Monthly Archive for April, 2008

Matthew 5:40f

Published on April 2, 2008 in Matthew. 2 Comments
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And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

5:40
In verses 40 through 42, Jesus gave three more illustrations (in addition to turning the cheek) about retaliation.
And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
Jesus gives the scenario of a legal case of suing for a tunic. This is the second illustration. The tunic was the undergarment worn during the day. The cloak was an outer garment worn in the cooler evening, the more important and costly garment. Jesus says in effect that a kingdom believer should go beyond the law in relating to people.
5:41
And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
The third illustration relates to Roman military law. The word “forces” denotes pressing into service, coercing. Under Roman law, members of the militia were authorized to commandeer civilians to carry military equipment or personal items for one mile (Roman mile—4,854 feet). They were empowered to force any person walking along a road to serve. Jesus said in effect, “Go the extra mile; go twice as far as they ask.”
5:42
Give to the one who begs from you,
The fourth illustration has to do with loaning to those in need.
and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
The word “borrow” means to borrow at interest. This person asks for a loan rather than outright gift. Jesus said that kingdom people are to meet the material needs of others.
In each of the four illustrations, Jesus challenged His followers to go beyond the requirement. Whether it comes to physical attack (v.39), legal suit (v.40), governmental demand (v.41), or material need (v.42), the kingdom believer is to operate on a higher standard. Personal retaliation is not an option.
PRINCIPLE: Jesus expects us to go beyond unreasonable demands for His sake.
APPLICATION: Retaliation is not Christian. The believer does not seek revenge but operates on a higher principle. He seeks to help those who do him harm. His personal feelings are not an issue. Two wrongs do not make a right. We cannot resolve evil with evil. Life is too short for carrying out a vendetta.
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Ro 12:17-21
This does not mean that the believer is not to defend himself, but he is to go beyond human standards of reaction. Paul used the court system to appeal for justice. We do not submit to a crime but we submit to personal affront. Nothing personal gets to the mature believer. Life is too short to live in retaliation.

Matthew 5:38f

Published on April 2, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

5:38
Jesus now turned to the subject of retaliation (5:38-42).
“You have heard that it was said,
Jesus referred to the civil law of retaliation in the nation Israel. This was a law of compensation; that is, a legal basis for adequate compensation for loss.
‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
We find the words “eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth” in the Old Testament (Ex 21:24; Le 24:20; De 19:21) referring to the national law of retaliation. This law protected the innocent and guaranteed the limits of retaliation. It made sure that the punishment doled out fit the crime. If someone knocked out your tooth, you had the right to knock out his tooth. This law prevented the offended person from taking law into his own hands and using any retaliation he wanted. It was a limitation of degree of revenge.
5:39
But I say to you,
Jesus emphatically (Greek) contrasts the economy of His kingdom with the Old Testament economy under the nation Israel. We must not lose sight of the fact that Jesus spoke to the nation Israel in this address. Thus, He spoke of a contrast between the Old Testament kingdom of Israel and His new Messianic kingdom presently offered.
Do not resist the one who is evil.
Although the law of retaliation protected rights of the innocent, people of the kingdom do not have to use this law.
But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Kingdom standards go beyond retaliation. Jesus gave four examples of how to use legal rights in a national entity.
Slapping on the “right cheek” was an insult. The kingdom ideal operates on the standard of non-retaliation.
PRINCIPLE: Retaliation violates kingdom standards.
APPLICATION: Vengeance and vendettas do not fit the standards of those in the kingdom.
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 1 Pe 2:23
This passage speaks of Jesus’ undeserved suffering. People blasphemed Jesus and mocked Him, yet He did not retaliate. He never compromised His character.
Jesus did not give tit for tat. He was not in the business of getting even. Some of us would even the score though it would kill us–and it might! By nature we are vindictive. Vindictiveness will eat our hearts out. It will sour our spirits.
How unlike the Savior we are. As soon as someone starts a rumor about us, we get on our high horse. Our backs arch like a cat’s. We show our fangs. We are ready to do battle. If given a chance, we would hang their hides on the wall.
We are still in kindergarten spiritually compared to our Lord. We believe that we must defend ourselves and vindicate ourselves. When it came to this kind of thing, our Lord Jesus was not concerned about His reputation.
Are you willing to leave retaliation in God’s hands? This is not to imply that we are to be passive in our relationships. Jesus often confronted those around him, but He was not vindictive.
Jesus did not threaten His accusers with harm. He did not say, “I’ll get even. I’ll get the Father after you.” Christians are playing away from home. We forget that we are in a world hostile to Christ. We will not get a break from the umpire here.

