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

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the disciples, "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 this repeated formula in Christ's Sermon on the Mount but I say to you is a statement of total, divine authority (Matthew 7:29).  Christ is the Creator of humankind and also Author of the Law; as the Lord He can speak with this authority.  While there is anger which is not sinful (Psalm 4:4; Mark 3:5), here Jesus is forbidding sinful anger, and He identifies it with murder.  The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews.  Hell is in Greek γέενναν/Gehenna.  In Jewish history, my study Bible explains, Gehenna was the Valley of Hinnom.  It became a place of forbidden religious practices (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  King Josiah put an end to these practices (2 Kings 23:10).  By Christ's time, the valley had become a garbage dump that smoldered endlessly.  Because of these associations, Gehenna acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.  Hell 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."  Peace with other believers, my study Bible says, is a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).  The liturgical "kiss of peace" at the beginning of the eucharistic prayer is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness, a preparation of the faithful to offer the holy gifts at the altar (1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14).  See also Jesus' formula for mutual correction in the Church, in Matthew 18:15-20.

 

"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 St. Luke places this teaching in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59).  Here Jesus teaches it in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  Delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26). 

 

Forgiveness and reconciliation are important concepts in the Church, and it's important to note that these are two different words for two different things.  While we are all commanded to forgive, it's not always possible to reconcile.  For example, this is true of an abusive or harmful situation, in which two parties may conflict to the extent that harm is created, or abuse is tolerated.  But forgiveness is the "giving up" of sin in the same sense that a debt can be forgiven, as we'll read in the following chapter of this sermon (Matthew 6:12).  We do this in the context of prayer before our Father in heaven.  As shown in Jesus' teaching on mutual correction (Matthew 18:15-20), reconciliation calls for steps beyond forgiveness.  In today's reading, Jesus seems to teach us the importance of guarding against offenses, and also the reparation for offenses.  We read in the Gospels examples of such reparation and reconciliation, for example, in the story of Zacchaeus the chief tax collector (Luke 19:1-10).  In the story of Zacchaeus, it must be understood that tax collectors were despised within the Jewish society, for they were fellow Jews who worked for the Romans, routinely taking more than was necessary for paying tax and using the power of the Roman state to practice extortion for their own benefit.  In Zacchaeus' case, when Jesus comes to Jericho where he lives, and calls upon him, Zacchaeus states, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  Of this reconciliation, a reconstitution of community, Jesus says, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."  But nonetheless, we can always practice forgiveness, the "giving up" or "letting go" (as the word literally means in the Greek), as Jesus teaches us as part of the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father.   Here in today's passage, Jesus places the emphasis on the aggressive act of anger which is unjustified, and provokes unnecessarily through insult or injury of some kind.  Raca is an insult implying a person is empty-headed; "you fool" is the translation of an insult implying mental deficiency, undevelopment, lack of intelligence.  In Greek, it is μωρος/moros, from which we derive the English word moron.  In modern Greek, this word is used to literally refer to an infant.   One imagines that such demeaning insults mean something additionally significant within a social or public context.  Christ's comments just prior to the ones in today's reading spoke of the Law and the Prophets, and Himself as fulfillment.  If we think about the Law given by the Lord to Moses, we understand the important community emphasis on those laws; they weren't simply made in order to teach individuals what to do and how to act within an individual context.  The Law was made to create a community of God's people, and the prayers and practices of the Temple were designed to ameliorate the effects of sin in community.  The blood of sacrifice that was to be sprinkled upon the altar was for purification (not payment) -- and this is another prefiguring of Christ and His Blood shed for us.  Therefore we see this particular sin of anger without cause, and the casting of insults upon others within community, as akin to murder.  It destroys relationships and relatedness, and we are to understand righteousness as right-relatedness. In today's reading, Jesus begins to explain to us why and how we are to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.  Christ's gospel is part of the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, but it extends beyond a legalistic scrupulosity of simply following the rules.  Instead, we're to begin to come to terms with the inward passions that drive harmful actions, and of course this will correspond to the action of the Holy Spirit, the Helper, which would come to us as a gift of Christ's fulfillment of His mission (John 16:7-11), and as part of Christian Holy Baptism.  Within the context of community also comes the need for reconciliation and forgiveness.  But this is done within a community meant to be "the people of God."  The remedy for sin is holiness, not payment.  This is where Christ is leading us, and what the Incarnation as salvific remedy for the world is all about.  The fire of hell is the same purifying fire that is the Holy Spirit, and our experience of that depends upon our orientation to where He leads, our acceptance of the repentance to which we're called.  

