"So when
you offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has
something against you, leave your gift there ... and go; first be reconciled to your
brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift."
"You shall not murder." That’s God speaking the Ten
Commandments in Exodus 20:13. Jesus adds to the thought in Matthew 5:21-22, "You have
heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and
‘whoever murders shall be subject to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are
angry with a brother or sister, you will be subject to judgment." The admonishment
was delivered by Christ in "The Sermon on the Mount." Jesus’ teaching is in
contrast to the Jewish legalistic tradition, in which "kill" meant
"kill."
Jesus confounded some of his listeners when he said (in effect),
"Not only is killing lethal, so is hate, so is anger. If you want to be right with
God, you must also be right with other people."
Years ago a dear friend, a Southern Baptist pastor, gave my husband and
me a book, it’s called "An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount" and
written by a theologian named Arthur W. Pink. I pulled this book off of the bookshelf and
read what Mr. Pink had to say about the above scripture.
He writes, "The first commandment brought forward by Christ on
this occasion was the sixth of the Decalogue: ‘thou shall not kill.’ All the
Pharisees understood by this was a prohibition against the act of murder; but our Lord
insisted that the commandment in its true import prohibited not only the overt act but
every evil working of the heart and mind which led to it, such as unjust anger, with
contempt and provoking language." Mr. Pink concludes, " ‘Thou shalt not
kill’ really signifies ‘Thou shalt not hate.’ "
Prayer: Dear God, please help us to understand your teachings, and to
apply them to our lives. Help us to grow as Christians. Help us not to hate, but to love.
Amen.
