Biblical Text

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. (Matthew 5.21-22, NRSV)

Reflection Video

For the video with the reflection on Matthew 5.21-22 click here.

Clarifications

The Aramaic word raca is a contemptuous term meaning “numbskull,” “empty head,” or “moron.” The Greek word môros normally means “foolish” or “stupid.” However, Deuteronomy 32.6; Psalm 14.1; and Isaiah 32.6 refer to the foolish person as one who is godless. It seems that here môros should be taken as a term questioning the sincerity of someone’s faith.

The Greek word eikê, translated in the KJV as “without a cause,” is missing in the earliest manuscripts and probably was not in the original text, but added later to make Jesus’ words more palatable.

Questions

• How realistic have you thought these verses to be? How has your view of these verses affected the way in which you approach anger?
• How do you feel about the claim that there can be tensions in scripture over a particular issue? How does this challenge your view of the purpose of scripture?