Matthew 5.21-26, Luke 12.57-59.
In
Typically bibles translate Jesus’s followup as “But I tell you.” (
- “And” when the sentences connect similar ideas.
- “But” when the sentences contrast dissimilar ideas.
- “Or” when the sentences list options.
- “Then” when it’s part of a sequence of ideas.
De can be translated whatever way the interpreter thinks would make the clearest English. But really it’s got no more meaning than a semicolon. (I’d even translate it that way… if it didn’t wind up producing giant run-on sentences.)
Here’s the problem: Interpreter bias. When we correctly recognize Jesus isn’t throwing out Old Testament commands and replacing (or significantly updating) them with his; when we realize he’s explaining the L
But. When we incorrectly think Jesus is inaugurating a new dispensation—or we at least think Jesus is trying to add to the Law, despite Moses telling the Hebrews they don’t get to do this
So I went with the simplest option, and dropped de as redundant. On to Jesus’s lesson.
In Matthew he begins his brief commentary on the spirit of the Law with the “Don’t murder” command from
Matthew 5.21-24 KWL - 21 “You heard this said to the ancients: ‘You shall not murder.’
Ex 20.13, Dt 5.17 - Whoever murders will be subject to judgment.
- 22 And I tell you this: Everybody angry with their sibling will be subject to judgment.
- Whoever tells their sibling, ‘You dumbass,’ will be subject to the senate.
- Whoever says, ‘You moron,’ will be subject to a trash-heap of fire.
- 23 So when you bring your gift to God’s altar,
- when you remember your sibling has anything against you,
- 24 leave your gift there, in front of God’s altar.
- First go make up with your sibling. Then come back and bring your gift.
Popularly, this passage is interpreted all kinds of wrong. Namely it’s explained, “Hating your fellow Christian” (or hating anyone) “is just as bad as murder. Because you’ve spiritually killed them.”
Spiritually, not physically. You killed ’em in your mind. You imagined them dead. Maybe even imagined you murdered ’em. For extra fun, maybe you pictured it as gruesome, painful, slow, grim torture. In any event the usual Christian teaching is, “That was bad, and you should feel bad for feeling that way.”
And then we wonder why so many Christians feel incredibly guilty all the time. It’s because we’ve basically taught them whenever we have a fleeting violent or vengeful thought pop into our heads, it’s sin.
No it’s not sin. It’s temptation. And everybody gets tempted.
We know the L
I know; a number of Christians are gonna insist, “But he’s Jesus! He’s an exception.” No he’s not an exception. That’s the whole point of him becoming human: He lived an authentic human life. Went through the very same experiences we do. But he did it right, so he could demonstrate how we should behave.
Now, this doesn’t give us license to let our imaginations run amok, and plot the violent destruction of everyone who annoys us, on the grounds if we never act on any of it, it’s all good. There’s a vast difference between our minds wandering thataway, and us pointing our minds thataway. Fantasize about murder long enough, and the moment we lose control of our faculties for any reason—we’re drunk, stoned, medicated, senile, sleepwalking, out of our minds with fear or rage—we’re gonna murder. Happens all the time. It’s why God hates when we plot evil.
Don’t indulge temptation, and you’ll be fine. When your mind wanders there, rein it in. Pull it back. Resist. And relax; you didn’t sin. Yet.
Subject to judgment.
Under Roman occupation,
So when murder happened the Roman-occupied territories of Judea, Samaria, Perea, or the Galilee, one of four things happened:
- Neither the Jews nor the Romans cared about the death, so no consequences.
- The Romans cared. So they found suspects and judged them. If found guilty, death penalty: Beheading for Romans, crucifixion for non-Romans.
- The Jews cared. So they found suspects and dragged them before the Romans, who judged them. Sometimes leniently: Instead of the death penalty the accused would pay a fine. The only way to pay certain hefty fines was to be
sold into slavery, which is what the ancients did instead of life in prison. - The Jews cared a little too much, and a mob lynched the accused—usually resulting in a Roman crackdown, with crucifixions all around.
So when Jesus speaks about a murderer being “subject to judgment,” this is what he meant: Roman judgment. Not the Law’s procedure. The Law has a procedure, but the Romans didn’t bother with it.
