BUT I SAY TO YOU THAT
EVERYONE WHO IS ANGRY WITH HIS BROTHER SHALL BE GUILTY BEFORE THE COURT
(Mt
5:28,34,44;
3:17;
17:5;
Deuteronomy 18:18,19;
Acts 3:20-23;
7:37;
Hebrews 5:9;
12:25)
(Genesis
4:5,6;
37:4,8;
1 Samuel 17:27,28;
18:8,9;
20:30-33;
22:12-23;
1 Kings 21:4;
2 Chronicles 16:10;
Esther 3:5,6;
Psalms 37:8;
Daniel 2:12,13;
3:13,19;
Ephesians 4:26,27)
(23,24;
18:21,35;
Deuteronomy 15:11;
Nehemiah 5:8;
Obadiah 1:10,12;
Romans 12:10;
1 Corinthians 6:6;
1 Thessalonians 4:6;
1 John 2:9;
3:10,14,15;
4:20,21;
5:16)
(Psalms
7:4;
25:3;
35:19;
69:4;
109:3;
Lamentations 3:52;
John 15:25)
Spurgeon comments...
Oh, what divine dignity there is
in this majestic Person whose ipse dixit is to shift all the sayings of
the ages! He claims authority to speak, even though he should contradict
all the Rabbis and all the learned men that went before him: “I say
unto you,”
But you are saying "I have never
murdered anyone". Jesus says "Wrong. If you've hated you are guilty."
The OT law dealt only with outward
actions, but citizens of the kingdom of heaven must beware of
sinful inward attitudes. In fact, the attitudes
Jesus calls for can only be fulfilled by those with a New Heart and His
Spirit, for otherwise they are an utterly impossible standard which
climaxes in the highest of all impossible standards to "Be perfect as
your heavenly Father is perfect." Only citizens of the Kingdom of
heaven, genuine believers, can obey Jesus' instructions and commands,
doing so not because of outward constraints (not "under Law") but
because of an inward life ("under grace") enabled by the indwelling
Spirit of the Living God. You might argue that the Holy Spirit is not
even mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount and you would be correct. But
from the character of the life Jesus calls for, it is unarguably clear
that one cannot practice such behavior apart from the Spirit’s
empowerment (see Romans 8, notes begin on
Romans 8:1).
The phrase "but I say" is
not to suggest that the Law was merely external but was always intended
to be kept from the
heart. And so we see this sentiment in the first and
great commandment (Mark 12:30) in Deuteronomy where God commands Israel
And you shall love the
LORD your God with all your
heart and with all your
soul and with all your might. And these words, which I am commanding you
today, shall be on your
heart (Deut 6:5-6)
This call in the Old Testament
to love is the essence of fulfillment of the Law as Paul explains in
Romans...
Love does no wrong to a
neighbor; love therefore
is the fulfillment (fullness, with emphasis upon completeness) of the
law. (see note
Romans 13:10)
The point is that Jesus was not
saying anything new or different than had already been plainly stated in
the Law. He is in no way diminishing the Law. He is showing that the
keeping of God's Law has always been an issue of a heart out of which
flows that person's loving obedience for God and his fellow man.
"But I say" uses both the
first person singular of the verb for say (lego) and the first person
singular pronoun (ego) "I" for emphasis. One might
paraphrase to bring out the emphatic character as "I myself say."
The point is that He emphasizing His authority as on a plain with the
Law and is not merely speaking content. Stated another way, "But I say" is a way Jesus
equated His Word with the authority of Scripture and thus with the
authority of God, which is valid in view of the fact hat Jesus is "the Word" (John 1:1).
In fact, indirectly by introducing the sentence in this manner, Jesus
was underscoring
His deity.
Indeed at the end of the Sermon
Matthew records...
The result was that when Jesus had
finished these words, the multitudes were amazed at His teaching for He
was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their
scribes. (see notes
Matthew 7:28;
7:29)
Jesus did not rely on the words of
other men as did the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus is not speaking words
that contradict or conflict with the the Law and the Prophets, but
fulfilling those words, giving them the true meaning God had intended.
