Mt 5:20-26
[Jesus said to his disciples,] 20“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
21“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. 23Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, 24leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
ANGER THAT KILLS: The gospel pericope is the first of the six Matthean antitheses. The first part of the formula refers to the hearing of the Scriptures, especially in the synagogue service, and the interpretation of the Scripture reading on the part of the rabbis. The rabbis may disagree in their opinions, but never is the interpretation of a teacher placed in contrast to the Torah. But when Jesus says, “But I say to you,” he is opposing the commandment itself, not just interpreting it. He places his “I” on par with the name of God which is contained in the “divine passive” formula, “It was said”—meaning, “God said (ordered).”
The word of Jesus brings a new interpretation to the will of God. What was said before is no longer valid; it should be understood in the new way. And the word of Jesus is to be decisive for his disciples.
In the first antithesis, Jesus accepts the Mosaic Law but deepens it. While the Law merely forbids killing, he pursues the evil to its very roots in the human heart, where it begins as anger and hatred. Jesus forbids even entertaining hatred and giving vent to it through abusive and insulting language. Matthew retains the Aramaic word Raqa to preserve its force. It probably means “fool,” “imbecile,” “blockhead”—a term of abuse.
Indeed, a person can be killed “softly” when we cut his or her soul through unkind words, silent treatment, or ignoring him or her completely.