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.’ 22 But 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. 23 Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, 24 leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Settle 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. 26 Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.
Jesus has just said that He came to fulfill the Law and the prophets. He now begins to show what that fulfillment means in the life of His disciples. He says, “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (v. 20). Righteousness here means faithful living before God. Jesus calls His disciples to a life that reaches deeper than outward obedience. The kingdom of heaven requires a heart formed by the will of God.
Jesus then takes up the commandment, ‘You shall not kill’ (v. 21; see Exod. 20:13; Deut. 5:17). The commandment forbids murder, but Jesus teaches His disciples to look at the interior movement that can lead toward violence. Anger, contempt, and insulting speech wound love of neighbor and can grow into greater harm. The Lord is teaching the deeper meaning of the commandment.
This is why Jesus says that “whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” (v. 22). He uses the language of courts and punishment to show that anger can become morally serious. He teaches that sinful anger is serious because, when it is welcomed and fed, it can grow into contempt, hatred, and harm, placing the soul in spiritual danger. Jesus then gives examples of insulting speech. “Raqa” is an Aramaic insult meaning something like “empty-headed” or “blockhead.” “You fool” is even stronger, suggesting severe contempt for the person. These words matter because speech reveals the heart and can attack the dignity of another person made by God.
The warning moves from judgment, to the Sanhedrin, to “fiery Gehenna” (v. 22). The Sanhedrin was the highest Jewish council. Gehenna was associated with the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, a place remembered in the Old Testament for grave sin and judgment (2 Kings 23:10; Jer. 7:31-32). It later became an image of final punishment. Jesus uses this strong language to show the seriousness of sins against love of neighbor. Hatred, contempt, slander, and resentment are spiritual dangers because they turn the heart away from love of God and neighbor.
Jesus then gives a concrete command about reconciliation. If someone brings a gift to the altar and remembers that a brother has something against him, he must leave the gift, go first to be reconciled, and then return to offer the gift (vv. 23-24). Jesus is speaking about a person who comes to the altar with an offering for worship. Worship of God and love of neighbor belong together. A person should not come before God in worship while refusing the reconciliation that justice and love call for.
The story of Cain and Abel may stand in the background of this teaching. Cain’s anger against his brother led to murder (Gen. 4:1-16). Jesus calls His disciples to deal with anger before it grows into deeper sin. Reconciliation begins with humility. It may require an apology, a sincere effort to repair harm, or a willingness to seek peace when peace is possible.
Jesus also says, “Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him” (v. 25). On one level, this is practical wisdom: unresolved conflict can bring serious consequences. At a deeper level, it is a warning about accountability before God. The time to seek reconciliation is now. The disciple should not delay repentance, mercy, or the work of peace.
The final words are solemn: “Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny” (v. 26). Jesus uses the image of prison and debt to warn that unresolved wrongdoing has consequences. In the flow of the passage, He is urging His disciples to seek reconciliation before anger, contempt, and conflict harden the heart. The deeper warning is that every person remains accountable before God for the way he treats his neighbor. The time to act is now, while repentance and peace can still be sought.
Lord Jesus, teach me to guard my heart from anger, contempt, and harsh speech. Help me to seek reconciliation where I have caused harm and to live with love toward others. Form my heart according to Your righteousness, so that my worship of the Father may be joined to mercy, justice, and peace. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Matthew 5:20-26 and notes on Matthew 5:21-26.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Pages 15-16.
- José María Casciaro, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Page 63.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Pages 641-642, paragraphs 29-30.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Pages 920-921.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022. Page 1183.
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