December 24, 2025

Matthew 5:21-30 (HCSB)
Murder Begins in the Heart
21 “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire. 23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 I assure you: You will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny!
Adultery in the Heart
27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!

Drew Nash
A few years ago, I worked on a dysfunctional team. We could not accomplish anything. Even simple tasks were delayed because of a disagreement between me, the team, or the management. I would come home angry or upset every day because of a disagreement or issue. At a conference, I attended a talk given by a counselor who specializes in helping first responders. The counselor asked the attendees to reflect on how much time we spent thinking about the anger from work and how much time we spent thinking about family and other aspects of our lives. The point was that many folks spend so much time, basically from waking up to going to bed, thinking about anger from work. I was reminded of this while reading verse 24. If we as Christians are going to truly worship God, we need to ensure we are focused on that and not on other issues. It is not possible to make everyone happy. However, we can control how we respond to a disagreement or issue. Verse 22 teaches us not to respond with insults. Let’s always remember to pause, maybe even sit like Jesus did before the Sermon on the Mount, before responding in anger. Furthermore, let’s find a way to separate our anger from the aspects of life that really matter, such as by taking a walk, praying, or spending time with God.