What is the meaning of Matthew 5:22? But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. • Jesus moves from the external act of murder (Matthew 5:21) to the internal attitude that seeds it. • The word “angry” covers simmering hostility, grudges, and smoldering resentment; the Lord treats these hidden passions as real offenses that call for judgment, just as earthly courts judged visible crimes. • Scripture echoes this heart‐focus: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15); “Be angry, yet do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26); “man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:20). • By placing anger under legal accountability, Christ shows that God’s standard penetrates motives, not merely behaviors (1 Samuel 16:7; Hebrews 4:12). Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. • “Raca” was a contemptuous slur—roughly, “emptyhead” or “worthless one.” Moving from silent anger to spoken contempt intensifies guilt. • The Sanhedrin was Israel’s highest earthly court. Jesus pictures a higher accountability than local judgment, warning that contemptuous words are serious enough for the supreme tribunal. • Cross references stress the lethal power of speech: “Life and death are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21); “Get rid of all… slander” (Ephesians 4:31); “The tongue also is a fire” (James 3:6). • The point: careless, cutting words toward a brother or sister reveal a heart already departing from love and edging toward murder in seed form (Proverbs 12:18; 1 Peter 3:10). But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell. • “You fool!” is more than a casual jab; it attacks a person’s moral fiber, implying godlessness and spiritual worthlessness (Psalm 14:1). Such condemnatory speech usurps God’s role as Judge. • Jesus now speaks of “the fire of hell” (Gehenna), shifting from human courts to final, divine judgment. Words that assassinate a person’s character invite eternal accountability. • Related warnings: “By your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37); “Slanderers… will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10); “all liars— their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur” (Revelation 21:8). • The escalating pattern—anger → contemptuous insult → damnatory attack—shows how unchecked inner sin progresses toward deeds worthy of hell. Christ arrests that progression at the root. summary Matthew 5:22 teaches that God’s command against murder reaches deep into motives, words, and attitudes. Secret anger invites judgment, spoken contempt calls for higher accountability, and character assassination bears the weight of hell itself. The Savior’s standard is not merely to restrain violence but to cultivate hearts free of hatred, tongues guarded from contempt, and relationships marked by reconciling love (Ephesians 4:32; Romans 12:18). Taking Jesus’ words literally drives us to repent of hidden hostility, rely on His grace for new hearts, and pursue peace with every brother and sister as citizens of His kingdom. |
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