Matthew 5:21-26, Luke 12:57-59 (On Murder and Wrath)

Rachel Workman:

Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’[d] 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone,[e] you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,[f] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone,[g] you are in danger of the fires of hell. If it weren't for the sacrifice of Jesus I would be in the danger of the fires. These verses certainly do put me in my place making me even more aware of my need for Jesus. 23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice[i] at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. 25 “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.		57 “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right? 58 When you are on the way to court with your accuser, try to settle the matter before you get there. Otherwise, your accuser may drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison. 59 And if that happens, you won’t be free again until you have paid the very last penny.” There is no doubt that we humans are flawed and that we need Jesus EVERY day of our lives. Where would I be without his grace and mercy? I'm pretty sure my accuser would be handing me over for judgement. I am covered by the blood of Christ and for that I am grateful. Undeserving but grateful.

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John Burnett: 

Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’[d] 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone,[e] you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,[f] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone,[g] you are in danger of the fires of hell.[h] 23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice[i] at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. 25 “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.[j]	God’s standards are so much higher than our standards.  Anger is one my recurring sins that I battle daily and the sin that I am most thankful is forgiven.  When we get angry, we are not forgiving the object of our anger.  When we don’t forgive and we hold a grudge against someone who has sinned against us, we are saying with our actions that Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection were not sufficient to pay for that person’s sin.  Our actions show that we don’t quite understand the gospel.  He paid for all sin 2000 years ago and we are not to demand more.	57 “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right? 58 When you are on the way to court with your accuser, try to settle the matter before you get there. Otherwise, your accuser may drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison. 59 And if that happens, you won’t be free again until you have paid the very last penny.[f]”	He knows the answer.  It is our sinful nature and pride.  We may not ever be able to reconcile with the person and they may never want to reconcile with us, but we can forgive them.  Vengeance is mine says the Lord and we are in no position to wish justice to be served now, although I do wish Jesus would come quickly.

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Mike Grimm: 

Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’[d] 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone,[e] you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,[f] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone,[g] you are in danger of the fires of hell.[h] Jesus taught that we should not even become angry enough to commit murder, for then we have already committed murder in our heart. Killing is a terrible sin, but anger is a great sin too because it violates God’s command to love. Self-control is good, but Christ wants us to practice thought-control as well. Jesus said that we will be held accountable even for our attitudes. 23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice[i ] at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Broken relationships can hinder our relationship with God. If we have a problem or grievance with a friend, we should resolve the problem as soon as possible. We are hypocrites if we claim to love God while we hate others. Our attitudes toward others reflect our relationship with God. 25 “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.[j] It is practical advice to resolve our differences with our enemies before their anger causes more trouble. We need to get things right with our brothers and sisters before we have to stand before God.		57 “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right? 58 When you are on the way to court with your accuser, try to settle the matter before you get there. Otherwise, your accuser may drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison. 59 And if that happens, you won’t be free again until you have paid the very last penny.[f]” Jesus is not just telling people to avoid financial ruin, but to avoid everlasting ruin.  Every single person is born a sinner and in rebellion against God.  We fail to love God as we should and instead we love ourselves.  We break the law of God and are convicted as transgressors (James 4:9).  The law of God brings us a knowledge of our sin (Rom 3:20) but our hearts are hardened and we “suppress the truth” (Rom 1:18) in our ungodliness and unrighteousness. Therefore, we incur a great debt with God that deserves death (Rom 6:23). Because of sin, everyone has a debt with God.  The question you must ask yourself is this: How do I get rid of this debt?  It is important to know that you cannot get rid of it by ignoring it.  It is also important to know that you cannot get rid of this debt yourself.  You need help removing the debt and the only way to get rid of this sin debt is to settle with God. You have a debt that needs forgiving and God is willing to forgive it.  This forgiveness (salvation) comes “by grace through faith” (Eph 2:8).  This forgiveness of your debt comes by surrendering to Jesus as Lord and asking Him to be your Savior.  Have you settled with your accuser?  Have you been reconciled to the Father through His beloved Son Jesus?  Do you have peace with God? If so, glorify Him through loving obedience.  If not, come to Jesus.