I have been studying through Matthew 5 for over a week now, and I have to say that not only have I been learning a lot, but I have been convicted greatly about the condition of my heart.  This morning I dove into Matthew 5:21-26.  Click on the link.  Give it a read and meet me back here.

The first thing that struck me was the beginning phrases of verses 21 and 22 – “You have heard it said…” and “But I say unto you…”.  Jesus was not indicating that these two verses contradicted each other, but rather, He was alerting the hearers that He was going to explain a deeper level of understanding.  

“You have heard it said…” Pay attention to the word “said”.  Did you note that Jesus didn’t say “It is written”, but “you have heard it said”?  That’s important.  To get the fullness of what Jesus is saying here, think back to Jesus’ responses in the wilderness, when He was being tempted by Satan.  He responded with “It is written” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).  He was quoting the very words of God.  The fact that Jesus said, “you have heard it said”, denotes that someone was distorting what had been “written”.  He was referring to Exodus 20:13, “You shall not murder”.  With this choice of wording, Jesus is letting the hearers know that something was amiss with how they had been taught about this commandment.  You see, the Pharisees were saying that anything short of murder was permissible for you to not break this commandment.  

Moving on.  Jesus listed three things that would incur judgment – Being angry with your brother – Saying to your brother, “you are good for nothing” – Saying “you fool”.  Let’s look at each of these and see what we can learn.  

Being angry with your brother.

The word angry in the Greek language (orgizō) means to provoke or enrage, to arouse with anger.  Did you notice the tone of that?  Being angry with your brother is something you allow to happen in you.  You have a choice as to whether or not to allow anger to linger in your heart.  While we can’t control what another person does or says to us, we can choose how we will react to them.  

Saying to your brother, “You good for nothing!”.

The first thing to note is the transition from “feeling” angry to “saying” hurtful words.  What is coming to mind is Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger, do not sin”, as well as the advice given in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”  In the second part of Ephesians 4:26 (“do not let the sun go down on your anger”), Paul gives a tip about how to process anger — don’t allow it to linger in your heart.  Deal with the feeling promptly, before feeling turns into action.  

The phrase “you good for nothing” (raka) means “O empty one, you’re worthless”.  It is a defamatory statement that, according to Barclay, is the word that one used who despised another with an arrogant contempt, and it includes not only the meaning of the word, but also the tone of voice in which (raka) is declared. 

Other commentators stated that this is showing contempt for a person’s character (David Guzik) and it is also speaking an unholy disrespect for the person (Jamieson, Fawcett, and Brown). What is coming to mind is that we are to be aware of the fact that all mankind has been made in the image of God and therefore has worth.  It would be like verbally lashing out at someone because you feel yourself to be superior to them.  

Saying, “You fool”.

Before we look at the definition of “you fool”, notice that the words “your brother” are missing.  This leads me to believe that this is referring to words said to someone outside the faith, because the first two things Jesus listed (being angry, and saying “raka”) included the designation of “to your brother”.

In the Greek language, the word “fool” (mōros) means dumb, stupid, heedless, nitwit, numbskull, bonehead, brainless idiot, and morally, a blockhead. The Greek lexicon noted that in this verse, (mōros) is equivalent to impious or godless (because such a man neglects and despises what relates to salvation). 

Can you imagine calling someone (mōros) because they don’t have a relationship with Christ?!  When the truth of the matter is that believers wouldn’t have a relationship with Christ either had God not regenerated his spirit making him able to believe.  

In the next section of verses, Jesus gives a couple of examples of how to live in light of what He just finished teaching.  

“So if you are offering  your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go first be reconciled to your brother, and then come offer your gift”, Matthew 5:23-24.

Being completely transparent here, my first thought was “Wait just a minute here!!  You’re saying that I have to quit what I am doing at church because someone has an issue with me?!”  As I sat in that for a bit, I saw a couple things. 

The first being that my “wait just a minute!” attitude had to go because Jesus was commanding this, and He is always right.  Then the Spirit brought Romans 12:18 to mind – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”  The Word of God has so much to say about unity and peace among believers.  In fact, earlier in Matthew 5, Jesus said, “(The Father approves of) the peacemakers…”.  Considering the context of these two verses, simply put, Jesus is more interested in how you “live” than what you “give”.  

“Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.  Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny”, Matthew 5:25-26.

The first thing I noted here is that there is no mention of “your brother”.  That is easily explained because in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 it speaks about lawsuits against other believers being wrong.  

When I read “come to terms” quickly with your accuser (which refers to your opponent in a lawsuit), I thought it was referring to striking a deal with him.  (buzzer sounds)  I was wrong, haha.  Come to terms (eunoeō) means to be well-minded and of a peaceable spirit.  This speaks of an attitude, a disposition.  

So as a believer, I am to not only to reconcile and live at peace with my brother in Christ, but as stated here, I am also to be of a peaceable spirit toward an unbelieving person, even an opponent in a lawsuit.  James 3:17 says, “But wisdom from above is first pure (not fake with wrong motives), then peaceable.”, and that wisdom is to be employed with both fellow believers and with those outside the faith (Colossians 4:5).

To sum this up, Jesus was teaching that we need to guard ourselves against allowing what the Bible teaches to just be a matter of external performance.  Jesus brings the truth to light — obedience is more than a “do”; it is a matter of the heart.  

Jesus said, “If you love me, keep My commands.” in John 14:15.  Did you notice that “love” came before keeping commands?  Love in the heart was the catalyst of the keeping.  We would be wise to keep Jesus words front and center in our hearts and minds.  May it never be said of us,

“This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me.”
~~Matthew 15:8~~