 

 

 

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 

 

We are currently reading through Christ's Sermon on the Mount.  In yesterday's reading, 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 explains that the repeated formula but I say to you is a statement of total, divine authority by Jesus (Matthew 7:29).  As the Creator of man and Author of the Law, Christ can speak with this authority.  There is anger which is not sinful, which is linked to grief and motivated by compassion (see Psalm 4:4; Mark 3:5).  But here what Jesus is forbidding is sinful anger, which He identifies with murder.  The council is the Sanhedrin, the supreme legal body among the Jews (and here is evocative of the heavenly council of God).  Hell is Γέεννα/Gehenna in the Greek, the final condition of sinners who resist the grace of God.  Raca is apparently an insult of Aramaic derivation used commonly in the time of Christ, meaning "empty-headed."  The word used here for fool is μωρός/moros, from which is derived the word "moron" in modern English; and in modern Greek is used to mean "baby" or "infant," thus linked to underdevelopment in terms of education or the mind.

"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" at the beginning of the eucharistic prayer in the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness; it prepares the faithful to offer the holy gifts at the altar (in the Eucharist, these are the gifts of the sacrifice of Christ, His Body and Blood).  See also 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 that Luke places this teaching in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59); but here it is given in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  It says that delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26-27).  

 

Why is peace important?  Why does Jesus place this essential teaching on the importance of peace and reconciliation within the context of His discussion of anger or rage, insulting words, and linking these to murder?  At the heart of this teaching is the understanding of righteousness.  Some say that righteousness really means "right relatedness."  When Jesus is asked (by a lawyer) what is the greatest commandment in the Law, He replies, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:36-40).   As we can see from these two He gave as essential to understanding the fullness of the Law and the Prophets, they are all about relatedness, "right relatedness."  That is, the relationship first of love for God, and this foundation extending to our relationships to one another.  Into this basic framework we might consider what unjustified anger does, the implacability of someone who has decided that malicious behavior is appropriate, a kind of hatred that has nothing to do with the moral quality of what might have provoked it in the first place, nor at any point involves a reconsideration of what is appropriate or beneficial, especially within community.  Jesus equates this sort of hatred, and the venomous behavior that results, with murder, and links it to the statute against murder.  It is quite possible for us to look around and see the effects of slander, malicious gossip, insults, and all sorts of forms of this type of behavior within our communities, and in particular on the venue of social media, where it goes out to all and sundry within the sphere of the entire public.  Because of these sorts of expressions of hatred, not based in any sense of justice or mercy, people may lose their livelihoods and sense of well-being; this naturally also affects those who are their friends, neighbors, and colleagues, in addition to their children, spouses, and extended families.  An implacable rage is one that seeks to harm and to destroy -- even if those means are not nominally nor literally lethal.  To destroy someone else's sense of self, their sense of balance, is to seek to murder, in Jesus' description of righteousness and righteous behavior -- and what it is that constitutes violations of such.  There is a merciless quality to this kind of rage, which is neither open to dialogue nor peace.   Righteousness, therefore, in the sight of Christ, becomes not a simple question of earthly or material "justice" and our perception of what that means, but rather a question of what mercy really means, how we use that quality of discernment, and how we seek to practice the kind of love He teaches; this is not to condone bad behavior nor outrageous acts, but it is to see life in terms of what Christ's righteousness really means within the relationship to God and to community, extending into our own heart.  It is this upon which notions of gracious behavior are founded and understood.  Let us not lose sight of what is so precious, and can be destroyed so very easily.  For this kind of destruction, Jesus says, we will pay the last penny.

