Thoughts for the Day

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago …    Matthew 5:21

Jesus immediately moves from the general comments we considered yesterday to teach about specific moral laws.  “You have heard it said to people long ago….” What a disarming opening to a radical re-interpretation of one of the ten commandments, the absolute bedrock of the Old Testament Law.  That covenant was expressed as a series of laws that had to be kept alongside penalties for their infringement (perhaps to be viewed similarly to our official sentencing guidance for judges). Some of these seem draconian to us, although evidently some limited the scope for escalation and retribution in the context of the time.  “But I say” says Jesus in reference to ‘You shall not murder’, “that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement”.  Hold on a moment.  Do not simply let that trip off the tongue lightly.  Think about what it is saying, about how outrageously Jesus just broadened the offence.  And he broadens it further “anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell”.    

Let’s set aside for now this reference to the fire of hell.  The law extended in this way is clearly unenforceable.  How angry does anger have to be to count?  How might one judge between uncontrolled outbursts and a bottled-up rage?  How might one rank terms of abuse for suitable sentencing? Who can judge?  And there’s the rub!  It is no longer a law to be judged in a human court, it has become a matter of the heart that only God can judge.  And so perhaps it makes perfect sense in the context of the New Covenant that Jesus will bring in.

It is worth pondering too how much this teaching broadens the moral principle of the sanctity of human life to include, for example, dignity and value.