Matthew 5:34f

Published on April 2, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

5:34
But I say to you,
Jesus challenged the casuistry of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus went to the heart of the Old Testament intention.
Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
The Old Testament forbids swearing by God’s name falsely (Le 19:12; Nu 30:2; De 23:21). This draws God as a witness to our testimony that we are telling the truth.
Jesus said in effect, “Do not use an oath for evasion, especially by drawing God into your oath.” An oath is not necessary for people of the kingdom who carry integrity in their souls; therefore, they should not take oaths at all.
5:35
or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Jews avoided swearing by God’s name by substituting swearing by earth or Jerusalem.
5:36
And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
This is another form of trying to swear by avoiding God’s name. Everything is in God’s sovereign providential care. Everything belongs to God.
The word “swear” here does not mean profanity, blasphemy, or dirty talk. The New Testament uses the word “swear” for affirming or denying by a solemn oath. The word means to affirm, promise, or threaten with a religious oath. This gives a religious guarantee to validate their statement. 
5:37
Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’;
All oaths are equally binding. A “yes” or “no” should be sufficient if one’s character is what it should be. People of integrity say what they mean. The ethic of the kingdom does not need an oath.
Anything more than this comes from evil.
All Christian ethics reside in Christian character. When we add an oath to a statement, we admit that people cannot trust our statement. Jews of the first century swore by oaths other than the name of God when they wanted to lie about something. 
PRINCIPLE: Jesus’ standard is integrity of speech by a child of the King.
APPLICATION: All oath taking is unnecessary if one is in the habit of telling the truth. We do not need an oath to verify our word. A true Christian goes beyond the letter of the law to integrity of truth. If we have to use an oath to convince someone of our integrity, we are behind the eight ball from the start. True speech is part of character as an ambassador or representative of Jesus Christ. We are responsible for our own statements.
The person who stands up in a business meeting and says “The Lord told me” is using an oath in God’s name. This makes God a patsy by rendering God responsible for our assertion. This puts God as our co-signer.
Jesus’ standard is integrity of speech. This is honest speech. A person’s word is binding regardless of whether he takes an oath or not. Oaths are not intrinsically evil, and in fact they are necessary in court.
Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. 2 Co 1:17-18
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment. Jas 5:12

Matthew 5:33

Published on April 2, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’
5:33
This verse picks up a new discussion about oaths (5:33-37). Oaths are not necessary for those living in the kingdom.
Again you have heard that it was said to those of old,
There is no specific Old Testament quotation here. Jesus refers generally to the Old Testament view on oaths (Ex 20:7; Le 19:12; Nu 30:2; De 23:21-23). The Jews of Jesus’ day developed an intricate system of oath taking.
Oaths in the Old Testament served to bind legal contracts in a time when very few written agreements existed.  The oath verbally attested something as true. 
God’s unconditional covenants [contracts] are an example of this (e.g., the Abrahamic Covenant, Ge 12-18).  God made it compulsive that people take oaths in the Old Testament (Ex 22:10-11; Nu 5:19-22; 6:2f; 30:2f; Ps. 15:1–4).  Paul took oaths (Ac 18:18; Ro 1:9; 2 Co 1:23; 11:31). 
 ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’
The Old Testament forbids the taking and then breaking oaths. Oaths are binding. The word “perform” means to discharge an obligation.
Jesus condemned the minute and arbitrary restrictions imposed by the scribes and Pharisees in the matter of adjurations, by which they profaned God’s name. 
PRINCIPLE: True believers do not need to take an oath because of their character.
APPLICATION: The oath of which Jesus speaks has to do with careless oaths. This passage does not prohibit all oaths of any kind. Even God Himself confirmed His promise by an oath (He 6:13-18). Jesus spoke under an oath (Mt 26:63, 64). Jesus prohibits flippant or careless oaths in daily speech. This commandment does not mean that we cannot take an oath in court. The Word of God does not prohibit taking oaths in court or an oath in marriage.  Oaths are wrong when they deceive others.  God Himself took oaths in the Bible (He 6:13-17). 
 Religion always tries to convert issues of integrity into a legal system. It violates Christian principle to affirm the truth of a statement by calling on a divine being to execute sanctions against a person if the statement in question is not true. 
When we swear by anything in God’s province, we bring God into the deal.  Some people use God as a front for their falsehood.  This makes our lie more impressive to the unwary.  When we make an opinion and portray it as truth, we lie. 
An “oath” is something that restrains a person, an enclosure.  It is something pledged or promised with an oath.  The idea is that this person makes a promise to cover a lie.  The promise is a front for a lie, “As God is my witness, I will…” 
Here is the way we make false oaths today: “I swear on my mother’s grave.  I swear on a stack of Bibles.  I cross my heart and hope to die.”  All these attempts at persuasion are fabrications and dishonesty. 
A spiritual believer should be candid, frank and open in his communications.  A carnal believer makes patsies of people by pseudo oaths.  They love to blame other people for their mistakes.

