You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
Jesus. Matthew 5:21, 22. Hi, it’s Nathan, and this is Day 17 of 30 Days on the Mount of Blessing. Honoring the spirit of the law matters far more to God than any legal technicality. It is changed hearts that God is after—and legal technicalities are a mockery of true morality. Jesus especially highlights the double-talk of claiming a high-view of life, while hating or demeaning others. In fact, throughout the story of Jesus—and the larger Biblical narrative—God, over and over, insists that human beings be treated with dignity and respect. They are, after all, created in the image of God and the objects of his own self-abandoning, faithful love. Anger, taunting, belittling attitudes, etc toward our fellow human beings is a direct insult to God, their Creator and Sustainer.
