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Humans affirming and even actively restoring the value of other humans.

After Jesus speaks to the Law/Torah/Prophets and re-ups their value in the Sermon on the Mount, he then proceeds to bring up and subsequently dismantle the commonly held views of some specifics of the Law: murder, adultery, retaliation, giving, etc. 

In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus is specifically taking on a command that’s pervasive enough in the Torah (but primarily found in the 10 Commandments): Thou Shall Not Murder.

Seriously, don’t we all agree with this? We’re civilized enough, I think.

But Jesus expands this Law. Which is what he just told us he would do:

“I have not come to abolish but to fulfill [the Law and the Prophets]…Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and the Pharisees…”

You may say that the righteousness of the Scribes & Pharisees was hypocritical and Jesus was putting them on blast. Or you may say that their righteousness was high and Jesus called for an even higher righteousness. And both would be glimpses of the truth.

But you may also say that Jesus is calling their righteousness ineffective, broken, flat, and even useless.

They are technically righteous by the standard of the Law but worthless for seeking the Kingdom of God. They have a faith that helps them abstain from murder but lacks the transformation of their heart.
And the Kingdom of God is about God’s transformation in/of the world. A righteousness that goes beyond abstaining from Evil is a righteousness that seeks the Good.

Jesus is tweaking the Law. He’s saying that it’s not as much about following some Don’ts as much as it is seeking the righteousness of God and letting that righteousness have its way with you. 

“You have heard that it was said to those of old (those who received the Law) ‘You shall not murder’….but I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable…”

The Torah, the Law, was given to help form the people of Israel into the image of God. They were to be a society that existed based on the values of the Creator of the Universe. They clearly needed this, since they went from one small family to an entire nation of people during their 430ish years of slavery. 

They knew no way of life except slavery—domination, control, and exploitation.

To start fresh, God gave them guidelines to reshape their notion of society and culture. 

Being a part of this society meant that murder was strictly off limits. Unlike the other nations in the ancient world, Israel and their God would not stand for murder at any cost. 

Because murder is about domination, control, and exploitation. About a “me first” mentality.

Jesus’ message is embarrassingly clear to the first century Jewish ear—anger is about domination, control, and exploitation. About a “me first” mentality. 

And a righteousness which preserves some inane notion of self-piety and self-worth but does nothing to seek the prevailing of God’s righteousness in the entire world is not of the Kingdom of God. 

Jesus goes on to say that if you call others “fool,” meaning you’re transferring your anger and contempt on their being and very soul, you may find yourself in the fires of hell.

Let me let you in on something heavy here: He’s not talking about the future.

He’s saying that when you have hatred, anger, and even built up frustration towards other human beings made in the image of God—you are an agent of Hell on earth, not Heaven. You may find yourself on the opposite side from God, being transformed into the image of yourself rather than Jesus.

What we often do with our anger is we kill people’s souls. They become dead to us, or they’re dying to us, and this is a shame. Because when we discard peoples’ souls, how can we love them as God would? 

How can a world where people devalue other people ever be a world where God’s justice reigns? Jesus is combating this.

The Kingdom of God looks like an active rebellion against the kinds of domination, control, power, and exploitation that are so rampant in our society.

If you’re looking for the Kingdom of God, look for the places where the souls, created in the image of God, of broken humans need restoration. Co-workers who have been treated like dirt by a superior, spouses who have been belittled by their significant other, and shamed hourly workers who will hardly look you in the face. The wealthy who need their status affirmed and the addicted who are desperately looking for the next fix. The face of Jesus is showing up in all of these places.

How are you going to affirm the righteousness of God today?