"You Shall Not Murder" - The True Meaning

Have you ever had a near-miss experience with a police officer? Now, I’m not asking for a confession here, but maybe you know what I’m talking about. Here’s the scenario - you’re driving along, maybe in a hurry, maybe not paying attention, maybe just going with the flow of traffic. You don’t even notice or mind your speed at all until you see him - the officer pulled into the u-turn, or pull-off, then suddenly, your heart drops.

You immediately become an award winning safe-driving enthusiast. If you had forgotten your seatbelt, it quickly is buckled. If you had your music up loud, it gets turned down to a normal level. Your speed drops “inconspicuously” below the posted limit, and you go from a hand on the wheel and a hand on your coffee cup to hands at 10 and 2 without even thinking about it.

You drive along for a minute or two with that bottomless-pit feeling in your stomach, keeping an eye in your rear-view mirror. After a mile or so passes, and you don’t see those tell-tale signs, you relax a bit. “Phew.” You say - suddenly, you feel better about your driving habits, and before you know it, you’re back to where you were before the whole event started.

Now, maybe you have no idea what I’m talking about here, but I think you do. Why do we do that? Why, when we are breaking the law, do we feel a sudden sense of accountability to the law only when we realize we’re in danger of being caught?

Now, going 10 miles over the limit is a minor thing, as far as offences go. But the same tendency is part of out sinful nature - the tendency to think, “it’s only bad if you get caught.”

Well, in the verses we will study today, and the rest of Matthew chapter 5, Jesus addresses some of the root issues that make up that tendency. He has just told His followers that as far as law-keeping goes, the best of the best in that category had missed the mark - he said, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom.”

In other words, those who were best at keeping the law to the letter were below the entry-level of God’s kingdom. How could that be? How could our righteousness ever exceed that level?

Over the next 28 verses, Jesus begins to describe a righteous living that exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees. A kind of righteousness that is more than skin-deep. One way of thinking about this would be in this way: the scribes and pharisees righteousness was broad - it effected every area of life externally - but it was very shallow.

In these verses, Jesus will address Murder, Adultery, Divorce, Oaths, Retaliation, and Love from the perspective of the Mosaic Law. He will use the phrase “you have heard it said… but I tell you” in every example.

In those examples, he quotes from the Scriptures. But it is worth noting, that He is not contradicting those scriptures as He quotes them. He had already addressed that when he said “I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.”

Jesus is not correcting or doing away with Moses’ writings, He is on the side of Moses. So in these teachings, it is not Jesus vs. Moses - it is Jesus and Moses vs. the common interpretation, which consisted of misunderstanding the true depth and beauty of the law.

It is also worth noting, that in every case, Jesus takes the surface level misunderstanding of these laws, which were very doable and possible to obey, and stretches them out to their full intent - a much deeper and fuller understanding, effecting more than just the actions, but the very heart itself - which leads us to a conclusion that we have already made from the beatitudes - blessed are the pure in heart. True righteousness cannot just be formal, outward obedience - it must be a changed and true heart. That is the kind of righteousness that exceeds the scribes and Pharisees, and that is the kind of righteousness that works itself out practically in the ways that Jesus will describe in the rest of this chapter.

Proverbs 4:23 ESV

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

The very first way that Jesus addresses this issue of “heart righteousness” is with the issue of murder. Now, this passage is normally categorized as teaching on anger, and it is - we went over this several times in our recent “Anger” small group. But, beware - lest we become like the scribes and pharisees even in that. Jesus is addressing one outward sin, and the inward sins that precede it. We could easily just take this as another command - “don’t act angrily, don’t insult people, don’t call them fools” - and we could keep that command while harboring the same sin within us.

We want to look at these verses, and all these radical teachings of Jesus with fresh eyes - don’t look at them with a formal, legal mindset - “if I don’t do this, then I’m righteous.” No, look at them from the perspective of heart-righteousness.

So Here is the big idea for today, and this whole section.

Christ’s radical but true teaching shows us that unrighteousness is more than skin-deep, so true righteousness must be as well.