 

 

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.

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." 

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. 

- Mark 2:23-3:6

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  Jesus uses David as an image prefiguring the Christ, who is the true Lord of the Sabbath.  In David's time it was lawful only for the high priests to eat the showbread, but this was deemed acceptable for David and his men at the time.  Now, the expected Messiah, also titled Son of David (10:47-48), is present.  Jesus, for the first time, uses the title Son of Man for Himself, a messianic title for a mysterious figure in Daniel's apocalyptic vision (see Daniel 7).  It is, in effect, a declaration of His Lordship and the new covenant, and a prefiguring of the Eucharist, a food which will be freely given to all on the Sabbath.  Consistent with all that has happened in Mark's Gospel so far, the theme is healing and wholeness, giving us the image of Church as hospital.  This ministry is one of a Physician, who tends to humankind.  Thus, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.  My study bible tells us that according to certain traditions that the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law, healing was considered work, and thus was not permissible on the Sabbath.  They believed that they were serving God by zealously keeping their peripheral traditions, but it was a form of legalism that made them insensitive to God's mercy.   My study bible comments also on Jesus' anger.   It says that righteous anger is a natural human emotion which is experienced in the face of sin.  While there is anger that is sinful (Matthew 5:22), there is also anger that is God-given and proper to humanity (Psalm 4:4).  Christ's anger here, my study bible says, is in response to people professing God, and yet having such hardness in their hearts that they could not rejoice in the healing of one of their brothers.

Both stories in today's reading emphasize the growing contrast between the ways in which the religious leadership understands and interprets the Law (and the traditions built up around it), and the ways in which Jesus views the intentions of the Law and the character of God who is the true author of the Law.  He calls Himself the Son of Man, a title, as we noted above, which comes from the apocalyptic vision of Daniel (Daniel 7).   In that vision, the Son of Man joins the Ancient of Days and He is given a kingdom:  "Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:14).  In some icons of the Holy Trinity, the figure of the Ancient of Days as described in Daniel 7 is used to represent God the Father.  But this apocalyptic language is clearly mirrored in our understanding of Christ and of the kingdom of God, and the images in Revelation continue in the same apocalyptic tradition.  Jesus' use of this title is therefore significant in terms of a depiction of a spiritual battle going on, and also of the Lord's dominion and precisely what kind of kingdom He brings into the world.  This is not the kingdom of Israel, a political entity, nor the expected Messiah who would be a warrior king, throwing off the Romans and reviving Israel's fortunes and physical dominion over other kingdoms of the world.  This is an entirely different sort of reality manifesting and brought into the world.  Jesus will  tell Pilate, representative of the Roman State over Israel, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here" (John 18:36).  In today's reading, Jesus both states the power of His Lordship, and also the nature of this Kingdom, in the qualities of healing and mercy for which He stands and expresses His authority.  Jesus' usage of the title Son of Man is an indication of a war going on, but nothing like human, earthly warfare with which we're familiar.  This is a battle for hearts and minds, and souls and spirits.  It is one not seen by the eye, and not assigned simply to a group that we can define in physical or political or even philosophical terms.   Some who write on this subject are fond of quoting the author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who wrote the following:  "If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?" (p168, The Gulag Archipelago, Collins 1974).  I put this quotation here as it fits the struggle depicted in apocalyptic literature, as experienced by human beings.  Solzhenitsyn writes of destroying a piece of one's own heart, but Jesus puts this in more stark terms of imagery, when He speaks of offenses to little ones, and commands His disciples, "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire" (Matthew 18:8-9).  This is a battle of faith, and each must come to their own place in such a struggle through faith.  St. Paul calls it the "good warfare" and "the good fight of faith" (1 Timothy 1:18, 6:12).   Christ is in the world to express and manifest the true nature of God, to show us the way of this Kingdom, and also to claim His Lordship.  As Lord, He proclaims to us that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  His Kingdom is one of healing and regeneration, redemption, nurturing, medicine, correction.  Let us never lose sight of the One who leads the way for us, our deepest point of focus to cling to at all times, for we are always in this struggle, whether we know it or not.  The present season of Lent is precisely the time in which we enter more deeply into it, the struggle that remains not simply "out there" but within us, the one we are meant to know and understand.   In our text, this is what the religious leaders fail to heed in their zeal for what they know to be good, their belief that they serve God.  Let us remember in our own zeal for what we think and know as good what Christ commands and asks of us. 