Similar Jesus is not altering, diminishing or depriving even the least
of the commandments of their authority (see note
Matthew 5:19)
Jesus is correcting the perversion of the Law by the scribes and
Pharisees who had devised 613 manmade rules that only tied heavy burdens
on the people who were told that "Keep all 613 prohibitions and
commandments and you will be pleasing to Him and satisfy His demands for
righteousness." The problem of course was that their external rules left
the heart unchanged, still more deceitful than all else and desperately
sick (Jer 17:9, cf Ge 8:21).
The KJV has the phrase "without
a cause", a phrase not found in most of the modern versions
Angry (3710)
(orgizo from orge = wrath) means to be or become angry,
furious, enraged or provoked and is used in the NT of human and satanic
anger. (See Topic
Anger)
Orgizo describes a brooding, simmering anger that is nurtured and not
allowed to die. It is seen in the holding of a grudge, in the smoldering
bitterness that refuses to forgive. It is the anger that cherishes
resentment and does not want reconciliation.
The Scribes and Pharisees taught that anything short or murder might be
allowed. Jesus brings the Law back to the matters of the heart
teaching that the danger of anger was that it was expressive of a
murderous intent in the heart and such a one was in danger of the
judgment. Jesus says that anger merits execution, because
the fruit of anger is murder.
Anger is what we feel when we
believe that we have been wronged by someone. It springs from resentment
over an offense and contempt for the individual. It results in an
adversarial relationship that has the potential to disrupt fellowship
and worship alike.
One is reminded of God's warning
to Cain about his heart attitude (it was not Cain's offering
which was the problem but it was the attitude of his heart!) and how
when it was left unrestrained, "pounced" on him and led to murder
of Abel...
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are
you angry? (Hebrew charah = to glow or grow warn, to blaze
up and be hot or burn, be kindled, be incensed - a verb perfectly
picturing this emotion "blazing up" into a full blown fire) And why has
your countenance fallen (this suggests that anger hid itself in Cain’s
eyes and with a fallen countenance he avoided looking anyone in the eye
preventing others from seeing through the eye gate into his heart!)? If
you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not
do well, sin (this pictures Sin as an evil king that wants to reign in
our mortal bodies, exactly what Paul admonished Roman saints about in
Romans 6:12-14 - see note)
is crouching (picture of a stealthy panther lurking, ready to spring) at
the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it (If this is
God's desire then we know that He made provision for Cain to obey God's
will for God's commandments always include His enablements)." And Cain
told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field,
that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. (Genesis
4:6-8)
Warren Wiersbe
explains that
Anger is an emotional arousal caused
by something that displeases us. In itself, anger is not a sin, because
even God can be angry (Dt 9:8, 20; Ps 2:12). The Bible often speaks of
anger “being kindled” (Ge 30:2; Dt 6:15), as though anger can be
compared to fire. It is difficult for us to practice a truly holy anger
or righteous indignation because our emotions are tainted by sin, and we
do not have the same knowledge that God has in all matters. God sees
everything clearly and knows everything completely, and we do not. The
NT principle seems to be that the believer should be angry at sin but
loving toward people. The fire of anger, if not quenched by loving
forgiveness, will spread and defile and destroy the work of God (Ed
note: and the testimony of God's people). According to Jesus, anger is
the first step toward murder (Mt 5:21-26), because anger gives the devil
a foothold in our lives, and Satan is a murderer (Jn 8:44). Satan hates
God and God’s people, and when he finds a believer with the sparks of
anger in his heart, he fans those sparks, adds fuel to the fire, and
does a great deal of damage to God’s people and God’s church. Both lying
and anger “give peace to the devil” (see note
Ephesians 4:27).
Horace wrote that “Anger is
momentary insanity.” But that is not to say as do our law courts
today that the angry person is not responsible because clearly they are!
