law and the Prophets, and specifically the letter of the law ("one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled").  Here Jesus begins with the statute against murder found in Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17.  He uses a kind of formula in speaking in the following passages, and it begins here with but I say to you.  My study bible calls this a statement of total, divine authority (7:29).  As Christ is Creator of man and the Author of the Law, He can speak with such authority.  There is also anger that is not sinful (Psalm 4:5, Mark 3:5).  But here Jesus forbids sinful anger, and identifies it with murder.  The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews (also called the Sanhedrin).  Raca is an Aramaic word that means empty, indicating stupidity or empty-headedness.  Fool is translated from a word that has similar meaning but perhaps to a greater degree, implying brainlessness or one who lacks the capacity for intelligent thought (in Greek it is the word from which English derives "moron").  My study bible adds that hell (in Greek, Gehenna) is the final condition of sinners who 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, and then come and offer your gift."  My study bible says that peace with other believers is a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).  The liturgical "kiss of peace" (often called fellowship) at the beginning of the eucharistic prayer is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness, which prepares the faithful in order 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 notes here that Luke places this teaching in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59).  Here, it is in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  The images here suggest judgment, and therefore also gives echoes of the context of Luke.  A delay in reconciliation, my study bible adds, will allow for the spread of animosity and also other evils (Ephesians 4:26-27).

What is righteous anger?  What is sinful anger?  Moreover, how do we distinguish between the two?  Jesus says that "whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment."  We are reminded then to ask, what is a just cause?  People can be angry for all kinds of reasons that they give themselves:  some are reasonable, and others merely selfish.  But often, when our own motives cloud judgment, it is hard to know the difference.  And, we should add, it is so easy to rationalize or equivocate.  One thing that is unmistakable in today's text is the equivalence Jesus gives to words (or insults) and a physical act of violence -- or more specifically, murder.  It tells us something about what we do spiritually or emotionally to another when we insult and call names.  We might not be doing a physical injury, but it's easy to understand the vulnerability involved in a possible soul injury.  Jesus seems to be calling us onto the carpet to bring our attention to the things we do that cause harm -- even when we don't see it and think about it.  And this isn't just a harm to another person.  It is, in effect, a harm to relationship, and through that relationship, a harm to community.  Placing insults in the context of the Eucharist, or of the Liturgy, Jesus speaks of harm within the community, a kind of poison based in injustice (being angry without a cause).  He warns us of the consequences and dangers of prolonged feuding or acrimony:  "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."  Sometimes it is necessary to "agree to disagree" rather than risk a greater degree of harm within the context of relationship and community.  Even if we are in the right, one cannot discount the risk of greater harm coming through increasing strife, insult, and the resulting anger that is sure to come.  For those who are right, and for those who are wrong, there is in fact a similar danger.  The temptation to sin remains, and more damage continues.   A peaceful separation, in such a context, can be preferable to continued and escalating acrimony.  It also gives us time to calm down, to pray, and even to forgive as best we can, even if reconciliation isn't possible.  But we are assured that "you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny" -- one way or another, we pay for missteps, we have lessons to learn, and we're not going to be truly free until we accept whatever they are and follow through.  Let us also note that the kind of insults and name-calling that Jesus mentions involve shame.  These sorts of insults are not clearly stated accusations of wrong-doing.  They are assassinations of character and of a person (note the word "assassination" and its tie to the concept of murder).  They are designed to destroy internal integrity, and when publicly made, to do so in front of community.  Therefore they work as further prompts to anger in an opponent, and to escalate tension and the risk of violence, either emotionally or physically.   Thus, they promote more danger to community and risk further broken relationships.  Jesus Himself, let us remember, did not shirk from telling the truth, even when it would cause division, but He did so at the appropriate time and within the context of a prayerful life, always seeking God's will in doing so and not His own.  This expression would also come in the context of a greater sacrifice on His part for the good of the entire communion and for the life of the world.   The ultimate judge is God, and therefore what Christ calls us to ultimately is mindfulness -- the awareness of God's presence with us at all times.  Before the altar, of course such is true.  In the Liturgy and in the context of the Eucharist it is the same.  And at all times, both in worship and in private, our angels are with us -- and in prompting us to true mindfulness, Jesus in effect teaches us to always be aware of such, even when we find ourselves most angry.  The difference between a righteous and a sinful anger perhaps lies just there:  can we keep ourselves mindful of the presence of God and of God's angels helping us to go through it prayerfully and asking for God's will to be known that we may follow?  Jesus reminds us of the Judge for a reason.  Let us be called to the awareness He asks.