But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall 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, 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 currently reading through 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."  My study Bible tells us that the repeated formula but I say to you is a statement of total, divine authority (Matthew 7:29).  As Christ is the Creator of man and the Author of the Law, He can speak with this authority.  There is anger which is not sinful (Psalm 4:4, Mark 3:5), what Jesus forbids here is sinful anger, which He identifies with murder.  The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews.  Hell (in Greek, Gehenna/γέενναν) is the final condition of sinners who resist God's grace.  The word Raca is an insult, indicating that a person is "empty-headed."  The word translated as fool is one that in modern Greek means infant or baby, but it is the root of our modern English word "moron."

"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, then come and offer your gift."  Peace with other believers, my study Bible says, is a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).  The liturgical "kiss of peace" or expression of fellowship a the beginning of the eucharistic prayer is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness.  It is meant to prepare 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 tells us that Luke places this particular teaching in the context of the end of the age (see Luke 12:57-59), but here in the Sermon on the Mount it is in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  Nevertheless, it is still an image suggestive of judgment, already the context given here.  Delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 5:26-27).  

It's useful to note that Jesus says "whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment."  It's easy to miss that "without a cause" part of the statement.  So we begin with an injustice in the first place, a misplaced or unsubstantiated anger.  In some sense, we can see this kind of  anger without cause as that which seeks out discord, an argument, a breaking of peace.  It is the anger possibly of a combative person, one who looks for fights, and creates them because they enjoy them for whatever reason they might have, a habitually belligerent person.  On other hand, such unjustified or causeless anger is often the product of selfishness or envy.  It can become an easy prompting for stirring up trouble that is needless in its root, but simply meant to cause conflict in order to take something away from someone else, or even to harm them out of envy.  There are all kinds of ways to be angry without a cause, and which may result in needless strife within community.  Jesus is equating this kind of anger with murder, and there are a number of ways in which we can understand this, or come to know its effects.  First of all, a murder within a community has lasting effects, both outward into the community in its disruption and destruction of relationships, and deep into even inter-generational patterns and conflicts that last, between individuals and especially for children who inherit the conditions caused by the murder.  To create strife or to attack someone even verbally within a community and without a cause is to disrupt peace in a similar way, and to cause disruption difficult to reconcile later.  To call someone a name can clearly have the effect of abuse, an aggressive attack on someone else's character and well-being within community.  It diminishes the person, and if done publicly, has the ripple effect of being done in front of others; without a cause it is an unjustifiable humiliation.  All of these things harm community and especially peace, a sense of meeting in God's house.  If we look at the Mosaic Law, it was clearly designed with community in mind -- and here Jesus explains His statement that He has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, expanding on the Law within His own context.  When we think about God's peace, we must think about the place where we are reconciled first to God and then to one another.  Every concept of community is rooted in this place, just as Jesus taught that the two greatest commandments were one:  love of God and love of neighbor.  He said, "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (see Matthew 22:34-40).  Indeed, in this context we must consider that even the name Jerusalem means the "city of peace" and understand that the first commandment of peace is reconciliation to God, and within that context, with neighbor.  So an unjustified anger results in something which Jesus says is like murder, and especially within community and the notion of the disruptions of God's peace, our reconciliation within this "home."  Let us consider the myriad ways anger can manifest through jealousy, simple rivalry, envy, a competition for power or for material goods or even for social relationships and social currency, a competition for favor.  There are any number of ways we can consider what it is to diminish another without a cause.  But let us first remember Jesus' words and take them seriously.  In our world today we experience a lot of strife.  There are political issues that divide bitterly, where people become unable to even listen to one another without prejudice; we live in a time where all kinds of issues become politicized in this sense.  One traditional way the Church maintained peace amid disagreement was through dialogue; but disparaging and insulting words, such as Christ mentions, can cut off all dialogue.  When Jesus speaks of paying the last penny, He indicates that there is a price to pay for such destructive behavior.  Let us consider God's peace and Jesus' words, and be prudent in our actions with one another, examining our own potential anger without cause and understanding the danger of hell fire about which Jesus warns.  The reconciliation before the altar thereby becomes a primary concern before all others.  With God's grace, let us fight the good fight for God's peace.