by David Flatt
Synopsis: David emphasizes the importance of manifesting the right attitude toward our fellowman. Recognizing that man is made in the image of God helps temper our attitude toward others.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing (Matt. 5:21–26, KJV)
At this point in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs His hearers how to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. The remainder of His teaching in chapter five deals with moral and ethical principles which are to govern the attitudes and behaviors of citizens of God's kingdom. As with the Beatitudes, these principles are the means by which we reflect the image of God and advance the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.
Before getting into the details, note how Jesus introduces each point. He begins each section by saying, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old." In doing this, He is not quoting from the Law of Moses. When Jesus quoted from the Law of Moses, He used expressions like, "It is written." In this part of the sermon, Jesus is identifying corruptions of the Law of Moses. He is citing the traditions of the elders (Mark 7:5). Similarly, Jesus is not giving His opinion of the Law of Moses. Jesus was not another rabbi giving His spin on the Law. Rather, Jesus uses His authority as the King of the kingdom to clarify the Law and move us closer to the kingdom by commanding specific conduct of citizens which serve His purposes.
Jesus addresses a common means of moral and ethical justification among the Pharisees. They felt an action was moral and ethical so long as it was not illegal. Of course, this view of morals and ethics persists today. People often justify bad behavior by saying things like, "Well, it might not be moral, but it is not illegal." While the Pharisees did not condone murder, they did excuse the mistreatment of others which fell short of bodily harm.
Jesus does not accept mistreatment of any kind by citizens of His kingdom. This should not come as a surprise when we understand love as being the foundation of kingdom ethics. He expects us to love our neighbor as ourselves. He has no tolerance for the mistreatment of others. Jesus states that unloving thoughts and words are as evil as physical violence. Both endanger our soul.
Specifically, Jesus condemns being angry with our brother without a cause. Of course, when we are angry, there is always a cause; yet, the cause is not always justified. What about saying, "Raca." And "fool"? What does this mean? "Raca" means "worthless" and "fool" means "one who is senseless." Does this mean we can call someone anything short of senseless and worthless? The Pharisees would have approved of this interpretation. When the terms are combined, Jesus is teaching we are not to treat our fellow man as worthless and senseless. Mistreatment of others is the result of viewing another as worthless and senseless.
How we treat our fellow man is a reflection of our heart. All attitudes and behaviors proceed from the heart (Prov. 4:23; Matt. 15:17-20). Until we view our neighbor as being valuable as ourselves, we will easily be able to justify our mistreatment of them.
While we are not to treat others as worthless and senseless, we often do. What does Jesus expect of us when we have harmed someone else? Jesus demands we do what we want to do least: reconcile with the one we have hurt.
There is nothing easy about reconciliation, apologizing, and seeking forgiveness. Reconciliation is so difficult that we often do other things in its place. We will hopelessly try to rationalize and justify our mistreatment. Maybe we tell ourselves that our victim is "thin-skinned" or "easily offended." We may concede we have hurt someone's feelings but did not sin against them. If breaking the royal law of love is not sin, what is (Jas. 2:8)? We might say our conflict is a "doctrinal issue." As long as this is the case, we feel as though we can say whatever we want however we want so long as what we say is "the truth." Perhaps we may become more devoted in worship, hoping to make amends for our sin. Jesus mentioned taking a gift to the altar. On another occasion, He rebuked the Pharisees for harming widows and then pretentiously praying long prayers (Matt. 23:14). Worship is no substitute for reconciliation.
What should we do if we are guilty of harming someone else? If we have hurt someone, Jesus demands that we urgently seek reconciliation. Our eternity depends on us seeking reconciliation. When we treat someone as worthless and senseless, the only thing which becomes worthless and senseless is our worship. When confessing his sins, David acknowledged that God did not want his sacrifice or worship; rather, God wanted his broken heart. The sacrifices of God were a broken spirit (Ps. 51:16-17). Micah, the prophet, later declared that, in addition to acts of worship, God desired justice, mercy, and humility (Micah 6:6-8). The absence of these qualities leads to the mistreatment of others.
Sometimes, we minimize the importance of how we treat each other. We tend to have the problem of justifying our mistreatment of others by worshipping correctly or having the doctrine right. We think that what matters most is having the right answer, and how we treat others is secondary. If what we do is done in the name of truth and we hurt someone in the process, well, that is their problem. This approach has no place in God's kingdom.
In Jesus' teaching, He ties together form and motive. For example, consider a surprisingly positive encounter Jesus had with a certain scribe:
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question (Mark 12:28–34).
Jesus' reaction to this scribe is significant. Both were in agreement about what was most important to God. Love was more valuable than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. Yes, correctly observing the Law was important; however, more valuable than all sacrifices was how worshippers of God treated each other. We are all valuable creations of God; therefore, we owe our love to one another (Rom. 13:8).
Learning how to treat our neighbor is fundamental. Loving our neighbor as ourselves is a first principle of the kingdom. John would later describe someone with hatred in his heart toward his brother as a murderer (1 John 3:18). We must never view our fellow man as worthless and senseless. Peter expressed our intrinsic worth by writing, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet. 1:18-19). The sacrifice of Jesus Christ must be the determining factor in how we appraise the value of each other. Such a high appraisal of our neighbor will help prevent mistreatment and urge reconciliation when we have hurt someone. Love for our neighbor will help expand the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.
Author Bio: David Flatt and his family have labored with the Thayer Street congregation in Akron, Ohio since 2008. The church website is thayerstreetcoc.org. He can be reached at dflatt85@yahoo.com.