John writes that...
The one who says he is in the light
and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. (1 John 2:9)
Everyone who hates his brother
is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life
abiding in him. (1John
3:15)
If someone says, "I love God," and
hates his brother, he is a liar (he is not a believer); for the one
who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he
has not seen. (1John
4:20)
Paul exhorts citizens of the
Kingdom of heaven to give a proper opinion of their heavenly Father and
enabled by the Holy Spirit to...
Let all bitterness and
wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put
away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another,
tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has
forgiven you. (see notes
Ephesians 4:26;
4:27)
Peter adds...
To sum up, let all be harmonious,
sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit not returning
evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for
you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.
(see notes
1 Peter 2:8;
2:9)
AND WHOEVER SAYS TO HIS
BROTHER, (RACA) 'YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING,' SHALL BE GUILTY BEFORE THE SUPREME
COURT (SANHEDRIN) (2 Samuel
6:20;
James 2:20)
(Mt
10:17;
26:59;
Mark 14:55;
15:1;
John 11:47;
Acts 5:27)
Good for nothing (see
raca
or
raca - source #2)
(4469)
(raca an Aramaic word equivalent to Hebrew rebq = empty
one, worthless, term of utter vilification) refers to a vain or
worthless fellow and was used as a term of contempt used by the Jews in
the time of Christ. English synonyms with a similar idea include nitwit,
blockhead, numbskull, bonehead or brainless idiot. "Raca"
expressed contempt for an individual's intelligence.
Supreme court (4892)
(sunedrion from sun = together + hedraios =
sedentary, as one seated in a chair - see
Sanhedrin) describes an assembly or council
and in the present context describes the Jewish Sanhedrim, the council
of the seventy (not counting the high priest) who tried the most serious
offenses and pronounced the severest penalties, including death by
stoning (see Acts 6:12-7:60) (See ISBE article on
Sanhedrin)
The Sanhedrin was formed in imitation of the seventy elders appointed by
Moses (Nu11:16ff.) The members were selected from the chief priests,
former high priests, and the chief priests or heads of the twenty–four
courses or divisions, elders, and scribes or lawyers.
MacArthur adds that raca...
has no exact modern equivalent.
Therefore in most Bible versions, as here, it is simply transliterated.
A term of malicious abuse, derision, and slander, it has been variously
rendered as brainless idiot, worthless fellow, silly fool, empty head,
blockhead, and the like. It was a word of arrogant contempt. (MacArthur,
J:
Matthew 1-7 Macarthur New Testament
Commentary Chicago: Moody Press)
Why is simply saying "raca"
or "you fool" a sin that makes one guilty enough to even go to
hell? The answer in short is that every man is made in the image of God
and God does not say "raca" or "you fool". Instead what God does is say
I love you and to show you how much I sent my only begotten Son (John
3:16). Paul also explains how God sees us and how he responds in light
of what He sees (remember we are to be perfect as our heavenly Father is
perfect!) writing that...
while we were still helpless,
at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will
hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone
would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more
then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the
wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more,
having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (See notes
Romans 5:6;
5:7;
5:8;
5:9;
5:10)
Jesus is saying that in effect our
"cutting words" carry out the "assassination" of the
person using the weapon of the tongue and those words that proceed from
a heart filled with animosity, enmity or anger. When you call another
man or woman made in the image of God, you are in effect taking the
place of God and when you say "raca" or "you fool" you are holding them
with lower esteem than God Himself does and thus it is a grievous sin.
Isn't that what one "says" when they murder another person? They are
saying in essence that "Your life is worth less to me than it is to
God!" And thus the murderer "takes the place" of God.
Jesus exposition helps one
understand Solomon's teaching that...
Death and life are in the power of
the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)
AND WHOEVER SAYS, 'YOU FOOL,'
SHALL BE GUILTY ENOUGH TO GO INTO THE FIERY HELL (GEHENNA)
(Psalms
14:1
