Jesus Christ forbade murder, hatred and insults (Matthew 5:21,22)

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Yomelijah

4 min readMay 18, 2022

“21 “You heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You must not murder; but whoever commits a murder will be accountable to the court of justice.’ 22 However, I say to you that everyone who continues wrathful with his brother will be accountable to the court of justice; but whoever addresses his brother with an unspeakable word of contempt will be accountable to the Supreme Court; whereas whoever says, ‘You despicable fool!’ will be liable to the fiery Ge·henʹna” (Matthew 5:21,22).

Jesus Christ showed how to avoid this extremity, by trying as much as possible to resolve the personality conflicts: “If, then, you are bringing your gift to the altar and you there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, and go away; first make your peace with your brother, and then, when you have come back, offer up your gift” (Matthew 5:23,24).

Also in this same chapter, Jesus Christ said to love our enemies (Matthew 5:38–48). The verb “to love” in this context, is to be taken in the sense of a reasoned love, without necessarily being marked with affection towards our enemy. For example, when someone insults us or behaves badly towards us, the love based on Bible principles will prevent us from responding to insult with insult, or hatred with hatred. In this way, the vicious circle of hatred by hatred will be broken, by the virtuous circle requested by Jesus Christ: that is, to respond to the hatred of our enemy, by self-control, a love based on decorum, good manners , good education and common sense (Galatians 5: 22,23 “the fruit of the holy spirit”). Maybe this way of acting can encourage him to change his attitude towards us.

During his arrest which would lead him to death, Jesus Christ forbade the use of weapons, nor even to defend him or defend his cause: “Then Jesus said to him: “Return your sword to its place, for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword”” (Matthew 26:52). The murder and the homicide are forbidden, for both personal reasons, and even out of religious or state patriotism. This statement of Christ is a reminder of what it is written in the prophecy of Isaiah: “And he will certainly render judgment among the nations and set matters straight respecting many peoples. And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).

No longer learning war obviously supposes not to practice both combat sports or martial arts, even those, tinged with religious propaganda which would consist in saying that it is only with “defensive” purpose. Transforming a human body into a “defensive weapon” can quickly become “an offensive weapon” which can injure and until to kill… Christians should not see violent sports performances or films extolling gratuitous violence. This is completely detestable in the eyes of Jehovah God: “Jehovah himself examines the righteous one as well as the wicked one, And anyone loving violence His soul certainly hates” (Psalms 11:5).

The expression Gehenna of fire, used by Jesus Christ, has exactly the same meaning of everlasting destruction or death without the possibility of resurrection. Where was Gehenna? It was located in the south of Jerusalem, outside the city walls. It was simply the dumping ground for the city of Jerusalem, which existed in the time of Jesus Christ and was called, the Valley of Hinnon (Ge Hinnom) or Gehenna. The rubbish of the city were thrown and burned there, as well as the corpses of animals and criminals after their execution, unworthy of a burial (even, in the biblical collective imagination, unworthy of a resurrection (“With the burial of a donkey he will be buried, Dragged about and thrown away, Outside the gates of Jerusalem”(Jeremiah 22:19)).

The translation of the Bible into Latin has created confusion in the understanding of the condition of the dead. As we have seen, it is important to differentiate between the Hebrew word Sheol and the Greek word Hades, on the one hand, with Gehenna on the other. In some translations of the Bible, these three words have been translated as the original Latin word hell (infernus). In doing so, it created confusion in the understanding of the word gehenna, becoming an unbiblical teaching of the existence of a fiery hell.

Jesus Christ used the word “Gehenna” or “Gehenna of fire,” as a real place known to all his contemporaries, to illustrate the everlasting judgment and the idea of destruction without the possibility of resurrection, the second death. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ referred to this place three times, without necessarily specifying its meaning. Why ? Quite simply, even in Galilee 100 km north of Jerusalem, this place of destruction was well known and did not require any description or explanation (Matthew 5:22,29,30). Gehenna is associated with a fire that does not put out, why? For the obvious reason that such a place, near a city would have represented a danger to the health of most inhabitants, if it had not been fueled by a permanent or constant fire, based on sulfur, in order to decompose all the waste of the city more quickly (Mark 9:47,48).

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