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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Matthew 5:22 - 5:22
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Christ's exposition is not so narrow:
v. 22. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire.
The statement of the Lord is very general: Every one, none excepted; it is a universal prohibition of angry passion. He that gives way to such wrath is guilty of judgment, of condemnation. Anger against a brother, any member of the human family, is a deadly sin. It should properly come under the jurisdiction of the council or court, Deu_16:18; 2Ch_19:5. This is speaking relatively. The person that gives way to anger is as great an offender in God's sight as the one that slays his brother in cold blood, Gal_5:20; Col_3:8; Jam_1:19-20. The same condemnation, but with greater emphasis, falls upon him that cannot control his anger, permitting it to burst forth in maledictions. Raca is an Aramaic word meaning an empty head, a stupid. The one using angry epithets of this nature is guilty of the Sanhedrin, the supreme council of the Jews that tried the worst offenses and inflicted the severest penalties. Anger that is not quickly controlled will become hatred combined with contempt, and freely indulge in railing, 1Pe_3:9. A still greater insult lies in the epithet, "Thou fool," which was used to denote a good-for-nothing, hopeless, helpless, morally worthless fool, and expressed contempt for a man's heart and character. This expression of utter disregard of the fellow-man's position in the eyes of God is an offense equal to that of murder, it is a damnable sin, 1Jn_3:15; Rev_21:8. It is punishable by the fire of Hinnom, the valley where the refuse of Jerusalem was burned—a figure often used by Jesus in speaking of the punishment of hell-fire.