 

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?

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, 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 currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5-7 of Matthew's Gospel (beginning with Monday's reading).  In yesterday's reading, 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 cites the statutes in the Law against murder (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17).  But His purpose here is regarding what He has called the fulfillment of the Law, and a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (see yesterday's reading, above).  There is a repeated formula He uses here, in saying "but I say to you."  My study bible calls it a statement of total, divine authority (7:29).   It notes that as the Creator of man and the Author of the Law, Christ can speak with this authority.  There is an anger that is not sinful (Psalm 4:4, Mark 3:5), but Jesus here speaks of what is a sinful anger, forbidding it and identifying it with murder.   The council is the supreme legal body of the Jews.  Hell (Gehenna in the Greek) is the final condition of those who resist God's grace.  Its image comes from the Valley of Hinnom, which was a place of forbidden religious practices (2 Chronicles 28:3, Jeremiah 32:35), which King Josiah ended (2 Kings 23:10).  By the time of Christ, this place had become a garbage dump which smoldered ceaselessly.  The word Raca is most likely Aramaic meaning "empty-headed," an insult.  Fool comes from a word in Greek that is the root of the English word "moron."  Both demean a person fundamentally.

"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."  To have peace with other believers is a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).  There is a liturgical "kiss of peace" at the beginning of the eucharistic prayer (often called fellowship), which 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."  In Luke's Gospel, this teaching is found in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59).  Here it's in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  My study bible notes that delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26-27).

Ultimately, Jesus is speaking here of a kind of righteousness that is all about right-relatedness.  He cites name-calling as akin to murder.  The particular insults Jesus cites here are those which verbally cut a person down, in effect the meaning of these words is simply to deny the full stature of personhood.  They're not a kind of communication that effectively describes disagreement nor complaint.  They don't even describe a defect of character or personality.   An offense like this is one that constitutes a breach of righteousness or right-relatedness.  We are encouraged by Christ to take up our own responsibility for reconciliation in such circumstances.  We're reminded that Christ Himself has plenty to say that is critical of the leadership.  He will also drive out the money-changers and animal sellers from the temple.  He doesn't hesitate to correct His disciples when necessary, even repeatedly (see Mark 9:33-37, 10:35-45), and even in ways that are stark in their expression of wrong-headedness (16:23).  But on no occasion does Jesus fully demean what it means to be a person when He challenges even the most malicious or mean-spirited attacks upon Him or His disciples.  We'd all do well to understand that a truthful confrontation aimed at reconciliation or an honest airing of grievances is something which must be separated from a demeaning insult.  Moreover, the greatest orator known to history, the Logos or Word Himself, is teaching us about the importance of words.  There is crucial significance to our communication.   If we choose to communicate in a certain way, Jesus teaches here, then we commit something akin to murder with our words.  Modern psychology enforces this perspective when we grow to understand the harsh effects of verbal abuse, longer-lasting and more deeply harmful in ways than even physical abuse.  (See, for example, this article or this one.)  Jesus' wisdom enforces for us the fact that verbal abuse cuts through fellowship and community.  It damages relationships by reducing or truncating peace, and is harmful to the community He desires among His faithful.  It is an important statement about peace that is couched in today's teaching by Jesus.  If we are to be peacemakers, we must consider seriously how we learn to communicate with others.  "Peace" is not something simple and it's not meant to be a facile band aid that covers up real problems.  To be a peacemaker is to learn how to reconcile in the faith of Christ, it is to move toward His peace, not to hide from problems that need resolving.  He teaches us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."  The Creator is Logos, or Word, One who creates with a word, and teaches us the appropriate use of the gift and power of language, of words.  The power of His peace is found in participation in the life He offers us, and our own discipleship and growth in just what that means in the fullness of our expression of His light.  It's not simple to learn His way, but we have Christ as our example of one who communicates in love and seeks what is best for us.  It is there we find the key to His peace.