Matthew 5:32

Published on April 2, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

5:32
But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife,
Jesus introduces the shocking idea that, even if people are properly divorced, they can still commit adultery by marrying someone else without legitimate biblical grounds for doing so.
God designed marriage to be permanent because it was an indissoluble unit; therefore, God never intended divorce. Marriage is a divine institution established at creation. God hates divorce (Mal 2:16). Jesus makes it patently clear that divorce is the breaking of a covenant.
except on the ground of sexual immorality,
“Sexual immorality” in the Greek refers to any sexual sin, not just adultery. Fornication breaks the marriage bond.
Although divorce does not fit into God’s divine institution, Jesus allows for divorce but He does not command divorce. Jesus permits remarriage to protect stability in families.
makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
A man who marries a “divorced woman commits adultery” and the divorced woman also commits adultery by remarrying, unless their original mates had committed some form of sexual sin.
PRINCIPLE: Divorce is the last option, not the first option.
APPLICATION: There are biblical grounds for divorce and remarriage: (1) some sort of sexual aberration (Mt 5; 19) or (2) desertion (1 Co 7:12-16).
Those who divorced before becoming Christians should not use their conversion as a reason to dissolve current marriages. Divorcing current partners in order to go back to pre-conversion partners would violate the principle that two wrongs do not make a right. These remarried Christians also should have full rights of ministry in the local church.
Unscriptural Christian divorce is an issue of repentance and moving on. There is no biblical argument for going back to previous mates. God speaks against this in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. The latter principle does not apply to those who never remarried; that is, remarriage to the original partner (if still unmarried) is acceptable, in this case.

Matthew 5:31

Published on April 2, 2008 in Matthew. 4 Comments
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“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’

Now we turn to the subject of divorce, the third antithesis between Jesus’ teaching and that of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus gave the ground of divorce. Matthew picked up this subject again in chapter 19.
5:31
“It was also said,
There were two schools of thought on divorce during Jesus’ day:
1.    The Hillel group said it was permissible for a husband to divorce his wife for any reason.
2.    The Shammai group taught that divorce was permissible for a major offense.
Jesus referred to Deuteronomy 24:1-4 by the phrase “it was also said.” The Mosaic Law allowed divorce and did not regard those divorced and remarried as committing adultery.
“When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife, if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. Dt 24:1-4
‘Whoever divorces his wife,
Women did not have the right of divorce in Israel but men did. God provided the “Certificate of Divorce” to protect the wife from reckless and capricious divorce. That certificate did not allow a man to send his wife out the door without legal rights. Under this bill, the husband could not remarry his wife again or she him. This provision was a concession by God to the sinfulness of men.
let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
Divorce in Israel was a domestic matter and not something that went to court. A man could simply divorce his wife by giving her a document in writing. Having this document, a woman could marry again. This was especially important for the woman for economic reasons, for most women did not have a source of income. Some turned to prostitution to sustain themselves.
 Mosaic divorce was a concession by God. Divorce includes the right of remarriage. The “certificate of divorce” releases all claim of the husband on the wife.
PRINCIPLE: Divorce is concession to the sinfulness of man, not a primary ideal of God.
APPLICATION: Divorce is a concession by God to the sinfulness of man. God’s ideal is the stability of permanence in marriage. Every person I know who has gone through divorce has experienced greater pain than they imagined. Their primary thought is to relieve their present pain in marriage, but they only find greater pain in divorce—not to mention more serious social issues such as the harm their children suffer in the loss of a parent.

