I am a murderer… and so are you.
You’re probably thinking – What??? No, I’m not! I’ve never killed anyone. I’m not a murderer!
Good! I’m glad you’ve never killed anyone. But you’re still a murderer. Confused? Let’s go back to the beginning.
After Moses led the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity, he went up on Mount Sinai to receive God’s Law. Some of the most well-known laws were called the Ten Commandments. The sixth commandment declares,
“You shall not murder” Exodus 20:13, ESV
Seems easy enough. Though we may sometimes think I’m gonna kill that person, we never intend to actuallykill them. So, we think – I’d never kill someone, so I never have to worry about breaking that law. I’m good!
But Jesus takes this commandment a step further. He discusses it during His Sermon on the Mount. He teaches –
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” Matthew 5:21-22
Jesus is preaching here that “murder” is a heart issue, not just an action issue. I recently read Kelly Needham’s new book Friendish, and she wrote something similar. She said,
“Sin is not primarily an issue of wrong deeds but wrong loves.” (1)
In Matthew 5, Jesus is teaching that everyone who is unrighteously angry at someone is guilty of murder. Everyone who hates someone is guilty of murder. Everyone who demeans someone is guilty of murder. Why? Because the sixth commandment isn’t just about killing someone. The commandment was given to show the importance of human life. And when you hate someone or demean them, you believe in your heart that their life is not that important. You love yourself instead of loving others or loving God.
The sixth commandment isn’t the only part of the Bible that communicates how much God values human life. We see in the Creation narrative that humans were created in God’s image. They were created to be His image-bearers or representatives in creation (Genesis 1:26-27). John writes in his gospel that God loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die so our sins may be forgiven and so that we may enjoy eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus and the apostles taught many times that loving others is one of the most important things for Christians to do (Matthew 22:37-40, Galatians 5:13-14, 1 John 4:7).
Throughout Scripture, it’s obvious that all human lives are important to God. So, all human lives should be just as important to us, too. But it is so hard! We’ve all dealt with people that irritate the mess out of us and make us so angry. I can think of a few right now from my own life. And sometimes we think if they just went away and disappeared, things would be a whole lot better. But when we think this, we’re really murdering them in our hearts. We’re saying their lives aren’t that important. Instead, Jesus calls us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). Well, Tristany, that’s easy to say, but super hard to actually live out. Trust me, I know. Here are some practical ways you can show love to people you don’t really like:
1.Pray for them. Jesus teaches us to
“…pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew 5:44b
You can pray that God will draw them closer to Himself. You can pray that they would be successful at work. You can pray that their relationships with their family members would be strengthened. It’s difficult to wish good things for irritating people, but it does become really hard to hate someone you’re regularly praying for. Add them to your prayer list!
2.Forgive them. In Matthew, Jesus tells Peter not to forgive his brother seven times, but seventy-seven times (Matthew 18:21-22). Now, don’t start counting how many times you forgive your enemy. That’s not the point! In the Bible, the number 7 represents completion, so the number 77 is doubly complete. Forgive your enemy until forgiveness is doubly complete (which is impossible in this lifetime!). Forgiveness is hard, but think about how many times you sin and God forgives you. If God can forgive you for all your sins, surely you can show a little forgiveness to that person.
3.Be generous to them. Jesus declared,
“And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you” Matthew 5:40-42
If someone is being mean to you, don’t be mean back! Instead, show them grace and mercy and kindness.
3.Be generous towards them. And who knows? Maybe they’ll start being kinder towards you if you’re kinder towards them.Be an example of Christ. As I mentioned earlier, we were created to be image-bearers of God. Jesus preached,
“…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” Matthew 5:16
4.Show your enemy what Christ looks like in your life. Let them see the light of Christ in you! If they see what a Christian really looks like, they may want what you have and be drawn towards Christ.
You may be a murderer-at-heart, but don’t forget that God still loves you and forgives you! Show His love and forgiveness to everyone around you today. And pray that God would help you truly love your enemies.
(1) Kelly Needham, Friendish: Reclaiming Real Friendship in a Culture of Confusion (Nashville: Nelson Books, 2019).