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, leaven 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

We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount, beginning in Matthew chapter 5.  In yesterday's reading, 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 says that this formula (but I say to you) which Jesus will repeat in the Sermon is a statement of total, divine authority (7:29).  As the Creator of man and the Author of the Law, Christ can speak with this authority.  While there is anger which is not sinful (see Psalm 4:4, Mark 3:5), the type of anger Jesus forbids here is sinful anger, which He identifies with murder.   The council is the supreme legal body of the Jews.  Hell (in Greek, Gehenna/γέενναν; see 10:28) is the final condition of sinners who resist God's grace, my study bible tells us.

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leaven your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."  Peace with other believers is a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).  In liturgical practice, the fellowship or "kiss of peace" at the beginning of the eucharistic prayer is given as a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness, which prepares the faithful to offer the holy gifts at the altar (1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14).

"Agree with your adverary 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."  Luke puts this teaching in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59).  But here it is in the context of reconciliation that surrounds the Liturgy.  Both represent the proper attitude before Christ, who is the Judge.  Delay in reconciliation, my study bible says, allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26-27).

Let us take note of the Judge who speaks in today's reading.  But I say to you, my study bible tells us, is a formula which indicates total, divine authority.  Jesus also evokes the authority of the Council, the Sanhedrin, when He indicates a kind of insult that is given (Raca, from Aramaic, the spoken language of Jesus' time, indicates empty-headedness).  "You fool!" is from the Greek μωρός, from which we derive the English word "moron."  (In modern Greek, this word is used for "baby," perhaps connected linguistically by indicating  a lack of full development of the brain.)  At any rate, the word is used as a diminishment of a person, rendering them not fully equal or capable or of a stature that would call for recognition.  Jesus' words seem to indicate that as we decide that another is of lesser significance or importance, and need not be taken as deserving of respect due to persons our equals, then we begin to endanger our own standing in the eyes of the Judge who is above all.  His words call for reconciliation, a proactive way of practicing not simply repentance, but making amends for "debts" or "trespasses" (see Matthew 6:8-15).  This sort of reconciliation is linked to the terms diminishing others, because it is a way of recognizing equality before the Judge.  To be reconciled before the time for reckoning and judgment is strong counsel here by Christ, the sternest possible warning.  How we treat one another becomes not merely an outward "show" but a matter of the heart, and true personal repentance, an inner work.  To shut another person down, to slander them and thereby render them socially without stature or respect -- to render them unable to give their own testimony, so to speak -- is akin to murder in Jesus' estimation, and so it is.   Jesus calls on us to be aware of our own ways of thinking, and to do something about it.  He is not satisfied with an outward following of the rules, the letter of the law, but calls us to true repentance and personal change.  Later He will teach that it is those things that come out of the mouth that defile a person, and that they come from the heart (see Matthew 15:17-20).  Have you spoken of a person in ways that diminish their stature as a human being?  What is it that denies a person their own integrity?  Let us understand that Jesus isn't denying justice, the idea that there is a verdict of true or false, innocent or guilty, right or wrong in a trial.  But what He is addressing is the relationships we have with one another, true righteousness which supersedes other aspects of disagreement and lays the foundation for good judgment.  How do we live that righteous life to which He calls us?  