1. The Traditional Teaching - Vs. 21

The first Mosiac Law that Jesus deals with is, “You shall not murder.” And if you’re curious about the title of the message, “The true meaning,” Then here is a spoiler - it is still wrong to murder. No free pass there - Jesus doesn’t negate that.

But as he says, “you have heard that it was said...” Most scholars believe Jesus was addressing the Halakha - the Oral Traditions. These were passed down, starting with the Written Mosaic law, and then interpreted, and explained, and added to, and existed as the teachings of the Jewish leaders. The “Oral tradition” was everything for the law-abiding Jew, but, as Jesus points out here, it often consisted more of the common understanding of the Law rather than the true meaning of the law.

So, as Jesus says “you have heard it said… But I say to you.” He is placing His teaching up against that common understanding. It is also important to note, that Jesus is not adding His interpretation to the slurry of interpretations that existed - He is saying, definitively, this is what this law means.

“You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.” This was a combination of Exodus 20:13, and Numbers 35:30. Apparently, this correlation was the common interpretation of this commandment, and it was quoted this way often.

Numbers 35:30 ESV

“If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.

So, in essence, the teaching was - “Don’t murder, and if you do kill someone, then you will be held accountable.”

So what’s wrong with that? Isn’t that true? Well, yes, of course it is true. But the question between the lines that Jesus asks and answers here, is this. In God’s eyes, does murder simply consist of killing?

Now, that seems like a silly question. Does murder consist of killing? What kind of question is that? Even Webster’s dictionary defines murder as, “the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought.”

Now - here is where the rub is. Jesus is challenging the understanding of one command, perhaps one of the easiest commands not to break. I can look at the command, “you shall not murder” and say, ok! Got it. That is no problem - I am righteous in that regard. I am not in danger of any sort of judgment when it comes to that command.

But is that all that commandment means? Is that the full depth of it? Well, Let’s allow Jesus to answer that question.

2. Christ’s Radical Teaching - Vs. 22

“You have heard it said, But I say to you...” Here Jesus’ sets His Divine interpretation on par with the Command itself. remember, He is not replacing the command - He is not arguing with Moses, He is replacing, arguing with, and correcting the shallow misunderstanding of the command.

The command, understood, was “Don’t murder, and if you commit murder, you will be liable to judgment.” Keep that word, judgment in mind. That, in the legal sense, is what is being avoided. Don’t murder, because you don’t want judgment.

Then listen to Jesus’ words.

Matthew 5:22 ESV

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

The baseline thought is - “if I avoid killing someone, I avoid judgment in that area.” But Jesus retorts with - “Ever been angry with your brother? That deserves judgment. Ever insulted your brother? You should be brought before the council for that. Ever call someone a fool? That deserves the fire of hell.”

So we go from being able to say, “yes, I am righteous in this category - with no fear of judgment” to “I am guilty.”

The common understanding was, “If I murder someone, I’ll be brought before the courts for judgment, and I might be found guilty and punished.” That is the basic meaning of “judgment.” Do you see, though, how Jesus escalates the idea from facing a human court for possible conviction, to facing the Divine court for our heart’s intentions?

There’s also something really spectacular here, going back to the first prohibition of murder.

Genesis 9:6 ESV

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Here, the wrong-ness of murder is tied to the fact that man is made in the image of God. When we strike out against a person and murder them, we are, in a way striking out against God’s image in them.

Someone would have probably laughed at the idea of facing “judgment” - facing the court for anger. They would have sneered at the idea of facing the Sanhedrin - the council, for saying “Raca” or calling someone an insulting name. And their mind would have still been on the human court, on the human plane- but Jesus the changes the plane and sphere of authority when He says, “and whoever says, “you fool” will be liable to the hell of fire.” Why such a severe interpretation? Well, if it is striking out against God’s image in man to murder, then it is also striking out against His image to be angry, to insult, and to slander.

Gehenna, the word behind Hell,was a picturesque metaphor for eternal judgment. The valley of Hinnom was a place, in the darkest days of Jewish History, where in their idolatry they sacrificed their children by burnt offering. In Jesus Day, it is commonly believed that this valley of hinnom had been turned into a garbage dump that was constantly burned - if that is true, then imagine the image. A burning, heap of garbage where gross immorality and idolatry took place. This is what Jesus uses to picture divine judgment.

