Murder in all its degrees

TODAY'S READING: Exodus 20:13; Matthew 5:21-26
We just don't get it sometimes. We want God to make a list of does and don'ts. We want Christianity in a box. We want God to draw the line so we know when we have passed it. One problem. That's not what God wants. And since He is God, it would be wise to look at His approach.
I don't believe that the Ten Commandments are the definitive list of do's and don'ts we make them to be. Hold on. Before you call me a heretic, hear me out.
Remember when you were a small child? Much of life came down to a small set of instructions. You've seen the poster, right? "Everything I need to know I learned in Kindergarten." While there is one sense in which that is true, we also mature and learn the foundations behind what we learned at that young age.
Unfortunately, many people of God have never moved past the basics. They look at the Ten Commandments as a basis for law as opposed to what it really was. God was revealing His character to His people. And that is what brought them to the Sermon on the Mount.
God had tried for generations to reveal to His people what He was really like. But when all else failed, God had to come down and live among us. And here we see that human embodiment of God basically telling them that they "missed it."
Yes, God told Moses on the mountain "Do not murder." But underlying that commandment was the part of God's character that values life. Not just physical life, but emotional and spiritual life as well. God's people decided to draw a line at "do not murder," but they killed plenty of people with their words and actions. And Jesus makes it very clear that damaged human relationships will damage our relationship with God. Why? Aren't we created in God's image? Aren't we the only creatures on the planet who have a special relationship with the Father that allows God to live in us as Spirit?
Our "line-drawing" theology has so distorted our view of holiness. And this is one of the battles that Jesus fought from the Sermon on the Mount to the hill at Calvary. Holiness is not law-keeping.
Holiness is not following the rules. Holiness is not doing the minimum to please God. Holiness is about bringing heaven to earth. It requires us to be consumed by God's character. Holiness does not occur when we look "good." Holiness occurs when we are good on the inside. Holiness is an attribute, not an activity. And when it comes to murder, it's not just about taking a life. The real heart of the commandment is value and respect for every aspect of human life.
When we can begin to wrap our arms around this concept of becoming godly as opposed to acting godly we will move beyond the basics and develop into the followers that Jesus intends for us to be. Then we can truly fulfill the mission we were created to accomplish in the first place and the world can be changed by the mission of God at work in our lives.

shine!
Jason