Matthew 5:17-22: a reflection

17“Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished. 19Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. 21“You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’ and ‘Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment. Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.

Jesus says his followers' righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, and then he shows what he means. The Pharisees were experts at external compliance, keeping the letter of the commands. Jesus goes underneath the letter to the heart. You have heard it said, do not murder, he says; but I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother, who holds him in contempt, is already in danger of judgment.

Notice what Jesus is doing. He is not loosening the command; he is deepening it, tracing the outward act of murder back to its root in the heart, the anger, the contempt, the writing-off of another person. You can keep the external command perfectly, never lift a hand against anyone, and still harbor the murderous root, the settled anger and scorn, in your heart. And God, Jesus says, sees and cares about the root, not just the visible fruit.

That raises the standard from behavior to the heart, and it is meant to. It is possible to be outwardly upright, to have committed none of the obvious sins, and to carry contempt and anger toward others that God takes seriously. The righteousness Jesus calls for is not merely clean conduct; it is a cleaned heart. Where have you kept the outward command while nursing the inner anger? Let Jesus deepen the standard, and ask him to deal not just with your actions but with the roots in your heart.

Lord Jesus, you look beneath my outward conduct to the roots in my heart, the anger and contempt I can carry while keeping the external commands. Give me not just clean behavior but a cleansed heart. Where I nurse anger toward another, deal with it at the root, and make my righteousness one of the heart.