Is It Possible That We Murder Those Around Us Everyday? Here’s What Jesus Says About It.

‘ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. ‘ Matthew 5:21-26

We are working through the Sermon on the Mount. This is the greatest sermon ever preached and the Holy standard Jesus calls us to live by as His disciples. The caveat is that the only way we can come remotely close to living this way is with God’s Holy Spirit in our hearts. And even then, we battle with our flesh every step of the way.

Here are the previous posts from this series:

Do You Measure Up To the Perfect Standard God Has Set Forth? There Is A Way You Could.

Does Your Life Reflect The Light Of Jesus Christ?

What Does It Mean To Live As A Child Of God’s Kingdom?

‘ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

As with anything that Jesus teaches, He takes it to the level of protection. When we think of murder, we think of physically murdering someone. But what Jesus is telling us in this portion of scripture is that even having a thought of “you fool” about another person is as if you have murdered them.

He says that “anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.”

No human anger should cause a person to strike out at another person.

‘“In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. ‘ Ephesians 4:26-27

When we let anger fester, we increase the chances that we do something that will cause harm to ourselves and others.

But at the same time, if we find ourselves in a moment of anger, we are best served to separate ourselves and the cause of our offense. We need to get ourselves into prayer. We must bring this to the Lord and work this out through scripture.

If we find that we are angered easily, there is a chance that there is some unresolved sin in our lives that we have not worked out with God.

A person at peace with God is at peace with others.

In the end, if we find ourselves angry with someone else, it means we are not getting our way, which is prideful.

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

The last thing before we move on is when we look down on anything outside of ourselves, including ourselves, we look down on what a Holy God has created, essentially placing ourselves above God. It is best when we find ourselves in this situation that we ask God to let us know what it is in our hearts that we need to change to make us right about the circumstance.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

Our relationship with God and others works in unison with each other. We can not have a good relationship with God while maintaining bad relationships with others. When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, His response was:

‘One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” ‘ Mark 12:28-31

The New Living Translation renders the part about the second as “equally important.” Our relationship with God will only be as good as with those around us. The two relationships are connected.

When we don’t feel the Lord’s presence, chances are good that we may be harboring some resentment in our hearts for someone in our life. We must deal with this sin to return to fellowship with the Lord.

“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. ‘

In the days of Jesus, the legal system was set up in a way where the plaintiff (person offended) had to bring the defendant (person who offended) to the judge. Jesus says here that it is best to settle matters with people before the matter is brought before the judge.

A lot of people don’t face their troubles head-on. They think if I ignore this, it will go away. The problem is it never goes away; it just grows more prominent the longer we ignore it.

We may not face our troubles head-on for several reasons, but the main reason is pride. It is best to tackle it when it happens. Delay will never work out the way we think it will.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your Word.

I pray that You continue to work in my life, drawing me closer to the perfection in Jesus Christ.

I thank You for the people that You place in my life. I pray that when they look at me, they see Your Son living in my heart.

I pray that You give me the strength and courage to lay down the things in my life that do not serve You.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!!