It is one of Jesus’s most troubling teachings, and it appears in Matthew 5, smack dab in the middle of the Beatitudes (the Beautiful Sayings): “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder’; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” It seems obvious to me that this is metaphorical, but what does it actually mean? We don’t know, so I will give you my interpretation; since Jesus and Paul both got angry, the very act of anger can’t be a sin worthy of hell. I think Jesus meant that if you are angry enough – or if you hate someone enough – to want them dead (by your hand or another) – it is the same emotion and intent as actually murdering them. If you insult people, or call them names, with intent to make them less than human, you will be judged harshly. You might have your own understanding, and I would love to hear it.
So, with this in mind, I am becoming more disturbed every day with people who wish death on others. I will admit that I applauded when I heard that Osama bin Laden was dead, and I would have done the same with Hitler; of course, Jesus tells me to love my enemy, so I don’t think I get a pass. But when Charlie Kirk was so horribly murdered, there were a lot of people who rejoiced. And to be clear – Kirk was a misogynist and a racist, so I will not place him in the pantheon of saints – but to be glad he died? What in the actual H-E-double hockey sticks is wrong with people? Or consider the many posts on social media praying and wishing for the death of Pres. Trump; he is the most immoral person I have ever seen, and I find everything he does to be vile and abusive, but I don’t want him to be murdered. I don’t wish him death.
As a nation, we have a serious anger problem, and we need extensive counseling. We were founded on racism and misogyny – and if you don’t think so, just read the Constitution – and we need to be healed of these original sins. We have soaked ourselves in the blood of our fellow countrymen and women as well as people in foreign lands for almost our entire existence. We love violence, whether we want to admit it or not. If our country was a person, our loved ones would take us to the hospital and have us admitted for a psych evaluation. And it feels like things are getting worse. If you are a person who wants someone dead, please consider getting help. It isn’t healthy – it isn’t holy – and it isn’t right. And it will only lead to more and more evil acts being perpetrated on our fellow human beings.
Prayer – Holy God, we need healing in our lives – please help us! Amen.
Today’s art is “Healing Begins” by Jessica Shilling.