I mentioned on Wednesday that several of us heard the Ten Commandments put into song last week. I have several Protestant hymn books and not one of them has a song containing the Ten Commandments. What we heard didn’t rhyme very well and the cadence wasn’t consistent. I’m not trying to complain or critique; I’m just stating the facts. I’m not sure John Newton or Isaac Watts could successfully make a great hymn out of those Commandments. The song leader of the church in Granite Bay meant well in putting those sixteen verses into verse, and I commend him for his desire. But it was about as well received – as a song – as the Ten Commandments are received as commands. Obviously for someone to go to the trouble to put it to music means that Exodus 20 is important to him. God’s laws were also important to the people, who in Christ Jesus’ day, were called “Pharisees.” And Christ Jesus brings those people up here in connection to the those commandments.
Now, let me emphasize: the Ten Commandments ARE important. They establish a very important principle – we are all sinners – Israel and the Pharisees included. Until we understand that God considers us rebels and outside His holiness, we have no hope of salvation. I often quote the Apostle Paul: “The LAW is our school master to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by FAITH” – salvation is by faith rather than works of obedience to the law. I am convinced, through Christ Jesus’ words here in Matthew, no one has ever lived his life on this earth without breaking everyone of those ten precepts – even the laws speaking of adultery and murder. Because of this, rather than loving the Commandments, most people hate them. In contrast to the Pharisees who claimed to love God’s law, some religious people call referring to the Ten Commandments – “legalism.”
That being said, we come to Christ’s “Sermon on the Mount.” Some of the foolish people who reject the Commandments rejoice in Christ’s most famous sermon. “Oh, how wonderful are the Beatitudes – Blessed are the poor, the mourners, the meek and the merciful.” I call those people “foolish” despite what Jesus says in verse 22, because they don’t understand that Christ is simply taking the Old Testament law and lifting it much, much higher – into the stratosphere. In the Lord’s sermon here, He said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Furthermore, “I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
There are nearly a hundred verses in this sermon. It would take weeks for me to re-preach this great message of Christ Jesus. But a few weeks ago one verse jumped out at me. Today I’d like to try to try to apply what the Lord showed me.
In my Bible, the editors have marked verses 21-26 as a paragraph. If that is the case, then I suppose this could have been Christ’s point four, or Roman Numeral IV.
We need to begin by considering the context of the verse which the Lord highlighted in my heart.
Verse 21 – “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.” I think it is interesting that the Lord skipped over the first five commandments to come to this one. Why didn’t He deal with “thou shalt have no other gods before me”? Is it because we have so many gods and so many heros our sin in this area is beyond obvious? Why didn’t Jesus refer to “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” Or “the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain”? I suppose He referred to all the commandments in verses 17 and 18. And then in verse 19 He spoke of the least of them. But here, He speaks, not of the least, but one of the greatest – at least in human comprehension – murder.
From old time – from Exodus 20 – fifteen hundred years before Christ – God’s prophets have been condemning the of taking human life. But notice that Jesus’ doesn’t quote the Old Testament. Rather He refers to what PEOPLE SAY about it. Killing someone, puts the killer in danger of “the judgment.” Why did He put it that way? Isn’t it because the way Christ words His comment illustrates man’s attempt to minimize the command? Men – even self-righteous Pharisees – have been trying for centuries to justify murder. Even in the Bible there are some notable – and very wicked – examples of murder. David murdered one of his faithful followers, Uriah, justifying it in his head to cover his sin. He also, by Christ’s definition, David murdered Nabal, the husband of Abigail. And Saul of Tarsus, before he became the Apostle Paul, authorized the murder of Stephen. Today, we call various murders –“euthanasia” or “abortion” or merely “a homicide.” Of course, these are different from taking of life in the protection of one’s family, or in war. But speaking about war, two people have confessed to me about murders they committed in times of war.
In verse 22 – God the Son tells us – “That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” Jesus takes the sixth commandment and men’s opinions about murder to a higher level. Whoever is angry with this brother without a good reason is in danger of same judgment as the murderer. And those who use vicious and hateful name-calling are as guilty as murderers. “Raca” is a word meaning something like – ”You empty-headed fool.” I used the word “foolish” a few minutes ago, but it was not in the way Christ refers to it in this verse. Even Jesus speaks of people as “fools,” but it was with accuracy and love – but not in a demeaning way. What He condemns here is vicious, malicious, venomous language. How many of us have been guilty of calling someone hateful names? The day after 10-11, for example.
