After church was finished last Sunday, all I wanted to do was go home, eat lunch, and enjoy a peaceful afternoon watching the New England Patriots beat up on the New York Jets. And that was exactly what happened; until I turned on my computer to check the status of my fantasy team. When my computer turns on, it automatically goes to my homepage, where I can read the day’s news headlines. I wasn’t planning on reading any non-related sports news, but when I saw the breaking story about a massacre at a day spa outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I immediately thought to myself, “Not another shooting spree!” but I felt compelled to read on. As I pondered and prayed for the victims and their families, my peaceful afternoon was ruined.

Murder has become epidemic in America! We saw it last Sunday at a salon in Wisconsin. We saw it a few months ago at a movie theater in Colorado. And it was only last March when St. Johnsbury Academy teacher Melissa Jenkins was brutally murdered right here in Vermont.

When we hear stories like these, I think that most of us ask the question “why.” It is hard for us to understand why anyone would do something like this. What would possess someone to kill another person? What goes on in the mind and heart of a murderer?

Some of you have seen the 1959 Jimmy Stewart film Anatomy of a Murder, which critics have called one of the best courtroom dramas of all time. In the film, a United States Army Lieutenant is arrested for the murder of an innkeeper. As the defense attorney tries to get his client off the hook with a temporary insanity plea, the audience is forced to examine its merits and make a judgment on the motive of the murder—thus, viewing the anatomy of a murder.

This morning’s Bible reading is similar to that old Jimmy Stewart film. As Jesus was teaching his disciples about the ethical demands of God’s kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount, he deals decisively with the issue of murder. But he doesn’t just reaffirm the Sixth Commandment, when it simply says, “Thou shalt not murder.” Jesus gets to the real heart of the issue. Let’s take a look at Jesus’ lesson on the anatomy of a murder!

Anger: The Heart of Murder (21-22)

Jesus begins this section with the first of his “You have heard that it was said…but I say to you” statements. Each of these refers back to a section of the law and the rabbinical tradition that came along with it. Unfortunately, over the generations, the rabbis limited their interpretation of the law to its most literal meaning; that is, they emphasized the letter of the law and completely missed the spirit and purpose of the law.

This is exactly what had happened to the Sixth Commandment—“Thou shalt not murder.” The tradition emphasized the mere prohibition of wrongly taking human life and the judgment that would result from such a crime (the Old Testament law called for murderers to receive the death penalty). But Jesus exposes the heart of the original law—the root of murder is anger, and anger is murderous in principle. A person has not obeyed God’s law by simply refraining from homicide, but the angry person is guilty of murder of the heart and will be subject to judgment too. For Jesus, the outward action and the inward attitude are both important.

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her class of five and six-year-olds. After explaining the commandment to honor thy father and thy mother, she asked, “Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?” Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, “Thou shall not kill.”

Most people are proud of the fact that they have never killed anyone. If you ask someone if they are a good person, most people say, “Yes, I am a good person.” Then if you ask, “What makes you a good person?” their first response is, “Well, I’ve never killed anyone.” So, for those of you who have never killed anyone, I would just like to say, “Good job! Way to go! You have technically kept the Sixth Commandment!”

But I would also like to ask you: “Have you ever been angry with someone? Are you angry with someone right now? Do you harbor any bitterness in your heart? Are you holding on to a grudge against anyone? If so, you have the heart of a murderer and you are in danger of the same judgment!

Insults and Name-Calling are Forms of Murder (22b)

Jesus goes on to give a couple of examples of the ways people outwardly express the anger that is in their hearts. When he says, “anyone who says to his brother ‘Raca’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin”, he is asserting that insults are a form of murder—a murder of the spirit rather than the body. “Raca” is an Aramaic term of contempt which literally means “empty-handed.” The term’s modern equivalent would be calling someone a blockhead, an idiot, or accusing someone of “not having much upstairs.” Insults and abusive words were considered much worse in Ancient Jewish culture than they are today. Name calling was a big deal because of the cultural importance placed on public shaming. Verbal offenses could be punished by the Sanhedrin, the local Jewish court.

