Most of us could probably say that we have never committed an act of murder. However, we all can honestly say that we’ve been unjustly angry with someone from time to time. Would any of you ever cheat on your spouse, breaking your marriage vows? But what about what we might have thought was an “innocent” fantasy about a gorgeous movie star, or even someone we know? In our Scripture today from the Gospel of Matthew, continuing with the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has something very important to say about this.
We all know that one of the Ten Commandments forbids committing murder. Murder is against the law in probably every country in the world. Committing adultery is also forbidden in the Ten Commandments, and though it may not be on the legal books as breaking an actual law, adultery is generally not accepted in decent society. There would be no question that both of these are serious sins. As Jesus spoke to His followers in the middle of His Sermon on the Mount, He told them some shocking news. According to the Lord, if we get angry with someone without a cause, we have committed murder in our heart (vs. 21-22). If we look lustfully at someone who isn’t our spouse, we have committed adultery in our heart (vs. 27-28). So now how many of us could be called murderers or adulterers? Let’s take a closer look at both of these.
When Jesus spoke about the commandment against murder, He immediately connected anger to this commandment. Anger is the emotion and inner intention in our hearts that leads to murder. Unjust anger and refusing to forgive are acts of murder that we commit in our hearts. We “kill” others by holding grudges, hatred, and anger towards them. We tear down others with our words and gossip, speaking death over their lives.
The word “Raca” is Aramaic, and means “idiot” or “stupid”. When we say that, or “fool” to someone, we are being judgmental and condemning, questioning the mind and character of others. Angry speech is destructive against others. It can push someone into shame or self-loathing, rather than godly repentance. It can also create a cycle of retaliation and escalating anger.
Anger violates God’s command to love. It is a dangerous emotion, so easy to leap out of control. We are hypocrites if we claim to love God, but hate others. Our attitudes towards others reflects our relationship with God (I John 4:20). Self-control is good, but God wants us to control our innermost feelings.
God doesn’t even want our offerings if we haven’t made an attempt to reconcile with someone we have hurt or offended (vs. 23-24). When we come to worship God, and we remember that there is a problem between us and another, we need to stop, and go seek to be reconciled with that person, and then return to worship the Lord. Jesus felt it was that important.
The Lord continued on, giving another example of how important our thoughts and hearts are with respect to another commandment, that being the commandment against adultery (vs. 27-28). God sees the heart behind the things we do (Jeremiah 17:10). Even if a married spouse doesn’t actually cheat on the other, they can still have impure and cheating thoughts. Wrong desires easily lead to wrong actions. If the act is wrong, so is the intention. It is wrong to deliberately and repeatedly fill one’s mind with fantasies that would be wrong if acted out. Gratifying desires lustfully is not seeking the righteousness of God. It is using others to satisfy one’s selfishness.
These verses in today’s Scripture are very black and white. Jesus is very clear as to what is right and wrong. There are no gray areas here. God does not just want outward compliance to His commands. He wants an inward change. We have to go deeper than just the surface. We have to focus on the state of our heart. We need to change our hearts, not just our outward actions.
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