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, 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, in Matthew chapter 5.  It began with the Beatitudes, the blessings of the Kingdom.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued:  "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.  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, Jesus spoke of the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, and also the fulfillment of the Law.  Here He begins to spell out what He means, beginning with the statute against murder.  My study bible tells us that the formula but I say to you is a statement of total, divine authority (7:29).  Jesus in His divinity as Son is Creator of man and also the Lord, the Author of the Law, thereby Christ can speak with this authority.  My study bible identifies an anger which is not sinful (Psalm 4:4, Mark 3:5), but notes that Jesus here is forbidding sinful anger and identifying it with murder.  The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews.  Hell (γέενναν/Gehenna in Greek) is the final condition of sinners who resist God's grace.  Raca is a term of contempt that means "empty" - implying stupidity.  The Greek word translated as fool is μωρός/moros, from which the English word moron is derived.

"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" (sometimes called "fellowship") which comes at the beginning of the eucharistic prayer is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness.  This is preparing 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."  In Luke's Gospel, this teaching comes in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59).  Here, however, my study bible notes it is in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  A delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26-27).

The words that Christ uses to describe an angry rebuke may seem rather tame to us these days.   "Raca!" an Aramaic term implying emptyheadedness, may seem like the least of the words we hear nowadays thrown around at adversaries.  "You fool!" would possibly be a pleasant alternative to some of the discourse that passes for dialogue in certain contemporary contexts.  What Jesus makes clear here is the demeaning nature of such anger.  That is, these are insults designed to tear down a whole person.  They are not expressions of disagreement over specific things, and there is a difference between an anger that seeks to destroy a person and one that seeks correction or to right a wrong.  In this sense, these words imply murder -- they imply a desire for murder.  Modern psychology increasingly confirms the harm done to people through words, through insults.  They are a form of abuse.  But in the context of a communion between people, or even a society, they poison the well.  This sort of sinful anger brings something toxic into the body of whatever circle of people we may be speaking about.  We note also that Jesus says, "without a cause," another aspect of anger that tends to magnify our fears of things that have not actually happened.   My study bible points out that Christ is speaking to His disciples, and thereby within the context of the Church itself.  At least there, perhaps, we may start with learning to address differences in a peaceful way, one in which the judgment of a person -- and all the words and epithets that go along with an expression of such a judgment -- is left to God.  Disagreement about issues and behaviors is always going to be with us.  Let us learn to focus on those, rather than the vilification of persons.  It would go a long way to create peace and a functional society in any setting, whether that be a family, a community group, a parish, or the wider body of the Church -- even the world.  With love, we need not be afraid of our differences.

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 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!

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

- Mark 2:23-3:6

In yesterday's reading, we were told that Jesus went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

  Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  My study bible tells us that "this is not lawful because it was considered work, a violation of the Sabbath rest.  'Pharisaism' is a very real danger for all.  Rules for religious practice are not bad in themselves, but when adherence to those rules triumphs over mercy and human need, the practice leads people away from God, not toward Him."  Not to experience the love and mercy of God is to be turned away from God; my study bible's note puts it succinctly and helpfully.  This is the gospel message.  It's important for us to correlate healing, restoration, wholeness, with the actions of God.

But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"   A note tells us that "Abiathar was appointed high priest during David's reign (1 Sam. 23:6-11).  His father, Ahimelech, provided David and his men, who were starving, with holy bread intended for priests only (1 Sam. 21:1-6)."

And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."    My study bible tells us that there is a similar saying to this which is found in rabbinical literature:  "The Sabbath has been given unto you; you have not been given unto the Sabbath."  But, it adds, "Jesus puts what He teaches into practice, interpreting the Law with authority.  Only God can say He is Lord of the Sabbath."