Matthew 5:29f

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If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

5:29
 
Verses 29 and 30 show how to deal with adultery.
 
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.
 
The “right” eye and the “right” hand are the most valuable eye and hand. This indicates depriving oneself of something most important.
 
The words “causes you” carry the idea of being a snare to. There are sexual occasions to sin that we need to recognize. We need to beware of the occasion to sin as well as the sin itself.
 
Jesus uses hyperbole here (an exaggeration to make a point) of tearing out the right eye. He did not teach physical mutilation of blinding oneself, for it is not the eye itself or the hand itself that causes sin but the mental seeing and executing that is the origin of sin.
 
For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
 
Jesus just taught on the mental aspect of adultery (v. 28), so now His point is that we must deal with mental adultery radically. It is not something to play with in our minds. The way to deal with adultery is to decisively reject lustful thoughts.
 
5:30
 
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.
 
Again, this is hyperbole. The right hand is a limb of action.
 
For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
 
The alternative to not dealing decisively with sexual sin is hell. It is better to deal with the issue of sin by acknowledging sin and the One who paid for our sin on the cross. The standard for Jesus’ kingdom is perfection. The only way we can reach perfection is complete forgiveness and justification through Christ. The standard of perfection is God’s own character.
Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Mt 5:48
PRINCIPLE: Sexual sin must be dealt with radically.
APPLICATION: Absence from the physical act of adultery is not enough. It is possible to be outwardly reputable but to traverse the road of mental adultery. Dealing with sexual sin starts with the inner life. This requires the drastic action of decisively dealing with our thoughts.
Mental adultery ignites the fire for overt adultery. Lust leads to possession. This usually follows with stark rationalization or justification for overt adultery.
Love and lust are not the same thing. Lust is the antithesis of love, for it dehumanizes the other into an object; therefore, it warps the relationship. The fuel for this is selfish lust. Love seeks the best for the other person.
…having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 2 Pe 2:14
 
We must view sexual sin with the attitude of mortification; that is, we deal ruthlessly with anything that comes between us and God.
“I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman? Job 31:1
 
“If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door… Job 31:9
 
One of the most effective ways of dealing with sexual sin is to flee. Joseph fled from Potiphar’s wife. We cannot toy with this sin. We do not pray about it, debate it, think about it. We run from it.
Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 1 Co 6:18
 
Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Ti 2:22

 

 

Matthew 5:27f

Published on April 2, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

5:27
 
Now we come to the second illustration of Jesus’ view on the Law from the seventh commandment dealing with adultery. The New Testament repeats nine of the Ten Commandments. The Sabbath was the only commandment not repeated, for it was given to the nation Israel as a national entity issue.
 
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
 
Exodus 20:14 gives the command against adultery (Dt 5:18). The scribes and Pharisees were only concerned with the outward act of adultery. However, even the Ten Commandments lays bare the idea that a man should “not covet your neighbor’s wife” (Ex 20:17). The religious leaders neglected this aspect of the commandments.
 
“Fornication” refers to many different kinds of sexual sins, but adultery refers to sexual sin in which at least one of those involved is otherwise married. The purpose of prohibition against adultery is to maintain oneness in marriage. Commitment to one person gives stability to marriage.Having multiple partners divides and causes rivalries within a marriage. First Thessalonians says that adultery usurps the right of the violated spouse and is a desecration of the covenant between two people. It entails taking another person’s property.
 
The Old Testament corporate economy punished adultery with death. The New Testament economy judges adultery.
 
Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Heb 13:4
5:28
 
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent
 
Looking at a woman with sexual intent is sinful. Adultery is a sin of the heart as well as an overt sin. This does not equate with noticing that a woman is attractive or sexually appealing.
 
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
 
It is not the temptation of adultery but the yielding to the temptation by actively committing adultery in the mind that is sin. All overt acts begin in the mental act of adultery.
 
PRINCIPLE: It is not wrong to notice the physical beauty of a woman, but it is wrong to take her to bed in the mind.
 
