We continue with the patristic interpretation of the fifth chapter. I now read verses 21 and 22:
You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be liable to judgment; whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
Saint John Chrysostom begins by noting Christ’s tact, bearing in mind the spiritual condition of His listeners—how attentively the Lord considered the state of those to whom He preached. Here is what Saint John writes: “Although Jesus Himself gave the commandment You shall not murder, for now He speaks of it in general terms. For if He had said, ‘You have heard that I said to those of old,’ the listeners would not have accepted such words and would have been offended. If He had said, ‘You have heard that My Father said to those of old,’ and then added, ‘But I say to you,’ it would have seemed to them that He was being prideful. Therefore, the Lord simply says, It was said, aiming solely to focus on what He Himself is now saying.”
There is a clear and beautiful order throughout the Sermon on the Mount. The Fathers note that the Lord intentionally begins with the commandment You shall not murder, and then proceeds through the commandments in the same order as they were given to the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai. Yet we know that You shall not murder is not the first of the Ten Commandments. What then is the reason for this? Saint John Chrysostom explains that Christ did not wish to begin with the first commandment concerning the worship of God, because in that case, He would have had to speak of Himself—and at that moment, the people were not yet prepared to hear such a thing. Therefore, He began with moral teachings and used miracles to persuade the people that He is the Son of God.
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov adds another reason why the Lord began by addressing the passion of anger, from which murder is born. He writes: “The Lord directed His first words against anger, as it is the principal sinful wound opposed to the two chief virtues: love of neighbour and humility.”
At first glance, and through a superficial reading of the text, the words the Lord uses may seem to oppose His teaching to the commandments of the Old Testament. Saint Chrysostom insists that this is not the case, but rather the opposite: “If the first law had commanded murder, and this new one forbade it, one might say there was a contradiction between them. But if the first law forbade murder, and this new one even forbids anger, then this new law strengthens the former, not contradicts it.”
This question of permissible anger is quite relevant and concerns many people striving to live the Church’s life. Therefore, I include the explanation by Saint Justin of Ćelije, which resolves this dilemma for many of us. In his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Saint Justin writes: “The Saviour’s words without cause indicate that the Lord does not reject all anger, but only untimely anger, for righteous anger can be beneficial. It occurs when we become angry—out of brotherly love and concern—with those who live contrary to God’s commandments; when we are angry not out of revenge, but for their benefit. Saint Chrysostom says that the Lord does not reject anger entirely: first, because man cannot be completely free from this passion; he may restrain and subdue it, but cannot utterly eliminate it; and second, because the passion of anger can be useful, if only we know how to make use of it at the right time. The Apostle Paul’s anger toward the Corinthians produced great good; likewise, his anger toward the Galatians had beneficial effects. But the question remains: when is anger appropriate? It is appropriate when we become angry not out of revenge or for our own sake, but to restrain the unruly and guide the negligent onto the right path. And when is anger inappropriate? When we become angry for the sake of vengeance, which is forbidden by the Apostle Paul (Rom. 2:19); or when we are angry for the sake of money.”
There is also another level on which the Old Testament commandment You shall not murder may be misunderstood. Some claim that Christians must adhere to this commandment in an absolute way and under no circumstances violate it. However, Scripture itself refutes this view of absolute pacifism. The same God Who gave this commandment in the Old Testament commanded Moses to drown Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea; this same God gave the command that, for various capital offenses, life should be taken through stoning; likewise, King Saul was rejected for his disobedience in sparing the pagan king Agag—so the prophet Samuel, by the command of the Lord, executed Agag (1 Sam. 15).
What, then, is the true issue here? The essence lies in obedience to the Lord, not in the fulfillment of one’s own will. That is why the prophet Samuel says to Saul in the same chapter: Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king (1 Sam. 15:22–23).
As for the word Raca, Father Justin explains that it is a Chaldean word which the Jews of that time used as an insult, meaning an empty or worthless person—a man of an empty head. Similar to how today we might say someone is “not right in the head.” Saint Justin writes: “The all-loving Lord condemns the use of this word because, for Him and for His followers, not even the greatest sinner has lost the God-like imprint of the soul, such that this word—Raca—could be justly applied to him.”
