21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23 Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”

Jesus has just affirmed the importance of the Law and now goes on to demonstrate how the Law applies to the kingdom of heaven. The sixth commandment is God’s prohibition against murder. It is true that at times God instructed His people in the OT to take the lives of their enemies. Murder, however, was to do this without God’s sanction, such as in vengeance or selfishness. In OT times, “cities of refuge” with judges were designated to hold court for those accused of murder (see 2 Chron 19). These would pronounce innocence or guilt, as appropriate. At the time of Christ, the various courts including the Sanhedrin would decide cases of capital consequences.

Jesus’ interpretation of the injunction against murder went below the surface. The core of the commandment has to do with the heart, contrary to simply being an outward act, as the “ancients” thought. In fact, being angry with a “brother” brings a person into similar liability as physical murder. If this applies to a relationship with someone that is close like a brother, it would certainly apply to all other relationships as well. For those accustomed to keeping the “letter of the law,” this is unsettling.

Jesus lays out a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees and scribes using three scenarios: being angry with someone, calling someone “good for nothing” and naming someone a “fool.” Each violates God’s righteousness. Sin is an attitude of the heart, the symptom of which is the outward action.

Jesus applies this to a practical situation: If you become aware of conflict between yourself and someone else, reconciliation takes priority over worship. It makes no sense to bring an offering to God (indicating a heart’s desire for a relationship with Him) while animosity exists with another fellow-image-bearer of God who is following Christ.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” (Psalm 139:23–24)