Verse 23 seems to be out of place, but it isn’t. “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” People tend to forget that the Ten Commandments, as the foundation of the law, were not given to make people’s lives miserable. Even though that is not necessarily a bad thing. If preaching the law brings a broken hearted sinner to the Lord in repentance, it is very, very good. But essentially, the Old Testament law was designed to reveal the nature of God. Holy, holy, holy Jehovah Elohim is way up here, while we are groveling around in the filth of our sins.
So here is some religionist, attending the local Baptist church, or Catholic church, or Jewish synagogue. He drops a check in the offering box, because he thinks in he is honoring with his giving. He picks up the hymn book as he as been instructed, and he begins to praise God. Or he buys or brings a lamb to offer on the altar in the temple, because it is what he has been told to do. But that morning on his way to the synagogue, he was cut off by a motorist on the highway, forcing him to slam on his breaks and skid across the wet pavement. After he called him “an empty-headed fool,” he wished that other driver were dead or that he’d never been born. Or more likely, he wished there was a state patrol officer right behind him who saw the whole incident. “Send that man to the judge and the to officer, and cast him into prison.” On the other side of the auditorium is another man who simply cannot tolerate one of the church members. He never has anything good to say about that man; because he offended him at some point in the past. It is with reluctance that he even shakes his hand. Then somewhat differently, there is another man who spent time in prison because in his early twenties, while high on weed, he crashed his car into a van full of teenagers. Or perhaps in that church service there is a woman who, at the age of 18, had an ill-advised abortion. For ten years she has felt an inexpressible guilt, because she murdered her own baby. And now nothing can ease her pain other so she has adopted and brought into her family two orphaned children. Christ says, “Make these things right, before you worship the thrice holy God.” But at least two of these worshipers cannot repair the damage, because their victims are dead. How can they be reconciled to people who are gone?
Pouring salt into the wound He opened up, the Lord Jesus concludes this paragraph saying, “Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing” – every single cent. And He said earlier, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” That famous statement refers to two of little diacritical markings used in writing out the Hebrew language. Not one iota – a single tick of the pen in the Greek language. Not one minuscule aspect of God’s law or the justice and judgment of that law is ever going to fail or be rescinded. And don’t think your sentence can be appealed – God’s Supreme Court has already ruled on every item God’s legislature has passed. I don’t know that a zillion years into eternity we will still be praising God’s law, but if God willed it, we would. Personally, I think that in eternity we’ll be so focused on God our Saviour, we’ll have no need to consider the law. By that time it will have fully accomplished its purpose.
With these verses as the context, we come to that which the Lord laid on my heart.
Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.” Let’s say you have slandered some public official – a Senator or a Judge. Let’s say you thought you saw that person commit a crime. You got on your favorite social media site, and you posted things which you thought you knew to be true. We’ll add that you used the most vile and degrading language possible in your denunciation of that person. Immediately, you find that your post has been shared 10,000 times; it is spreading all over the country. You are initially delighted with how things are going. You have become an internet celebrity, and that other person has been publicly pilloried and shamed. But then you find out that what you saw was misinterpreted and your comments were utterly untrue. Oh, oh!
“Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.” “Agree with thine adversary QUICKLY.” Don’t wait to pass Go; don’t wait to collect $200.00. Meet with him personally, whiles thou are in the way with him, as he is going to court to press charges.
My illustration falls a little short of Jesus’ example, but I hope you get my point. Perhaps things were different in Israel in Jesus’ day. But slander is not a crime in this country. It is a civil wrong or a “tort.” No one goes to prison for slander. However, slanderers can be sued in civil court; they can be forced to pay fines and damages.
The thing to keep in mind is Christ’s primary intention. Make restitution and be reconciled to the person against whom you have sinned. Do it quickly, before a judge is asked to decide the case – because you are at fault here. Do it now, before the judge delivers you to the warden, and he takes you to prison.