From the perspective of Saint Justin’s teaching, I would like to highlight how many self-proclaimed zealots for the faith today allow themselves to use words far harsher than Raca when speaking of priests, bishops, and others who may disagree with them. It is clear, then, what spirit is truly at work in such behavior.
Blessed Augustine draws attention to a real human problem: despite the Lord’s clear and strict prohibition, we still stumble and break this commandment many times. Here is how this great saint of the Church writes on the matter:
“What are we to do, then? ‘Whoever says, You fool! shall be liable to the hell of fire.’ But no man can tame the tongue (James 3:8). Does this mean that all will be condemned to Gehenna? God forbid!… Therefore, let us understand, beloved, that if no man can tame the tongue, then we must seek refuge in God, Who alone can tame it. For if you try to control it yourself, you will fail, for you are but a man. Look at a similar example in the animals we tame: horses do not tame themselves; neither do donkeys, nor elephants, nor serpents tame themselves. In the same way, man cannot tame himself. And just as animals need a man to tame them, so too man needs God in order to be tamed.”
Saint Ephrem the Syrian emphasizes the futility of insulting others and calling them names. He says that if we call someone an adulterer, we will receive no reward for that, nor will the person incur a greater punishment because of our insult. And if we continue speaking that way about someone who, in the meantime, repents and changes for the better, he will be freed from any punishment, while we will become slanderers and incur the punishment we wished upon him. Therefore, for our own good, we must be careful in how we speak to others.
I now read verses 23 and 24:
“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
This is one of those passages in Scripture to which the Fathers point when speaking of the essential importance of reconciliation—with those whom we bear something against, and more importantly, those who bear something against us.
Saint John Chrysostom says: “The Lord commands that worship of Him be paused for the sake of love for one’s neighbor. He says: Let the service to Me be interrupted in order to preserve your love, for reconciliation with your brother is also a sacrifice. Christ does not say: be reconciled after you offer your gift, but rather sends you to reconcile while the gift is still lying before the altar and the offering has already begun. In giving this command, the Lord has two aims: First, He wants to emphasize that reconciliation with your brother—that is, with any person—is absolutely necessary, and that the altar of the Lord does not receive prayers or offerings if the one who brings them has something against another or if another has something against him. Christ did not say: reconcile when you are greatly wronged, but rather commands it even if someone merely has something against you. And He did not add: justly or unjustly, but simply: if he has something against you.”
Saint Isidore of Pelusium, speaking in the name of Christ, says: “You ask Me for mercy, while the one you have offended asks for justice. You call Me merciful, while he calls Me just. You ask for leniency, while the offended one cries out because he has received no help. Reconcile with the one who cries out justly, and you will not be deprived of My blessing. Make peace with the offended one, and only then ask that I may make peace with you.”
Of course, one must consider that reconciliation is sometimes not possible, because the other person simply refuses to reconcile. In the Sayings of the Fathers, recorded by Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, this event is described:
“Two brothers were at enmity with one another. During the persecution of Christians, they were arrested, tortured, and thrown into prison. One of them said to the other: ‘Brother! We must reconcile and cease our anger, for tomorrow we shall die and appear before the Lord.’ But the other refused. The next day, they were led out of the prison to be beheaded. The one who wished to reconcile was beheaded first, and with faith went to stand before the Lord. But the other, who refused to reconcile, denied Christ. The executioner asked: ‘Why did you not deny Christ yesterday, before the torture, to avoid the wounds, and only now do you renounce Him?’ He replied: ‘I transgressed the commandment of my Lord—I did not reconcile with my brother. Because of this, the Lord withdrew His help from me. Deprived of His help, I denied Christ.’”
Therefore, we must strive not to be the one who prevents reconciliation. Interestingly, the Apostle Paul also writes in the Epistle to the Romans: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18).
Chrysostom explains it in the following way: “The meaning of the apostle’s words is this: as far as you are concerned, do not give anyone a reason for hostility or strife—neither Jew nor Gentile. If you see that piety is being compromised in some way, do not choose peace at the cost of truth, but stand for it boldly, even unto death. Nevertheless, even in such cases, do not harbor enmity in your heart. Do not alter your goodwill toward your opponent, but rise only against the action. This is what these words mean. If the other person does not preserve peace, you must not stir up a storm within your soul, but rather be inwardly his friend—without ever betraying the truth.”
Adapted and compiled for contemporary readers from Patristic commentaries by Stanoje Stanković.
