April
19, 2003
WHOEVER
IS ANGRY WITH HIS BROTHER
"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... whoever says,
'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire" (Matthew
5:21, 22, NKJV).
"Through
Moses the Lord had said, 'You shall not hate your brother
in your heart... You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any
grudge against the children of your people, but you shall
love your neighbor as yourself' (Leviticus 19:17, 18). The
truths which Christ presented were the same that had been
taught by the prophets, but they had become obscured through
hardness of heart and love of sin.
"The
Saviour's words revealed to His hearers the fact that, while
they were condemning others as transgressors, they were themselves
equally guilty; for they were cherishing malice and hatred.
"Across
the sea from the place where they were assembled was the country
of Bashan, a lonely region, whose wild gorges and wooded hills
had long been a favorite lurking ground for criminals of all
descriptions. Reports of robbery and murder committed there
were fresh in the minds of the people, and many were zealous
in denouncing these evildoers. At the same time they were
themselves passionate and contentious; they cherished the
most bitter hatred of their Roman oppressors and felt themselves
at liberty to hate and despise all other peoples, and even
their own countrymen who did not in all things conform to
their ideas. In all this they were violating the law which
declares, 'You shall not murder.'
"The
spirit of hatred and revenge originated with Satan, and it
led him to put to death the Son of God. Whoever cherishes
malice or unkindness is cherishing the same spirit, and its
fruit will be unto death. In the revengeful thought the evil
deed lies enfolded, as the plant in the seed. 'Whoever hates
his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has
eternal life abiding in him' (1 John 3:15)...
"In
the gift of His Son for our redemption, God has shown how
high a value He places upon every human soul, and He gives
to no man liberty to speak contemptuously of another. We shall
see faults and weaknesses in those about us, but God claims
every soul as His property--His by creation, and doubly His
as purchased by the precious blood of Christ. All were created
in His image, and even the most degraded are to be treated
with respect and tenderness. God will hold us accountable
for even a word spoken in contempt of one soul for whom Christ
laid down His life."--Thoughts From The Mount Of Blessing,
pp., 55-57.
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