Sunday 10th March
Read Matthew 5:21-22
“‘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.” 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, “Raca,” is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, “You fool!” will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (NIVUK)
Jesus’ intention is to show how the law is fulfilled. Ancient traditions though have sought to interpret Jesus’ words in these six statements as the establishment of a new law. Hence they are often called the ‘antitheses’. This view is helped by frequent translations that place a rather adversarial ‘but’ after the hearsay (v22)!
However this would make Jesus forget what He has only just declared – that the law is eternal and will last as long as the universe (v18). If the intention is to show fulfilment, then the challenge He places before His listeners is to show what the fullest, deepest, meaning of the law is, rather than the superficial interpretations they have heard.
Perhaps this is most clearly seen in the rather strange inversion. The ‘sin’ seems to decrease rather quickly. It goes from murder (v21), to anger (v22a), to merely contemptuous words (v22b). The consequences however move in the opposite direction, from appropriate judgement (v21), to the equivalent of the Supreme Court (v22b), to the fires of hell itself (v22c)! As a wise teacher, Jesus is deliberately undermining their assumptions of law and judgement in ways that even cause us to stop and think and ask what does that law really mean? Meditate upon it today.
