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Gospel of Matthew - Chapter 5 - Law of Murder

by Paul George  
3/25/2008 / Bible Studies

Matthew 5:20-22

Murders result from all kinds of conflicts; they are the results of violent crimes, domestic squabbles, love triangles, gang warfare, arguments, fights, and misunderstandings. Murders go on all the time. In fact, they are so commonplace in most cities they do not always make the newspapers, unless they are bizarre or multiple. Murder is really a very serious problem in our world and it is getting worse all the time, not to mention some of its other forms such as suicide or abortion, which alone has resulted in the murder of millions of babies since its legalization.

In Matthew 5:21, Jesus said, "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court'" (NASB).

Where did that come from? It came from Exodus 20:13. If you were to study Exodus 20:13, you would find that the word "kill" means murder. It does not refer to capital punishment. It does not refer to a just war when, in the divine plan of history, there are conflicts on a national level which carry out the will of God in judgment upon some nations. It does not refer to self-defense, because we have the right to protect the image of God in our lives and the lives of others when they are assaulted and attacked by those who would kill them. It does not refer to accidental deaths. In Deuteronomy 19, for example, it says that if a man takes the life of someone inadvertently, then that man is not to forfeit his life because there was no premeditation involved. What the Bible is talking about is a planned and plotted act of violence.

Scripture also tells us that murder is punishable by death (Exodus 21:14).

In Matthew 15:19, we find that murder is a manifestation of an evil human heart. Murders, thefts, and all those other things do not happen because of social deprivation or stressful situations; they happen because of a degenerated human heart.

In Galatians 5:18 -21, Paul tells us that murder is a deed done by the unregenerate human nature.

In Proverbs 6:16-17 it is written, there are six things the Lord hates, seven are an abomination to Him; a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.

In Matthew 5:21 Jesus is saying, "You believe that it is wrong to murder because if you do, you will be in danger of judgment" (NASB) At that point, many of the Jews would have probably agreed with Jesus. They were against murder because according to the rabbinical tradition that murder is an evil thing had been taught them. In fact, the thought that they did not murder was one way in which they convinced themselves they were righteous.

They were saying, "If we do not murder, we are righteous." However, Jesus said, "Your righteousness has to exceed that. Not murdering is not enough." Then Jesus gives them a lesson about murder that is literally shocking, affecting them in three ways: It affects their view of themselves, it affects their view of God, and it affects their view of others.

What Jesus is going to say is so dramatic that it shatters complacent overconfidence.

Jesus was reminding His listeners of the rabbinic tradition they had been taught; He was not referring to the law of Moses, though that divine law against killing was reflected in their teaching. In other words, their tradition on this point was essentially biblical, having as its foundation, Exodus 20:13. However, the point that Jesus was making here is that the rabbinic teaching did not go far enough. The Jews had taken God's law and only partially interpreted and applied it so that they could justify themselves. In other words, Jesus was saying, "Your teaching says you must not murder, because if you do, you will be in danger of being punished by the civil court. The problem with that is it does not go far enough." The Jews' full interpretation of the Sixth Commandment was, "Do not kill, because if you do, you will get in trouble with the law." However, in seeking merely to avoid legal problems, the Jews had neglected God and His holy character. That had not even entered into the discussion. They had made keeping this commandment so mundane that they did not even mention God or His divine judgment. Their superficial perspective said nothing about the inner attitudes of the heart.

However, such an interpretation stopped short of God's intention, as well as His all-seeing eyes. They had forgotten about the rest of the Old Testament, which states that God desires "truth in the inward parts" (Psalm 51:6). Though the Old Testament clearly taught that God knows the hearts and tries the hearts of men, the Jews had disregarded the internal part of God's law. It was not enough for one not to kill; God was concerned about what was going on inside. They had restricted the scope of God's commandment to an earthly court and to an act of murder.

Verse 22 The Indictment by Jesus

Jesus simply says, "It is not the issue of murder alone; it is the issue of anger and hatred in your heart. You cannot justify yourself because you do not kill, because if there is hatred in your heart, you are the same as a murderer." Jesus' words not only affected the Jews' self-righteousness, but they should affect us, too, as to how we view ourselves. We justify ourselves all the time, admitting that we would never murder, while at the same time we get so angry on the inside with someone, that we mock and curse and hold grudges of bitterness against them.

Implying that God looks at the heart, Jesus swept aside all the rabbinical teachings and put the emphasis where it belonged, on the attitude. Stripping the Jews of their self-righteousness, He taught that anger is the root of murder and consequently merits equal punishment. Our Lord was saying that what happens on the inside of you is what God judges. In terms of the judgment of which you are worthy, you may never kill anyone, but you are just as guilty in God's eyes. In fact, all of us are guilty of this. Even anger with a brother to any degree is the same to God as murder (1 John 3:15).
The word "brother" in verse 22, is used in a generic sense in terms of social relationships. A spiritual brother is not in view, because nobody listening to Jesus at that time would have understood the brotherhood of believers.

Though anger is a serious sin, there is a righteous anger that we need to talk about, even though that is not what Jesus means here. For example, there was a time when Jesus took a cord and started driving people out of the Temple (John. 2:13-17). There are times when God's indignation reaches its absolute limit and explodes in vengeance. There are also times when a believer has a right to be angry, in fact, in a day when everybody wants to talk about love, togetherness, and the absence of conflict. Some of us ought to learn how to express a little bit of righteous indignation about some of the things that are going on in our country, our churches, and our schools. We also ought to be angry with some of the things our children are exposed to, some of the trends our society is promoting, and some of the things that come waltzing into our homes on television. We ought to have the kind of anger that is not sin (Ephesians 4:26). There is a right kind of anger.

However, the anger Jesus is talking about here in verse 22 is selfish anger. a brooding, nursed anger that is not allowed to die, it is a smoldering, long-lived kind of thing, for the most part. When you bitterly hold a grudge against somebody, no matter how small, Jesus says that you are as guilty as the person who takes a life, and consequently, you deserve the same judgment.

In verse 22, there is another person condemned as a murderer, who ought to go before the council and get the same death penalty. "Raca" was a term of derision that is the same as calling someone a "brainless idiot, worthless fellow, silly fool, empty head, blockhead, rock head," and so on. It was a verbal expression of slander against a person.

By condemning anger and unjustified cursing, Jesus is trying to destroy the religious system of self-righteousness. Revealing the consequences of such anger and cursing, our Lord gets to the core of the problem; it is internal and not external.

Jesus said that even if you are angry and go so far as to speak malicious words and curses against others, then you are as guilty and as liable for eternal hell as a murderer is. In this way Jesus attacks the sin of anger, the sin of slander, and the sin of cursing, and with it destroys the scribes' and Pharisees' self-righteousness.
The Pharisees and scribes were in the Temple all the time supposedly worshiping God: making sacrifices and carrying out the law. However, their worship was one of external worship; our Lord here condemns that very worship, because God is concerned with internal things, such as attitudes toward others.

Retired pastor,Church of the Nazarene

Author of web site Exploring God's Word

www.thewordofgodonline.net

New American Standard Bible

King James Version

The World English Bible

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