Faith,
Why are we spending a whole month on the Sixth Commandment: “Do not murder”? After all, for 99.9% of us, this one can get checked off the list. None of us are doing time for such a heinous crime, right?
I think that was the attitude of Jesus’ listeners as well, and that’s why He directed their attention not to their criminal records, but to their hearts. Here’s what He said:
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But 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.” Matthew 5:21–22
Gulp.
Jesus knew our propensity to look to the letter of the law for a loophole, and He also knew the Law was given by the Spirit to correct not only our actions, but our spirit. The spirit of the command not to murder is that we, as God’s family, value human life the way God values human life. And while we may not have shed blood with a weapon, all of us have shed blood with our words, attitudes, and actions.
Why does this matter? It matters because we are the “royal priesthood” of the kingdom of God. The world is looking at us to see what it looks like to follow Jesus—and if we harbor murderous hearts and words, we will not only devalue human life just like the rest of the world, but we will also devalue the commands of the One we call King.
See you Sunday—and on your way, pick up a friend!
In Christ alone,
Pastor Brad
*Message Notes are here.
Here are this week’s deeper dive videos!
What Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (9:08)
Why Jesus Connected Anger with Murder and Lust with Adultery (8:13)