Avoid Hate, Not Just Murder (Matthew 5:21-26)
When it comes to the command “Thou shall not kill,” people like to get caught up in the semantics of words. They like to point out that there is a distinction between “murder” and more general circumstances of killing. What happens during times of war? Or, what about accidental killings? They miss the forest for all the trees.
Here, Jesus engages in a similar exercise, but in the opposite direction. Instead of missing the point overwhelmed in the details, He gets right to the spirit that God was revealing in the law. Instead of narrowing the definition of killing to provide loopholes for sinners, He expands the understanding of the evil to which we sinners are enslaved. Killing is not just wrong, the hatred that leads to the killing is a sin just as evil.
In the Kingdom of Heaven, we are not just expected to contain our hatred and sin enough to avoid killing each other. We are to exercise love in all relationships. We guard not just our actions, but our words. And, when we realize we have a broken relationship with someone, we are tasked with reconciliation. How can we have a restored relationship with God based on forgiveness, if we can’t extend forgiveness and reconciliation to others?
It is a standard that is even harder than the Old Covenant demanded. Not a standard demanded to enter the Kingdom; but rather the standard that the citizens of this Kingdom desire and aim for themselves. And, a standard that we work towards in the same grace that grants us our citizenship.
Here, Jesus engages in a similar exercise, but in the opposite direction. Instead of missing the point overwhelmed in the details, He gets right to the spirit that God was revealing in the law. Instead of narrowing the definition of killing to provide loopholes for sinners, He expands the understanding of the evil to which we sinners are enslaved. Killing is not just wrong, the hatred that leads to the killing is a sin just as evil.
In the Kingdom of Heaven, we are not just expected to contain our hatred and sin enough to avoid killing each other. We are to exercise love in all relationships. We guard not just our actions, but our words. And, when we realize we have a broken relationship with someone, we are tasked with reconciliation. How can we have a restored relationship with God based on forgiveness, if we can’t extend forgiveness and reconciliation to others?
It is a standard that is even harder than the Old Covenant demanded. Not a standard demanded to enter the Kingdom; but rather the standard that the citizens of this Kingdom desire and aim for themselves. And, a standard that we work towards in the same grace that grants us our citizenship.
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