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Portion 48

Golden Text: Ex 20:13
Readings for the week:

Day 1: Kings 4

Day 2: Psalm 79

Day 3: Psalm 122-123

Day 4: 1Cor 13

Day 5: Col 3

Day 6: James 1:19-27

I- Thou shalt not murder.

The verb in Hebrew has a very different treatment from the English one, the latter is defined by its intensity. For example, in this case ‘kill’ in its Qal form designates the act of taking life in an intentional and premeditated way, unlike what could be another of its forms (nifal), where the person in question is inflicted with death.

This word or oath defines life as sacred, with it is prohibited: infanticide, human sacrifice and murder for entertainment or fear. In Jewish culture there is a very significant phrase in this regard that says: “Whoever saves a life… It’s as if he saved an entire world. Whoever destroys a life… it is as if it destroyed an entire world.”[1]

II- Jesus goes beyond the act itself.

Jesus in his teaching intensifies the action further by going beyond the act, to the intention of this which is anger or enrage[2]. A misguided passion that is on an uncontrolled increase can inevitably lead the human being to become clouded in his thinking and execute a crime. What was the error of the scribes and Pharisees in this regard? Interpret this oath in the light of the Roman legal provisions that governed the nation at that time. Without considering that in any legal trial the crime of death will depend on evidence that could even be manipulated or not by a magistrate. Thus, a conclusion was reached where the sentence known in Lev 24:20 was pronounced. It is like when the constitution of a country is limited by some article that invalidates or reinterprets it. So, they were very convenient to also cover their faults at some point they did not understand that they were limiting this oath and making it inefficient; that is why Christ clarifies it by intensifying and defining it.

Parallel to this, and Jesus manifests it as such[3], many times another person is murdered by discrediting him, saying something about him that is a lie. Murder is also done by directly offending the person with an underestimation or by labeling them to silence their actions.

Paul defines that term as anger and spells it out[4]. The issue is not getting angry about something, but when that anger leads to losing control over oneself and doing something wrong.

Questions:

1.- How do you think Jesus teaches what to do to avoid incurring the prohibition of this oath?
2.- Do you think anger is bad? Why?
3.- How do you suggest that you might evaluate whether anger is a sin or not?
4.- When Jesus became angry with the temple moneychangers, was He sinning?
5.- Could it be said that Paul sinned in his letter to the Galatians? (Gal 3-4).

[1] Talmud Babli, Sanhedrin 4:5.

[2] Mt 5:21-26.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Eph 4:26.

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