Matthew 5:21-22
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.
Matthew 5:21-22
ReplyDeleteQuestion to consider:
- What does it mean to be angry at your brother or sister?
- What does it mean to be subject to judgment?
- What does it mean to say Raca?
- What does it mean to be answerable to the court?
- What does it mean to say, 'You fool!'?
- What does it mean to be in danger of the fire of hell?
http://focusonthescriptures.org/chapteriii.html. The KJV inserts the words "without a cause". This article says that it was inserted in the 15th century incorrectly - and it's the devil's lie. "There was never an angry man that thought his anger unjust."
ReplyDeleteIt goes on to say this: "We have here three degrees of criminality or offence as to the sin of anger: 1. Silent rage; 2. Railing speech; 3. Bitter reproach (Ps. xiv. 1). With these are associated respectively three different degrees of punishment."
I am just not finding articles giving good explanations of this. I've read quite a few. So, here's my armchair theologian answer (some of it based on the article above).
ReplyDelete1. Silent rage leads us to do actions for which we will be subject to judgement for here on earth. 2. Libel and slander can lead to the courtroom. 3. Judging others as someone who is beyond God's mercy puts us in danger of hell. ("Do not judge, or you too will be judged.")
It seems like the sins and punishments range from less severe to more severe, with the final being the ultimate.
My apologies for not being able to find decent articles about this.