Read Matthew 5:21-26
I read a blog the other day where the author was puzzled about some of the things that Jesus said. I tried to leave a comment but because I don't have a WordPress account any longer, I couldn't. But I wanted to tell her the reason she was puzzled was because of the Bible translation she was using. A whole verse had been left out of her translation which was why she was confused. If things don't make sense or don't add up, that's when I check to see what's missing.
In today's verses I once again found some missing words that are not found in modern translations. And it's an important part too because it explains what Jesus really meant. What is left out in the NIV, NLT and the NASB for example is the following: "You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment (Matthew 5:21-22)." Did you catch that? "Without a cause." In modern translations this crucial verse is left out and says: "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment." In modern translations if you are angry at someone you are in danger of judgment. In the more trustworthy versions like the KJV however, you are only in danger of judgment if you are angry without a cause. Which brings me to my next question. What was "the judgment" Jesus was talking about here? The word used for judgment is krisis and has a variety of meanings from condemnation, to someone's opinion concerning justice or injustice in that they are "casting judgment" on them. Yet Jesus compares the feeling of anger or rage that leads to murder, as being the same as the act of murder itself. For murder, the judgment was laid out in the Torah, Leviticus 24:17 - whoever takes a human life will be put to death. In the NIV, by leaving out three words, the implication is that anyone who is angry will be subject to the same judgment as one who commits murder. One allows for me to be angry without the risk of judgment and the other says I can't get angry at all. To be clear then, Jesus DID NOT say that if you are angry you will be subject to the same judgment as one who murders. He DID SAY you WOULD NOT be subject to judgment if you had a good reason for your anger. This is backed up by Jesus Himself, when in his justifiable anger he trashed the temple by driving out the money changers (John 2:13-17). He had a good reason for his anger. His holy temple was being turned into a thieves den. So what did Jesus mean by this verse?: "And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire." First, we need to find out the meaning of the word "Raca". Translated, it was an Aramaic word of utter contempt, signifying "empty," intellectually rather than morally, So basically if you called someone Raca, you were calling them empty-headed. You were attacking their intellect rather than their value as a person. The consequence being that you could be taken before the Sanhedrin (Jewish ruling authority) for slander or libel. However, if you called someone a fool, that was much worse because you were attacking their value as a person, someone God created, so you were effectively telling God that what He created was of no value, hence the reason why you would be in danger of hell fire. FYI - Jesus' concept of hell is vastly different than ours. Check this out from the Quest Study Bible: The word hell is derived from gehenna, which refers to the Hinnom Valley. It was there where human sacrifices were offered to the pagan god Molek. It subsequently became a dumping ground, a place of perpetually burning trash and smouldering garbage, as well as the place where corpses of criminals were discarded. Jesus described hell as a place of torment (Lk 16:23), destruction (Mt 10:28) and eternal fire (Mk 9:43), where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt 13:50; Lk 13:28). By calling someone a fool in Jesus' day, was to imply they were worthless enough they should be thrown away and discarded like a corpse thrown into the Hinnom Valley. Words in Jesus' day had meaning behind them and they still do today, so be careful how you use them. So what do we learn from all this? How do we apply these principles of dealing with anger to our lives? Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:23-26 - if you know your brother has something against you (angry with you) be reconciled to them. It was so important to be reconciled that Jesus told his followers to not even leave an offering to God until that was taken care of first. In other words, don't let your anger fester. Be reconciled or agree with your adversary before things get out of hand and you end up in prison. Jesus effectively demonstrates to his followers that sin begins in the heart. The desire to harm another with words is just as bad as physically harming them because God looks at the intent of the heart. You may think your words have no impact on another, but they do and ultimately you will be justified or condemned by what you say (Matthew 12:37).
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Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount He touches on many subjects that were centered on the Laws God had given for the Jewish people to follow. Keep in mind that He is speaking to those Jews (and perhaps some curious Gentiles) who had become His disciples. Try to imagine what it was like for them to be drawn to this unassuming man from Galilee. Yes, it was clear He was a Jew, for many called Him Rabbi (or teacher). He taught in the Temple and He performed miracles that were so spectacular they were beginning to think He was the Messiah. It had been over 400 years since they had heard or seen anyone like this man. And He said the most unusual things.
Jesus said He did not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them. He was making it clear to His disciples that they were to continue to obey the Laws God created for them. He was quite emphatic about this, going so far as to say, that till heaven and earth pass away, "not one jot or one tittle" would by no means pass from the law until all was fulfilled. FYI - a jot is the smallest Hebrew letter and a tittle was used to denote the small stroke distinguishing one Hebrew letter from another. So the Law was to be obeyed, yet Jesus said He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. What did He mean by that? The Rabbis or teachers of the Law in Jesus' day held the Torah (Law) in high regard. They revered it much like Christians revere the Bible today, but they lacked one thing. While professing the most scrupulous reverence to the Law, they violated its spirit. They took everything quite literally and never took the time to see why God gave the laws or why they should be obeyed in the first place. Laws about sexual immorality for example, that were disobeyed, almost always ended up with someone getting stoned. The consequences were severe in order to make a point - God did not want His people involved in such things. They were called to be a HOLY people, an example to the world on how God expects His children to live. Therefore, anyone disobeying the Law knew they were taking a huge risk by violating it. So most people would not cross that line. But, as Jesus showed us when the woman caught in adultery was brought to Him by the scribes and Pharisees (John 8:2-12), everyone sins and is in need of forgiveness. The Pharisees were quick to judge and wanted to see her stoned. Their lust for blood was in fact a sin. They were not seeking to obey the Law because they wanted to show God how obedient they were. They were seeking to show everyone else how righteous (or self-righteous in this case) they were and Jesus knew it, because He knew what was really in their hearts. So the Law shows us how to live lives that honour God and it clearly shows us when we have crossed the line and sinned against Him. By saying He came to fulfill the Laws Jesus did not mean they were no longer to be obeyed. On the contrary, He made it very clear that until heaven and earth passed away the Law would stand firm. However, Jesus said in John 5:39: "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me." In other words, Jesus fulfilled the Law. He fulfilled all the prophecies written about a coming Messiah. He fulfilled the required sacrifices to make atonement for mankind. He alone fulfilled the consequences of the Laws because He took our punishment upon Himself on the cross. He was the only one who was able to keep the Laws and not sin because He was pure of heart. A man without sin (2 Corinthians 5;21). God in the flesh (John 1:1; 14). Jesus told those listening to Him, "That unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." In other words, while the Lord is still adamant that the Law is to be obeyed, it will not save you. That is why He said He was the fulfillment of the Law. It is also why He said, "No one comes to the Father, except through Me" (John 14:6). Jesus said that anyone who teaches something contrary to the Law will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. The Law is there for a reason - to keep people from sinning against God. They are moral laws. The laws we live by in society - do not murder or steal for example, come from the Torah. The consequences today are prison and in some States - even death. Civil Laws are there to prevent anarchy in society. Rules of the road for example, must be obeyed or someone could die. We all have laws to obey that are in place for our good. God's Laws are there for our moral good, and so that we know what it means to be holy. There are 613 commandments to be obeyed in the Torah. No one in all the world has been able to keep them without sinning and that is the point. Jesus fulfilled them all! So, are the Laws to be obeyed? Yes. Have they been fulfilled in Jesus? Yes. Does that mean they no longer exist? No. They are still there for our benefit, to teach us right from wrong that we may live lives that honour God and glorify Him. We will learn more about them in the weeks ahead as we continue to look at The Sermon on the Mount.
Today is Monday Meditations – Please link your faith-based posts below.
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