Introduction

Purpose of the Series:

1. To see how special ordinary people are
2. To see how ordinary special people are
3. To compel you to treat everyone with dignity, respect and honor.

Review

We Are All Made in the Image of God

Genesis 1:27 (ESV): ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 4:13–15 (ESV): ¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. ¹⁴ Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” ¹⁵ Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.

The Image of God is a Natural Status Symbol

Genesis 9:6 (ESV): ⁶ “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

The Image of God Places a Demand on Us

We disrespect God when we disrespect what He values.

Genesis 4:15 (ESV): ¹⁵ Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.”. . . .

Romans 12:19–20 (ESV): ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Romans 12:21 (ESV): ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The best way to overcome the evil of your enemy is to present the opposite spirit of the one your enemy is presenting to you.

Matthew 5:21–22 (ESV): ²¹ “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ ²² 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.

• Sins God equates with murder:
  • “Everyone who is angry”
    • “He goes to the cause of murder and includes being angry in the scope of the command.” [Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 114.] 
  • “Whoever insults his brother”
    • The specific insult referred to here is the utterance of the word “Raka”
    • “The precise meaning of this word is uncertain, but it is clearly an expression of contempt that evidently was used by angry people.” [Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 114–115.]
    • The word translated “council” is the word Sanhedrin. “It is used mostly in the New Testament for the high council of the Jews. It comprised priests, elders, and scribes, and the high priest was its president. It was the highest authority among the Jews, not only in religious affairs, but in governmental and legal matters also. Here the term may be used of a local council. Jesus is saying that the insolent and insulting person is not guiltless: he must give account of himself.” [Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 115.] 
  • “Whoever says, ‘You fool!’”
    • The meaning is unclear. Some think it is just the Greek expression of the word “Raka. [Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 115.]
    • It appears that. . .it is” a word uttered in haste for the purpose of expressing anger. “Jesus is” reprimanding “the attitude that brings forth the epithet. [Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 115.]
      • This is clearly more than about the word itself, but also the spirit in which the Word is spoken
      • This all ties back to matters of the heart (Matthew 15:18–19 (ESV): ¹⁸ But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.)
    • “The person who is angry enough to utter this derogatory word “is guilty enough to go into the hell of fire” (BAGD). [Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 115.] 

The Practical Value of Treating Other People Well

How we treat ordinary people is of supreme importance to the Lord, both in action and in attitude.

Treating other people well also has practical value.

• Matthew 5:23–26 (ESV): ²³ So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵ Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. ²⁶ Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
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• Proverbs 15:1 (ESV): ¹A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
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• Proverbs 29:11 (ESV): ¹¹ A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.
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• Proverbs 10:19 (ESV): ¹⁹ When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
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• Proverbs 17:28 (ESV): ²⁸ Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
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Treat Everyone Well as a Matter of Principle

Galatians 6:10 (ESV): ¹⁰ So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

 

© Joshua D. Smith, Ph.D., 2024