Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – Genesis 4-7
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 5:21-22
Jesus: As you know, long ago God instructed Moses to tell His people, “Do not murder; those who murder will be judged and punished.” But here is the even harder truth: anyone who is angry with his brother will be judged for his anger. Anyone who taunts his friend, speaks contemptuously toward him, or calls him “Loser” or “Fool” or “Scum,” will have to answer to the high court. And anyone who calls his brother a fool may find himself in the fires of hell.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
It’s easy for us to condemn the murderer. After all, do not murder is something every society says is wrong. Everyone knows killing someone is bad. If we let people go around killing each other, we could never live with any peace or security within our community. So we know it’s wrong to murder. Anyone who commits murder should be punished, right?
We could argue about the justice of capital punishment or the equity between sentencing between rich and poor, the lines between first, second, and third degree murder, or a host of other aspects involved in the judicious meeting out of punishments for murder. But all of us would probably agree that murder is wrong. Every society across our globe holds murder as a most offensive action against society.
However, Jesus points out that murder never starts out as murder. It always starts with the thought, “You’re different than me. Either I’m better than you or you’re better than me, but we’re not equals.” So we call our brother, that person next to us scum, or fool, or loser, or pick another slang that makes you feel superior in that moment. In World War II, they were Krauts, in Viet Nam, Gooks, in the Middle-east, they’re Rag-heads. Are they different from me? No. God made us all and we all want the same thing, a better life for our children, peace and security from day-to-day. We have different ideas about how we obtain those ideals, but basically we want our daily bread, security, and a better life for our kids in this life.
So that first thought that gives rise to “I’m better than you,” makes it possible to move on to I hate you because you have something I don’t have. Maybe it’s money. Maybe it’s education. Maybe it’s more land or better land. Maybe it’s power or fame. Maybe it’s a relationship you think will bring you happiness. But whatever that something is, the thought that the object of your desire centers on what that person has that you don’t have drives you to hate that person.
Once you reach the emotional level of hate, murder is just the physical expression of that mental state. It’s only a behavior away from what you’re already thinking. Jesus got it absolutely right. He explained our situation so well and yet we still harbor ill-will against our brothers and sisters that God created. Can I condone sinful action on the part of others? No. Neither did Jesus. He never condoned sin, but He always loved the person and worked hard to bring them back into a relationship with God.
Remember the woman caught in adultery? First, I always wonder why they didn’t bring the man out with her. He was also guilty and deserving of stoning. Jesus didn’t let her off the hook. He didn’t throw a stone. He didn’t have to condemn her. Her actions did that for her. All He wanted to do was forgive her and lead her to a life in which she no longer sinned. Remember Jesus is never identified as our accuser, only as our judge when the day of judgment comes. Satan will do his best to accuse. Jesus stands both as our advocate and as judge.
It’s not always easy to love all of God’s creation when you look around the world at the corruption, the war, the evil resident everywhere it seems. But in all those places, God has a remnant of followers that remain true to Him and His word. He has a few that stay on His path of righteousness and will not stray from it despite the persecution they face or the enticements the world offers. And in those places, we must remember that God created us all. Many follow the broad way that will lead them to their own destruction because they refuse to listen to the truth of God’s word, but that few continue to share God’s truth anyway. They continue to pray and hope that one more will give their life to Him and so add another to His kingdom.
If I am to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and the Apostles and the great figures of the church, I must remember God created us all. I must remember these words of Jesus and let Him help me stop my thoughts of self importance and disregard of my brother or sister. I must let Him into my life so I avoid those initial thoughts that can lead to hatred which is just a single behavior away from murder, an act we all agree is wrong and worthy of the severest punishment.
Jesus’ words take us back to Cain’s question in the Garden of Eden and what seems a rhetorical answer viewed throughout the rest of God’s word. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Yes, at a minimum, I must extend the grace and mercy and love God shows me to him. So, how do your thoughts measure up?
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