Rock the Commandments VI - Murder

Murder.

The word alone gets our attention. It must, or we wouldn't hear it on TV so often. But is it merely what the TV promos try to entice us with? That unlawful killing of a human being by another with that malice aforethought you always hear about.

While mystery programs don't cover things like unforgiveness or having evil thoughts against people, Who does? Let's look at Matthew 5:21-22:

"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 who ever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire." [NKJV]

Now that's a more stringent standard. And who amongst us hasn't called someone a fool - or worse? So let's take a look at the commandment itself, and how it applies in our lives.

"You shall not murder" (Ex. 20:13).

It reads the same in Deuteronomy 5:17 when Moses repeats the commandments. (Note: I'm working from the St. Athanasius Academy Septuagint [SAAS] version for all OT texts.) Some translations prefer the word "kill" over "murder." That makes a large difference which I won't go into much here.

But whatever translation you use, the original does not give much explanation. It's rather like "what part of 'no' don't you understand?" But as we see, Jesus took it much further. It's a good thing He gave us the way to eternal life or, by His definition, we'd all be in a lot of trouble.

So let's see how we can keep from our sins of the heart and truly be know by our love.

Consider:

+ Have I caused the injury or death of any one?

Any one. Injury or death. Intentional or not. In the Orthodox Church, a person who has taken a life - even by accident, even by war - cannot serve as a priest. It's serious business. In the early days of the church, priests would walk rather than ride on horseback. Why? For fear that, in the unlikely incident a shoe would fly off the horse, they might be party to causing someone else harm. Hypocrites' admonishment to cause no harm is not a positive moral statement. It is merely the cessation of evil. Love requires much more.

+ Have I wished I were dead?

I don't know about you, but I have. I spent decades battling depression. As a teenager, I even plotted my own demise. Fortunately, a friend talked me out of it. Many of you have probably fought with the demon of depression as well, and taken for your own many of the hopeless thoughts he told you. While there isn't room to fully discuss depression here, despair is essentially a failure to trust God. And for that, you've just bumped yourself up from the sixth commandment to the first.

+ Have I done anything to shorten my own life or that of someone else by injuring health, or through evil and intemperate living?

You know -- all those things you do that are bad for you. That extra donut, that cigarette, crack pipe, and so forth. But those are obvious. Being stressed out, inflicting stress on others and the many ways we damage our health and the health of others.

+ Have I given way to anger, or harmed others with words or actions?

Yeah, me too. The things we say are powerful, just like the things we do. We get hungry, frustrated, cranky and - blam - we've said something hurtful. It may not be "Raca!" but close enough.

+ Have I defamed others who needed help, or failed to stand up for those unjustly treated?

Maybe we've put down a panhandler to the other person in our car, or commented on that crazy aunt or cousin who may actually need help. People can be frustrating but, like us, they are made in the image of God. We need to love them accordingly.

+ Have I been cruel to anyone?

Sometimes just being a drama queen can qualify. Driving people crazy or manipulating them is not love. You don't need to stick bamboo shoots under someone's fingernails to be cruel.

+ Have I mistreated animals or destroyed any life unnecessarily?

While squashing that spider in the bathroom may fall under the category of necessary, many things do not. Throw back the fish you won't eat. Eat that deer you shot. And before you head out - remember to feed the dog.

+ Have I failed to forgive anyone or harbored evil thoughts against them?

Wow, now this is a biggie. Some resentments have lingered in my heart for years. And I've been really good at rationalizing how they are righteous anger, "with reason." Truth is, anger was given us to keep us from sin. Yup. Adam and Eve should have been angry at the snake for trying to deceive them. We should be angry at evil - but not judgmental. We need to save judgment for the true Judge of all. Otherwise, we are placing ourselves on His throne. Big oops. So those resentments and that bitterness we carry? Need to dump that as fast as possible and seek the Lord's forgiveness. Jesus, as always, said it best. Continuing from His words in Matthew:

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23,24). [NKJV]