Think of the depth of this contrast - Do we think we can be called righteous just because we don’t murder? Jesus says we’re guilty of murder, we’re guilty of striking out against God’s image in another person, and worthy of Hell if we even are angry with our brother and slander him.

Why? The skin-deep understanding was only concerned with the human court. But the human court can never see the heart, only the actions. So in the human court, only the action of murder is punishable - but in the divine court, the heart is evident - and thoughts and motives are no less culpable than actions.

James 4:1–2 ESV

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

James makes a similar bold statement - why do you do wrong things? Because your desires, your wrong desires, are warring within you - they are advancing within you as an army, and left unchecked, they will proceed to action.

When we looked at “blessed are the pure in heart,” we defined the heart in scripture as the seat of emotions, desire, and will. It is the true inner man.

Luke 6:45 (ESV)

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Do you see what Jesus is saying? It is not righteousness to simply “not murder.” It is righteousness to have a heart that wouldn’t desire murder, that wouldn’t rise up in anger, that wouldn’t even insult a brother.

This goes back to our illustration of the police officer. Our minds are eased when we realize that we aren’t getting pulled over, but what about the infraction?

This week as I was preparing this sermon, for part of the time I was sitting at our table. Michael had some snacks that were sitting at the table, and our Dog, Knox, if you know Him, is about the perfect size to swipe snacks off the table with his tongue without even trying.

Well, there He was, standing there with longing eyes, panting, intently focused on a muffin. I said, “Knox, leave the muffin.” he didn’t eat it, but he still stared intently. “Knox, leave it!” He didn’t touch it, but his desire was obvious. I said, “Knox, lay down.” He begrudgingly moved away from the table, still looking longingly at the muffin. I then, jokingly said to Him,

“You have heard it said, you shall not eat the muffin - but I say to you, if you desire the muffin in your heart, you are guilty of eating it.”

Scott will address the issue of Adultery next week, where Jesus said those words in a much more serious manner - but the idea is the same. It is not enough to “not murder.” True righteousness, heart righteousness, doesn’t desire murder - doesn’t even desire anger.

Now think about this in a more serious illustration. Imagine a person at their last straw of anger. They are beside themselves with angry thoughts and motives. They have reached the point where they have decided to act on their feelings. They purchase a weapon, they make a plan, they set themselves up to take out their target. Perched in a hiding place, their intended victim comes into view, they have them in their sights, in their determination, they pull the trigger - click. The Gun malfunctions. The person gets away, they escape the wrath.

Is that person guilty of murder? They were hindered from actually killing someone. Maybe they reconsider, they take it as a sign to cool down. They say, “Phew, I’m glad It didn’t happen.”

Jesus would say they were guilty of murder before they even pulled the trigger - before they even had the person in their sights. Jesus would say, they were guilty before they even purchased the weapon. Jesus would say, they were guilty before they even thought of murder - they were guilty at the point of anger.

Do you see how this is radical? Do you see how the human court can never compare to the divine court, and how skin-deep righteousness can never compare to the true, pure, and heart-righteousness that Jesus calls for in His disciples?

Do you see why it is not enough to say, “i haven’t murdered anyone!” “I haven’t acted angrily, or insulted anyone!” Jesus isn’t expanding the law to give us more commands to obey - He is revealing the true depth of the law, which is meant to show the nature of God, to show us His righteousness. And as we will see in the last section, the opposite of “murder” isn’t “not murder.” The opposite of murder, and anger, is love and reconciliation.

3. Our Radical Obedience - Vv. 23-26

Jesus illustrates this first comparison with a common experience for his hearers. He is in Galilee, speaking to Galilean Jews, who would have all made the journey many times in their life to Jerusalem, to the temple, to offer a sacrifice. It was, after all, the only authorized place to do so.

He says, If you are offering your gift on the altar (in jerusalem), and there remember that your brother has something against you, (probably in Galilee) , you should leave your gift, make the long journey to your brother, and be reconciled.