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  A note says, "Jesus is motivated by compassion.  He does not deny Sabbath traditions, but teaches that it is more important to do good on the Sabbath than to maintain the strict observance of Sabbath rest.  The religious leaders are motivated by zeal for the rigid performance of rabbinic tradition; for them outward performance is more important than doing good.  The two perspective are incompatible." 

And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.  In the Greek, the "hardness" of their hearts is something like a callus; what it implies is that they've grown insensitive, unable to feel or to perceive correctly.  It's a kind of blindness.  Jesus' grief is the fullness of feeling, and the anger here, it is implied in the text, is caused by grief.  In this picture it is Christ who is in fact the more fully "human" because divine, and therefore, in fact, more fully aware.  He's sensible to the true picture of the reality around himself.  My study bible tells us here that "in their anger and self-deception, the Pharisees believe that in order to serve God, they must collaborate with their enemies, the Herodians, to murder the One who is the true Servant of God."

Blindness and hardness of heart are correlated in this picture here, a kind of insensitivity, an insensibility to the human reality around themselves on the part of the Pharisees.  They're so immured in their place of authority and position, they fail to see what is around themselves, fail to perceive the suffering they cause, fail to perceive what righteousness is in these situations.  Jesus tellingly gives an example from the Scriptures which the Pharisees know as experts:  that David and his men ate the showbread when they were starving.  "Rules" weren't kept to the extent that people were harmed by them, to the extent that a good that could be done was not done.  And maybe there we can see the fullness of Jesus' ministry.  As a human being, He's a splendid example of what we all should be.  It takes this man who is both divine and human to let us know what it could be like if we were fully ourselves as human beings, with all faculties working as they should be, all feelings truly in place, all perception really true!  It's Christ who comes into our world showing us what it is to be a fully restored and wholly "human" human being.  When we are bound by anything that keeps us from being the persons we can be, like the Pharisees in this story -- even if it is something which is meant to be for the good -- then we are blinded to our true selves, our capabilities, to our senses.  We fail to perceive.  They're like mummies entombed in something, incapable of perceiving as they must in order to be truly righteous human beings, and righteousness is the purpose of the Law.  In the language, we take a look at what Jesus does to heal the hand of this man in the synagogue on the Sabbath.  The word "restore" is correctly translated.  But if we take apart this word translated as "restore," what we find reminds us of other healings we've read about in the Gospel of Mark.  This word is rooted in one that means "in one's place" as in a proper seating arrangement.  So this man is taken to his proper place, left standing in the right place, so to speak, ready to take his rightful place in life to do whatever it is that is his true work.  The same is true of Peter's mother-in-law in our earlier reading, and so can it be said of the paralytic:  all of these people are restored to their places, whole enough to do whatever it is they need to do in life, upright in their proper positions.  The word used for Peter's mother-in-law and for the paralytic is "arise" as if wakening from sleep, but for this man with the withered hand to be restored to his place is similar.  It's the Son of Man who teaches us therefore what it is to be a full human being, to take our places as we must in His ministry, and at the same time to fully feel and to perceive.  To know what righteousness is becomes a part of His saving mission to us.  The rules cannot tell us everything.  To be able to be properly grieved, and appropriately angry, to act to heal and to restore -- these are the things His ministry is teaching us.  And He is Lord of the Sabbath; He is the center-point of all things, the place around which we turn in order to be healed in all ways.  A relationship to Him is to help us to discernment, to true understanding, true perception:  both of our proper sentiments and values, and to our righteousness in perceiving what makes for healing.  As we move through Jesus' ministry, we'll find many surprising turns we don't expect.  His answers are not our answers.  Even to this day, His response to injustice committed against Himself is a hard one for us to understand and apply.  Like He said in yesterday's reading, we need new wineskins to contain and carry the harvest He offers to us.  But it is in relationship to Him that we learn and grow to be the human beings we can be, to feel what we must feel, to learn what we must learn, to perceive as He'd have us perceive, and to heal His way.  There will always be something new to learn.