I am a Jesus pusher!!! “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder’” (Matthew 5:21). “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment” (Matthew 5:22). How do we describe the effects of murder? We must see murder as destructive; however, murder focuses on destroying a single aspect. Murder is the destruction or elimination of life. While this may be true, no one proposes murder on a person’s financial aspect. A person’s murder eliminates them from all activities. When someone is murdered, they can no longer receive phone calls. But that is not the issue of murder. Murder has one focus; it eliminates life.
The Greek word “phoneuo,” translated as murder, is defined by one lexicon as “to deprive a person of life by illegal, intentional killing” (Greek-English Lexicon Based on Semantic Domain). In the spiritual world, the unseen heavenly realms, there is a disposition of murder permeating the spirit of the individual. We must view this as a domination of an individual’s spiritual life, the emphasis of our passage. As stated above, the Jews had a narrow view of murder, isolated to the physical realm. Jesus could not and would not tolerate this as a correct biblical view. A man cannot murder his brother and say his heart is filled with God’s love and a desire to see his brother prosper. Murder is never just a physical act that does not engage the core of an individual’s spiritual life. I want my heart dominated by the Spirit of Jesus! I am a Jesus pusher!!