We have probably tempered this illustration in our minds, because we have cars, and phones, and don’t have to travel days and days to the “altar” to worship. But Jesus’ audience didn’t have phones, or cars, and they did have to travel for days on end to worship. This would have meant leaving their sacrifice, their animal, in Jerusalem for over a week while they made the journey back home, reconciled with their brother, and then travel back to complete their worship.

This is radical - and that is exactly what Jesus is intending. Jesus will later refer to this passage in Hosea, but it is perfectly fitting here.

Hosea 6:6 ESV

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

1 Samuel 15:22 ESV

And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

The letter of the law says, “I must sacrifice so I don’t face judgment.” The Spirit of the law, God’s heart, His character, His divine will in the law says “You should be made right with your brother - otherwise your sacrifice is meaningless.” That is how much God desires true righteousness, true love, true reconciliation.

Someone may have said, “how could reconciliation be more important than being made right with God in sacrifice?” Think of it this way, in the same way that, in the divine court, Anger is just as culpable and guilt-bearing as murder, so reconciliation is on par with sacrifice. A sacrifice given with sin still in the heart is an empty offering, but the act of reconciliation is evidence of heart-righteousness.

Finally, Jesus gives a very practical illustration.

Matthew 5:25–26 (ESV)

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.

This is an example of reconciliation. In this example, the guilt of the person is assumed. They will face the court, they will face judgment, they will face penalty and punishment. And Jesus says, “it is better to come to terms with your accuser outside of court.” There is a very practical point here, that it is better to settle out of court if you are guilty than face the full extent of the system. But I believe it is deeper than that.

This is an illustration of reconciliation that shows, again, its urgency. Just like we are to leave our act of worship in order to be made right, so here we are to make things right quickly - immediately even - when we are in the wrong.

To falsely defend our innocence, and harbor bitterness, is a failure to live at peace with one another, which the scripture calls us to do.

The illustration is one of an unpaid debt, and debtors prison has been a part of many cultures throughout the centuries.

Jesus says, “come to terms” or “make friends” with your accuser. In other words, you may not be able to pay the debt, but don’t argue your innocence and stand in stubbornness - it will not end well.

Do you see how true righteousness acts, practically? Not only are we not to harbor anger, bitterness, and an insulting spirit against our brother, but righteousness takes positive steps to be made right, whether we are in the wrong, or they are in the wrong.

Jesus is, in essence, telling his followers to own up to their sin, own up to their failings. Own up to their unrighteousness. It is not worth fighting for your innocence when the law has you pinned.

How does this apply? Well, think of the radical kind of righteousness that Jesus is calling for - think of the extent that He shows the law to reach, even in just this one category. The radical nature of this heart-righteousness, this true righteousness that is demanded throws us back on mercy, as we said last week, and it really throws the hearer back on the beatitudes.

In stead of standing, boasting of our own righteousness, saying, “I’m not a murderer! I’ve never killed anyone!” Jesus shows us that we are, in fact, guilty - which is why it is blessed to be poor in spirit, it is blessed to mourn, it is blessed to be meek rather than boastful, it is blessed to hunger and thirst for righteousness rather than assuming we already have attained it.

The beatitudes show a heart-transformation, where the scribes and pharisees simply exhibited skin-deep, formal obedience.

Dear one, we must never stand before God with skin-deep righteousness and boast of our obedience. Jesus’ radical teaching shows each of us to be guilty in the truest sense. And remember, if we’re angry, were liable to judgment. If we insult, we’re liable to the council, if we say, “you fool,” we are liable to the fire of hell. If we boast in our own righteousness, we will truly face the wrath of God until we have paid the last penny - and we can never pay the last penny.

To run from God’s judgment while boasting in our own goodness is a mark of rebellion and unbelief, but we are called to much more.

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

May we pray for changed hearts, and renewed minds. Christ is in the business of heart and mind changing, not merely effecting outward obedience.

Christ brings true, heart-righteousness. That is the righteousness that exceeds the scribes and the pharisees. The righteousness that sees God in the law, sees His beauty and His heart, rather than seeing a list that we can conquer and complete, we see ourselves as unworthy recipients of the righteousness of Christ.

Christ’s radical but true teaching shows us that unrighteousness is more than skin-deep, so true righteousness must be as well.