📖 Passage

Matthew 5:21–32
Read Matthew 5:21–32 (NKJV)

🧠 Context & Background

Jesus begins a series of six antitheses ("You have heard… but I say to you"), clarifying the true intent of God's Law. This section addresses the commandment against murder, expanding it beyond the act itself to include sinful anger, insults, and broken relationships. In first-century Judaism, the scribes and Pharisees often emphasized external compliance, but Jesus exposes the deeper heart issue. He calls for reconciliation as a priority even above formal worship. The backdrop includes Jewish court systems ("judgment," "Sanhedrin") and the seriousness of unresolved conflict, both in earthly relationships and before God.

🌿 Key Themes

• Heart-level obedience – God's standard addresses motives as well as actions.

• Anger as moral guilt – Sinful anger is spiritually equivalent to murder in God's eyes.

• Priority of reconciliation – Making peace is more urgent than ritual observance.

• Judgment and accountability – Both divine and human justice are involved in relational sin.

📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary

Matthew 5:21–22 – Anger and Murder

"You have heard that it was said… 'You shall not murder'… But I say to you…"

Jesus affirms the commandment's validity but reveals its full scope.

Anger without cause is judged as morally equivalent to murder.

Words of contempt ("Raca," "fool") carry moral and spiritual danger, leading to judgment.

Matthew 5:23–24 – Urgency of Reconciliation

"First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

Worship is unacceptable while harboring unresolved conflict.

Reconciliation is active pursuit, not passive waiting.

Placing peace before offering shows God values relationships highly.

Matthew 5:25–26 – Settle Quickly

"Come to terms quickly with your accuser…"

Delaying reconciliation can lead to escalated consequences.

The imagery of debtor's prison warns of the cost of unresolved disputes.

The urgency mirrors God's call to respond quickly to His offer of grace.

Matthew 5:27–28 — Lust and Adultery

“You have heard… ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you…”

• Jesus exposes heart adultery — looking with lust is breaking the command in God’s eyes.
• This applies not just to married persons but to any sexual coveting (cf. Exodus 20:17).
• Christ calls for purity in thought, not just behavior (cf. Job 31:1; 2 Timothy 2:22).

Matthew 5:29–30 — Radical Holiness

“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out… better that you lose one member…”

• Hyperbolic language to emphasize the seriousness of sin — it is worth any cost to be free.
• Not literal mutilation, but ruthless spiritual surgery — cut off what leads you into sin.
• Unmortified sin is a hell-bound path — true believers fight to kill it (cf. Colossians 3:5; Romans 8:13).
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Matthew 5:31–32 — Divorce and Adultery

“Whoever divorces his wife… makes her commit adultery…”

• Jesus affirms the sanctity and permanence of marriage, opposing casual or selfish divorce (cf. Genesis 2:24).
• Divorce without biblical grounds (sexual immorality) causes ongoing sin for both parties.
• His teaching upholds a high view of covenant faithfulness and protects the vulnerable (cf. Malachi 2:16).

🧩 Review Questions

1. Why does Jesus equate anger with murder?
2. What does Jesus teach about reconciliation before worship?
3. How does lust violate God’s standard for purity?
4. What does Jesus say about divorce and its consequences? _Not sure how to answer one of these?

🔍 Definitions

• Raca – Aramaic term of contempt, meaning "empty-headed" or "worthless."

• Fool – In biblical usage, one who is morally and spiritually corrupt, not merely lacking intelligence.

• Reconciliation – The restoration of a broken relationship.

• Sanhedrin – The Jewish ruling council, representing highest legal authority in Israel.

🙋 Application Questions

1. Is there anyone you need to reconcile with before offering worship to God?

2. How can you respond to anger in a way that honors Christ?

3. What steps can you take to pursue peace quickly in conflict situations?

🔤 Greek Keywords

• ὀργίζομαι (orgizomai) – “To be angry”; an internal emotional surge that can lead to sinful judgment or contempt.
• ῥακά (rhaka) – “Empty-head” or “fool”; an Aramaic insult expressing scorn or worthlessness.
• μωρέ (moré) – “Fool”; a deeper insult attacking a person’s character — associated with moral condemnation.
• ἐπιθυμέω (epithymeō) – “To lust”; to strongly desire what is forbidden, not just sexually but covetously.
• μοιχεία (moicheia) – “Adultery”; sexual unfaithfulness, but Jesus extends it to inward desire.
• ἀπολύω (apolyō) – “To divorce” or “send away”; used when referring to ending a marriage.
• πορνεία (porneia) – “Sexual immorality”; a broad term covering all forms of unlawful sexual behavior.

✍️ These Greek words reveal that Jesus intensifies the moral demands of the Law, showing that sin begins in the heart, not just in actions.

📚 Cross References

• Exodus 20:13 – The sixth commandment against murder.

• Leviticus 19:17–18 – Warning against harboring hatred and call to love your neighbor.

• Ephesians 4:26 – Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.

• Colossians 3:13 – Forgive each other as the Lord forgave you.

• James 1:19–20 – Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.

📦 Next Study

Next Study → Matthew 5:33–48