Anchor My Faith

Murder

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-22

In our previous lesson, we considered the importance of not showing partiality with the commandments. Beginning with this lesson, Jesus selects the sixth of the ten commandments (You shall not murder) and gives a teaching on its relationship to the heart. Jesus said: ^{Mt 5:21} “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

With this lesson we begin a series of lessons that will span several sections and cover the topics of anger, lust, divorce, oaths, relationships and loving your enemies. He will introduce each topic with “You have heard that it was said,” or “It was also said.” In this lesson, that which was said that was heard was about murder and those who committed murder were liable to judgment.

On the surface this seems very clear. Murder was prohibited by the sixth commandment (Exodus 20:13) and according to Numbers 35:31, required the death penalty. If we stop and think about this, we realize that there are two kinds of murder: premeditated and unpremeditated. The death penalty was required for premeditated murder because it was intentional, but for unpremeditated murder, which was not intentional, there was a different standard.

An example was given in Deuteronomy 19:4 – 6 of a man cutting wood with an axe. As he swings the axe the head slips off and strikes a person and kills that person. The person swinging the axe had no intentions of that happening and thus was not guilty of a crime. For his protection there were three cities (later three more were added) set apart as a place where the manslayer could go for protection from family and friends of the person killed who sought revenge.

This is the background of you have heard what was said about you shall not murder, but Jesus adds the dimension of anger. Murder, that requires the death penalty, does not just happen; it is first thought out. Before those thoughts of murder occurred, something happened in that relationship that caused anger. That anger typically entails the desire to damage or destroy the other person. In that culture, something may have occurred that brought shame, resulting in the anger. We have encountered this with the Pharisees being shamed by Jesus and have watched their anger grow to where they want to damage or destroy him.

It is this anger that Jesus speaks of here, and those who are angry are also liable for judgment, but a discussion of that will have to wait until the next lesson.

Prayer

Father, we are coming into an area of study of topics that are very relevant to us today. Even within the church, there is so much anger, lust and divorce and such an inability to love one another, not to mention that we are to love our enemies and forgive them. As we approach this series of lessons, Father, search our hearts and reveal to us how they will apply to each of us. Bring about the necessary changes in our hearts to make us more like Jesus.