APPLICATION: Sexual lust is not casual but persistent and enveloping. Fantasizing immorality is sinful just as overt immorality is sinful.
None of us is free from this problem. Those who don’t lust need to be wary of legalistic judgmental condescension toward those who fall. But given the right circumstances, we all could fall into overt adultery.
 
The man after God’s own heart (David) committed adultery. From his rooftop he saw the wife of another man (Bathsheba) taking a bath. It would have been one thing for David to look, but it was another for him to leer with lust. That leering led to overt adultery (2 Sa 11:1-4). Fantasy leads to overt acts.

Matthew 5:23f

Published on April 2, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

5:23
Jesus gives two illustrations of anger in verses 23 through 26.
1.    Temple worship (vv. 23, 24)
2.    Legal action (vv. 25, 26)
In both of these illustrations the hearer is the cause of anger.
So if you are offering your gift at the altar
The situation here involves a person bringing his offering to the brazen altar in the temple courtyard.
and there remember that your brother has something against you,
This is a just complaint.
5:24
leave your gift there before the altar and go.
It is of greater priority to deal with sin than to go through formal worship. “Leave your gift” is the idea of “do not complete your offering.” The time for worship is after reconciliation.
First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
The word “first” is first in priority. “Get reconciled” is the idea of the Greek. Reconciliation takes priority over giving a gift to a religious institution.
5:25
Verses 26 and 27 deal with legal action. The second illustration also concerns the importance of reconciling differences quickly.
Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court,
The legal system in the time of Jesus required the plaintiff to hunt down the defendant to bring him to justice.
Jesus encouraged offenders to settle their case out of court.
lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.
If the case went to court, the offender might be imprisoned. The judge would hand the accused over to a guard to be put in jail.
5:26
Truly, I say to you,
Again, this is an emphatic statement. Jesus contrasted His view of the Law with that of the scribes and Pharisees.
you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
The Sanhedrin of 70 men would send this person to prison until he paid his debt.
PRINCIPLE: Decisive action against sin is spiritually freeing.
APPLICATION: Quick reconciliation is Jesus’ standard for differences. The person in the wrong should be quick to admit it and settle with the accuser speedily.
Initiative to correct wrong is life at a higher level. We cannot be right with God until we are right with men.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn 1:8-9

Matthew 5:21f

Published on April 2, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Jesus now turns to what He does require for His kingdom (5:21-48). He selects six subjects to distinguish His teaching from that of the scribes and Pharisees.
First, He introduces the subject of murder.
5:21
“You have heard that it was said to those of old,
“Those of old” were the authors of the Old Testament.
‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
Jesus quotes the sixth commandment (Ex 20:13) and adds Leviticus 19:17. No human court can deal with attitudes, but only with external actions.
Murder is an issue for the national entity. Notice that Jesus does not say “kill.” The Bible does not forbid killing but murder, which is killing someone for personal benefit or hostility.
5:22
But I say to you
Jesus introduces each of the six contrasts with the words “but I say to you.”
Jesus contrasts the true or full view of murder as over against the superficial view. The word “I” is emphatic. There is strong antithesis here.
that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment;
Murder is one thing, but hatred that leads to murder is another.
whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council;
The “council” here is the civil council or court of Israel. This may refer to subject by trial from the highest court in Israel, the Sanhedrin.
and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
The word “fool” means numbskull, blockhead, imbecile, good for nothing. The person who calls someone by this name is “liable to the hell of fire.” The Greek term for “hell” is Gehenna,from the Valley of Hinnom. This valley lay south of Jerusalem where the city dumped its waste. The valley had constant fires burning the waste.
Gehenna is not the same as “Hades.” Hades is the place of departed spirits. Gehenna metaphorically is eternal fire. Make no mistake about the severity of Jesus’ words. Jesus talked more about hell than anyone else in the Bible.
PRINCIPLE: Murder is external manifestation of inner hatred.
APPLICATION: Refraining from murder does not constitute a person righteous in God’s viewpoint. We have to deal with the inner self. In Jesus’ economy, hating someone is equivalent to murdering them. All of us have murdered someone in the sense of hatred.
There are two types of anger: (1) subjective and (2) objective anger. It is possible to be angry but not sin. That is objective anger. It is valid to have anger toward a pedophile. Subjective anger is anger for personal reasons. It is not right to be angry out of resentment.
“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, Eph 4:26