Murder!!!

Matthew 5:21-26

New International Version (NIV)

Murder

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,^[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister^[b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’^[d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
²⁵ “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 5:21 Exodus 20:13
2. Matthew 5:22 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman; also in verse 23.
3. Matthew 5:22 Some manuscripts brother or sister without cause
4. Matthew 5:22 An Aramaic term of contempt

Something that I have learnt growing up as a person is the value of human life.... Murderers and Rapists are the most looked down upon people in any society world wide. So much so like the worst possible crime (so it seems) that one can do is kill a person.... if you haven't done that then you can get away with almost anything else..... you are still not yet the scum of the earth... there are people out there who are worse that you.....

These words of Jesus made me look at Murder in a whole new light. It is not just about the physical act of taking someones life.... its about our hearts and minds as well.... the thoughts we have and the feelings we feel when we are angry.... the fact that sometimes we think we are so smart that others are fools. Just like taking a human life is not for us to decide as humans, thinking we are better than others isn't either!!!!! We are all creations of God. After all, our thoughts and feelings do become us!

For what right have we to come before God if we consider ourselves better than others? How can we come before him through the Grace of the cross if we ourselves do not understand the basic concept of Grace... How can we say we understand Grace if we think ourselves better than others...whether it is as murder....anger.....contempt.....or insult!!! How can we say we love if we can not see people as Christ does.... How do we look past the physical, the standards set by this world and see people as Christ does?

Verse 25 felt a bit out of place for me... like he just went off on a tangent... all I could think about is how people have used this verse to justify corruption back home by paying off cops in order to cheat the system. Then I looked up the definition of adversary and it said opponent in a contest, conflict, or dispute. And it just came down to "handle your business and don't let it get out of hand" Everybody has misunderstandings... and this life we live is a life of conflict!!! So...... due to lack of a better way to put it... HANDLE YOUR BIZZ!!!