But Jesus points to a much more serious punishment using abusive words. When he says “anyone who says ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell” he is saying that anyone who lashes out in anger by resorting to name calling is not only in danger of human judgment, but they are also in danger of divine judgment. The Greek word translated here as “You fool” is “moros” from which we get our English word “moron.” Saying “Raca” or calling someone a fool was essentially the same thing. All of Jesus’ listeners knew that murder was wrong and they also knew that they could be judged by the local court for insulting someone, but they did not know that anger was a form of murder or that verbal insults and abuse would put them in danger of the fires of hell.

This ought to make all of us stop and think about the words we use and the way we use them. Verbal abuse is so common in American culture that we don’t even realize it. We have become desensitized to it. It is bad enough that it happens in our schools, workplaces, and sports fields, but it is even worse when it happens in our living rooms and bedrooms.

Insults, threats, and name-calling all stem from the anger within us and they murder other people’s souls. So, before you call someone the F-word, the A-word, the B-word, the C-word, the N-word, the R-word, or the X, Y, or Z-word, realize that you are putting yourself in danger of the fires of hell. Before you unleash your anger on someone, think about what you are doing!

Quick Reconciliation: The Cure for Anger (24-26)

Now that we have seen the seriousness of anger, what should we do about it? In verses 24-26, Jesus presents two illustrations which answer this question. The first is in the context of worship and the second is in a judicial setting. The first concerns a brother and the second an adversary.

Remarkably, neither illustration deals with “your” anger but with “your” offense that has prompted your brother’s or adversary’s anger. Why would Jesus do this? We are more likely to remember when we have something against others than when we have done something to offend others. And if we are truly concerned about our anger and hate, we will be no less concerned when we hurt others. This shows a reciprocal principle. Whether it is your anger or someone else’s anger, the cure is quick reconciliation.

First, Jesus says “if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” So important is the issue of anger toward another member of the Christian community and so urgent is the need for reconciliation that the act of worship should be interrupted until the relationship is reconciled. Our relationships with other people affect our relationship with God. Only then is formal worship acceptable to God.

Second, Jesus urges his disciples to be quickly reconciled to their adversaries. He says, “Settle matters quickly with you adversary who is taking you to court.” It is better to reconcile before it gets to the court because you can’t trust how the court is going to decide. If it goes to the court, it may turn out badly.

Jesus is telling us that the cure for anger is quick reconciliation. Whether you are angry with someone or if you know that someone is angry with you, it is your responsibility to seek reconciliation. For most of us, seeking reconciliation is difficult. Most of us would rather ignore it, brush over it, or just say, “Well, that’s their problem! Let them deal with it!” Some of us would rather pout and play head games saying, “Well, they should be the one to take the first step, not me!” According to Jesus, this is not true. Regardless of who is at fault, it is always our responsibility to seek reconciliation, and to do it quickly before it festers and grows worse!

Are you angry with someone? Is someone angry with you about something? Are you in the midst of a conflict with someone right now? If so, I urge you to stop what you are doing, even if that means leaving church early today, and go be reconciled to your brother or sister, your father or mother, your co-worker or classmate, or whoever it is! Do it as quickly as possible before it gets worse! Then your worship will be acceptable!

During the days of the “desert fathers” (a 4th century Christian movement that tried to renew the church), a young man came to his spiritual mentor and father-figure named Sisoes. The young man blurted out, “I was hurt by my brother in Christ, and now I’m angry and I want to avenge myself.” The older man tried to comfort him, but he also gave him a gentle warning: “Don’t do that, my child. Rather, leave vengeance to God.” But the young Christian refused to listen to Sisoes. Instead, he became even angrier and loudly said, “I will not quit until I get even.”

When Sisoes saw that reason alone wouldn’t change the young man’s heart, he quietly said, “Let us pray, brother.” After a pause, Sisoes offered the following prayer: “O God, apparently we no longer need you to take care of us since we can now avenge ourselves. From now on we can manage our own lives without your help.” When the young man heard this prayer, he immediately repented. Falling at Sisoes feet, he cried out, “Have mercy on me. I am not going to fight my brother anymore.”

Jesus died on the cross to reconcile our broken relationship with God! He also died to reconcile our broken relationships with one another! Now that we have seen the anatomy of a murder, let us let go of our anger! Let us stop murdering each other! Let us fall before the feet of Jesus and say, “Have mercy on me. I am not going to fight my brother anymore!”