Thank you, Lord. This is very practical advice, but let’s remember the ultimate purpose of GOD’S law. And let’s remember that CHRIST’S law takes the Old Testament law up to the very threshold of Heaven. The final application of all this isn’t about human justice and time spent in the Kootenai County jail.
What is the spiritual application of this paragraph?
In verse 20, the Lord prefaced all this, saying, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee of the Pharisees, murdered Christ’s disciple, Stephen. He justified what he did thinking that Stephen had spoken blasphemy in saying that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and that he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven. But, call it what you like, Saul, it was murder. There was no trial; there was no examination of Stephen’s intentions. This was murder.
Our righteousness must be greater, higher, stronger and more righteous than that of the Pharisees, like Saul. But… when you completely lost your temper the other day, your sin became as wretched as the murderer. And when you lusted after the body of that other person, you committed adultery in your heart – verse 28. When you drooled over those pornographic pictures, you committed virtual adultery. While you have never touched another person in that unlawful way, you did so in the sight of God. In your soul you sinned as wickedly as any Pharisee – who never in his life watched a pornographic video. When you wished you had never married, you divorced your spouse in the eyes of the Lord. When you longed to have that new piece of technology, your lust was theft in the observation of God. You see, sin is primarily a matter of the heart. Hands, feet, eyes and mouths only express the real sin. And God sees what is inside. “The LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” – I Samuel 16:7.
“Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.” You may believe that you have no adversaries in this world. You may think that you get along with everyone. And you have corrected every tiny offence you have ever committed. That is highly unlikely, but for the sake of argument, we’ll say it is true. Remember that the Lord Jesus is using common earthly events to highlight something much higher. You have a heavenly adversary, who has already judged your case, and you have been found guilty. We are all sinners, proven guilty by every one of the Ten Commandments, and more. To quote the Apostle Paul – “We have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes…. For all have sinned and come short of the glory (and holiness) of God.”
We have an Adversary who is unlike any adversary we have ever known in this world. He’s not a bully. He’s not vindictive. He’s not full of hatred and out to get you personally. But He is the absolutely holy and righteous King over His creation. He has no choice but to judge and imprison those who have offended Him in breaking His laws.
“Agree with thine Adversary quickly, whiles thou are still in the way with Him.” No matter what you think you know about yourself; no matter how you have justified yourself in the past. No matter what you think of GOD, agree with Him, while you are still in the way. No matter how strong you think you are, you are not strong enough to defeat Him. No matter how righteous you think you are, your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees to even get in the door to stand before the Lord. No matter how rich you are in money, generosity, good works and good deeds, you are not rich enough. Using the Apostle Peter’s words, you cannot be “redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers.”
“Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him…” What is it to agree with this adversary? Biblically, we call it “repentance.” Agree with God that you are a murderer at heart; recognize that you are an adulterer in God’s sight. You KNOW that you are a liar; you have not honored your mother and father as you should have. You have coveted and lusted for things that your neighbor has; you have taken God’s name in vain. Your heart has lots of little well-furnish rooms filled with heros and idols. Admit to the Lord that you are not worthy of the least of His kindnesses, especially that of eternal life. Do it quickly, while there is still a path before you. Walking down God’s road, He is there with you. But there is a spot printed in God’s atlas where your road is going to end. There is a day coming when the sentence will be carried out – “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
I will close now with a word of encouragement. When the Lord Jesus says, “agree quickly,” He suggests that agreement is possible. He even uses the apostolic word “reconcile” which speaks of a restored, friendly relationship. And I remind you – David was a murderer and adulterer, but he turned from his wicked way, agreeing with his divine Adversary, and he was forgiven. And the ultimate Pharisee, Saul, was a murderer, yet he was reconciled to the Christ he hated. No matter what sins are in your dossier, if you will agree with God as to their wickedness and if you willingly turn and flee from them, full agreement with the Judge is possible.
You see, the man who originally preached this sermon became the Saviour of agreeing sinners. Christ Jesus, paid the ultimate price for our sin. No policeman, soldier, or fire fighter who died serving others really paid the ultimate price, but Christ did. If you will repent before God and trust what the Lord Jesus did while dying on the cross, reconciliation with the Adversary will be made by the Adversary.
Won’t you begin to agree with God today? Why won’t you repent before Him and put your faith in the Saviour, Lord Jesus Christ?