Matthew 5:21-26
Murder
21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
25"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Jesus knows all the Scripture and talks much about the Scripture...He goes into detail about meanings of the Scripture...Jesus says "You have heard" , But I tell you"...Jesus is the Bible, and He is explaining it as if He knows each and every verse, which He does...We have read the Bible and have interpreted it one way and He tells us that this is how I interpret these verses...
Jesus tells us that we should not murder, and all listening, believe in that...But at times we might think or call one Raca (you empty-head) or you fool...These, calling of names, also will be judged by our LORD...God examines our hearts, and what is in them...Each word we say, is heard by our Father...Each thought we think, is heard by our LORD...Each deed we do is seen by GOD...He will judge all of our words, all of our thoughts, and all of our deeds...All of words, thoughts and deeds are done throughout our lives before the heavenly court and will be judged perfectly by our Father...
Flashes of anger will happen...We may sometimes think unholy thoughts...We might not do all the deeds we should do...But when we do these things reconcile with your brother...Ask him for forgiveness...Then come to God and confess to Him, repent, and ask Him for His forgiveness...He is our Father and Judge...He loves us and is full of grace...He knows temptation follows us...
When anger gets out of control or lasts for a long time the heart holding the anger can grow bitter for reasons that are unholy...Jesus teaches us to reconcile this anger...Murder can begin with a murderous attitude that needs be corrected with prayer...This original anger can be linked to our hearts...Jesus links these initial mean thoughts of anger to murder...These thoughts and intent of anger are as sinful as the actual act of murder... This is what the Master is teaching, when He says, you have heard, but I tell you...This intent is a sin, as the murder is a sin...The condition of the human heart and more importantly our own heart needs to be examined everyday and realize what God is like and what the Father wants...
Jesus teaches the Twelve that life is more than a set of rules...God is holy and He wants us to be holy...Jesus teaches us to value what the Father values...
When we are with others we should love and seek their best interests...Jesus, when He teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves, is telling us that our relationship with God is partly tied to how we treat others...We have left the gift for God at the altar, but before He accepts it, He tells us to first go and reconcile our differences with our brother....Jesus is telling us that when this offering was left, there was still anger in the heart...God wants us to be reconciled with our brothers, and the anger out of our hearts...
God will judge us by not only our deeds, but by our character and what is in our hearts...