Dead Ends (Commandment #6)

You shall not murder.  Exodus 20:13

 

My husband told me to skip this commandment.  We joked that this post should say something like:

“People: Don’t Kill.”  …And call it a night.

After some real soul searching, I’m pretty sure I’ve never murdered anyone.  My kids might have thought me capable of murder a time or two.  So far, so good.

It certainly seems cut and dry.

Research says that there are about 467,775 murderers walking around the US.  That’s 0.1% of the population.  But what really shocked me is that, on average, we unknowingly shake the hand of one murderer every year.  Between that and the amount of spiders we supposedly swallow in our sleep, the number of topics I wish I knew nothing about is growing.

While I don’t have the honor of shaking your hand today, I realize that many of you are parents, teachers, college students… people who might say you’d “kill for a piece of Belgium chocolate cheesecake”, but most of whom have never physically hurt anything more than an abnormally large garden spider. (spiders again??)

However, when you stick with seeking to understand scripture long enough, you learn that there is always more than meets the eye.  This command applies to 0.1% of America, but it also, very much, applies to you and me.

There is a website called evilbible.com.  Ironically, their tagline is: Fighting Against Immorality and Religion.  I feel like contacting them to let them know that Jesus did the EXACT SAME THING, and, perhaps, they’re on the “enemy’s” team after all.

The site lists 4 banner reasons why the Bible is essentially a wretched historical account of massacres by a God who says one thing and does another:

1. Capital Punishment Crimes
2. God’s Murders for Stupid Reasons (my obvious favorite)
3. Murdering Children
4. Miscellaneous Murders.

And it’s undeniable, a lot of people are killed in the Bible.  But we know God isn’t in the business of contradicting Himself.  That’s why the Hebrew word used in Exodus 20:13 is “Ratsach”, which refers to intentional killing without cause.  Therefore, “You shall not MURDER” is a better translation of the Hebrew than to say “You shall not KILL”.

Aside from the obvious, at face value, this commandment should also help you formulate your position on topics like war, abortion, capital punishment, and the right to bear arms.  The issue addressed here is clearly “cold blooded murder”.  But, as Christians and non-Christains the world over know, even that isn’t an entirely black and white topic.  And it’s important that while we’re forming our opinions we also consider what Matthew 5:38-48 says about “just cause”:

• Turn the other cheek
• Pray for your enemies
• If someone steals from you, give him even more
• If you’re forced to go one mile with someone – go two

Somewhat surprisingly, “Thou shall not murder” is not just about murder.  Jesus seriously stirred the pot when he shed more light on the issue:

MURDER —  “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.  Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ [contempt] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”  Matthew 5:21-22

As if that wasn’t enough, Paul wrote:

“Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.” 1 John 3:15

It initially feels like a huge leap, almost absurd…. Cold Blooded Murder equated with:

• Anger?
• Contempt?
• Harsh words?
• Hate?

Why is Jesus so extreme here?  Is it merely an attempt to grab our attention and scare us into submission?

In fits of frustration during those nights when the running of little feet overhead carry on way past my children’s bed time, I’ve more than once threatened taking away ALL of their toys.   Crazy but true, sometimes as parents we make outlandish threats with no intention of follow-through.

However, that is not what Jesus or Paul were doing here.  They weren’t shouting out, “You crazy people!  Stop being so mean to each other!!  You might as well be walking around slitting the throats of the people who tick you off!”

No.  This isn’t about scolding us for bad behavior.  It’s about giving us some very important, much needed perspective:

Thoughts create roots.  Roots create plans.  Plans create actions.

Everything we do begins with a thought.  Sometimes those thoughts birth actions so quickly that we don’t have time to consider the process.

• Thought: “I have to pee”  Action: “I’m on the toilet peeing!”

Other times, however, the process is a protracted one, building upon thought after thought over time.

• Thought: “I’m always so tired”  Thought: “It seems like all I do is give, give, give”  Thought: “No one cares how hard I try… I don’t know why I do it at all.”  Action: “I’m not volunteering to help anyone anymore; it’s time I focus on ME.”

Sins like anger, hate and contempt feel small in comparison to murder.  But the roots of a tree are as much a part of the tree as its branches are.  In turn, the thoughts and attitudes we plant in our hearts, while often not yet seen through our actions, are also still a tree.

This is why, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.“  1 Samuel 16:7

Jesus’ wake-up call here is, APPROPRIATELY dramatic.  And, while we’re thinking this was the commandment we could skip, it could be the one with which we struggle most.

When I started down this path of revisiting these 10 laws, I was “open” to the possibility I didn’t stack up as well as I’d been assuming.  But after now 7 weeks of closer looks, I have yet to find a SINGLE ONE where I can say, “Got it covered”.

I’ve had anger, contempt, harsh words and hate ALL in my heart.  Not just fleeting moments either; at times, these feelings have been consuming.  They have ROOTS.

I can’t think of two people I respect more than Jesus and Paul.  And each warns in clear terms that roots can have the same spiritual effect as pointing a gun and pulling a trigger.

It’s not about making a dramatic statement.  It’s about understanding the mysteries of the heart.  And while we address 0.1% of Americans with Exodus 20:13, it’s the 99.9% that may be getting away with murder.