Thou shall not kill

We have heard the sixth commandment many times and have even been told to memorize all of the 10 (commandments) in order for us to keep them in our heart, not forget and abide by them in our daily lives. But while the sixth commandment prohibits the taking of another’s life, it more importantly points to God’s love of life and His desire to protect it.

With deep sorrow I say that it is only when we step back and look at our world today, and our society in general, that we see how our culture does not value life the same way God does, because to not murder is not enough since followers of Jesus also need to actively pursue and protect life. Matthew 5:21-22 says: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.”

This verse teaches us that Jesus in fact even broadens the law by explaining that both anger and contempt are sinful simply because righteous living goes beyond outward actions and right back into the heart’s intent. Holding anger, insulting someone or even calling them a fool carries very serious spiritual consequences, including the “fire of hell.”

Jesus teaches us that murder begins long before physical violence. We see this in the story of Cain and Abel – the first murder. As the story goes, God was pleased by Abel’s offering and this made Cain angry. God tried to warn Cain by telling him that sin was lurking at his door but Cain ignored the warning and eventually killed Abel.

Scripture teaches us that murder is not just a physical act of violence but also a heart issue. When our hearts harbor jealousy or resentment, it creates the environment where the physical act becomes possible. At the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained that avoiding the physical act of murder is not enough for us to be considered righteous, for any one of us who is angry at our brother will be liable to judgment. Our feelings of contempt are truly the root cause for murder because, to murder someone, we must first devalue them in our heart.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God judges the intentions of our heart because this is where the true character of each and every person resides. “Do not let the sun go down on your anger” is a very simple yet powerful rule we can all abide by, especially in our families, but many a time do we fail to acknowledge the importance of this principle from scripture. Over and over again, conflict arises from a struggle for power when scripture suggests to instead “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

“Would I rather be right?” or “would I rather be in love?” should be the question and I suppose it goes without saying that we must always choose love. A true and good partnership always involves laying down the “right” to be right for the sake of the relationship’s health. It is that simple, even in this chaotic world of politics where friends and families are being torn apart.

The sixth commandment is not just a legal floor for society but rather, a spiritual “ceiling” for how we treat every soul we encounter. The sixth commandment is not merely a restraint on our hands; it is a searchlight for our hearts. When the first murderer was asked where his brother was, he defensively answered, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” These ancient words of Cain have haunted humankind for centuries. And if God asked any of us this question today, the answer must be a resounding YES simply because WE ARE our brother’s keepers and not because we are commanded to keep our brothers and sisters from the grave but also because we are commanded to keep them from the loneliness, the dehumanization and the despair that makes the grave look like a refuge.

We are all called to put down the stone, pick up the responsibility and see every person – a difficult boss, a difficult workmate, a difficult spouse, a political enemy – as a masterpiece under the divine protection of God.

We are all prone to believe that the sixth commandment is the easiest to keep for the simple reason that we have not drawn blood, but if murder begins in the heart, then we are all standing on more dangerous ground than we care to admit and the question is no longer whether we are “keepers” of our brothers and sisters, the real question is whether we will let them live – fully and safely – within the shelter of our hearts.

The law of the heart is not a suggestion. It is a reckoning. Every time we dehumanize a person to win an argument, bury a relationship in the cold dwelling of our pride, our heart loses the ability to see others in the image and likeness of God. The heart is the real housekeeper of our life and to honor life is to keep the hearth of our hearts warm enough that no one ever feels they have to go cold to survive us.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” A heart left untended is a heart where shadows grow. After all, we don’t just stumble into hate; we neglect our way there.