What was the Law’s procedure? Actually, revenge.
Yeah, God forbade revenge,
Only the victim’s
If the “murder” was really an accidental death, the accused was ordered to run for one of six villages owned and led by God’s priests.
What’s all this stuff have to do with Jesus’s teaching? Plenty.
See, whenever we get angry, how do people usually respond to us? With patience? Grace? Forgiveness? Nah. At best, they avoid us till we cool down. Sometimes they mock us and try to get us even angrier—so angry we do something stupid, which was their goal. Or they get angry right back at us… and either of us could do something stupid. Or destructive. Or even deadly.
People will use our anger to justify any horrible thing they wanna do to us. Just as people, in bible times, used murder to justify revenge.
Now, we Americans live in a nation with a fairly stable government, with civil liberties, with a criminal justice system rigged to favor the accused, just in case they’re innocent. Doesn’t always work, but tends to work. So if you wanna make serious trouble for another person, you can get in serious trouble yourself. If you’re angry with someone, and try to ruin their lives, they can get a restraining order against you, and get you prosecuted.
But we Americans live in very unique circumstances. This wasn’t always the case in human history. For centuries it was entirely the opposite: If you wanted to make trouble for another person, you absolutely could. You could easily get them killed. In many parts of the world, it’s still way too easy to get your enemies killed. All you gotta do is bribe the right ruler. Or make a paranoid ruler think your enemy might be a problem.
That’s precisely how things worked in the Roman Empire. It was a totally corrupt government. Civil liberties were only for Roman citizens: If you weren’t Roman, you were at the utter mercy of any Roman who had it in for you. So enrage the wrong person—call them
So you really didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes back then. Your anger could get you killed. And no, Jesus wasn’t
It can still be trouble for us nowadays, if our enemies wanna strive hard enough against us.
Make peace with your enemies.
Matthew 5.25-26 KWL - 25 “Be quick to cooperate with your prosecutor while you’re with them on the road to court,
- lest your prosecutor turn you in to the judge,
- the judge to the bailiff, and you’re thrown into prison.
- 26 Amen! I promise you you’ll never come out of there till you work off your last quadrans.”
Luke 12.57-59 KWL - 57 “Why can’t you judge rightly by yourselves?
- 58 For when you go off to the ruler with your prosecutor,
- make an effort, while you’re with them on the road to court, to be cleared of their charge.
- Otherwise they could drag you before the judge.
- The judge will hand you off to the executioner, and the executioner will throw you into prison.
- 59 I tell you, you may never come out of there till you pay your last lepton.”
In the scriptures, sins against others tend to be compared with debts. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
Yeah, today we don’t think like that. We abolished debtors’ prisons and banned indentured servitude. Nowadays the only debtors who go to prison are people who won’t pay their taxes. For the rest of us, most debts are owed to faceless financial institutions. The worst they can do is repossess our property, garnish our wages, and make it impossible to borrow any more money. But not that impossible, ’cause anybody can get a payday loan. (Not that you should.)
But in Jesus’s day, debt was to individuals, and if you couldn’t pay them, they could sell you into slavery to get their money back. Debt was a very big deal. So you never wanted to get on the bad side of the people you owed. They could do horrible things to you.
Sins and offenses against others are much the same way. You never know what people might do to you. Especially when they feel justified in doing terrible things to you. As they will.
So Jesus used the example of someone taking you to court. And in his lesson, he made the assumption you were guilty—or at least the judge would rule in favor of your opponent, whether it was a fair ruling or not. Either way, Jesus instructs us to work things out with our opponents. Before officials get involved; even if it’s a last-second negotiation on the way to court.
Don’t make the common mistake people do of figuring, “Well, that’s their problem. I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m in the right. I’m good. (And just in case I’m not good, Father, forgive me.)” That’d describe the self-righteous person who’s bringing a gift to the altar,
Wrong. As much as we can, we’re to live at peace with others.
So examine your life. Is there anyone you hold a grudge against? Forgive them immediately. Is there anyone who might hold a grudge against you? Track them down and make it right. Apologize if you have to. Pay them back if you need to. Restore that relationship.
Restore it before it becomes something destructive and wasting, and even gets in the way of your growth as a Christian.
