These essays are written in sequence and build on each other. Read the preceding essay here.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time,
— KJV, Matt 5:21-22
Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:
and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council:
but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
We discussed this statement in an earlier essay. In that essay, we applied the principle of the unity of God’s Will and God’s Love in order to arrive at a deeper understanding of these words.
We now revisit it from the perspective of the spiritual processes that The Word is pointing out.
The Word is establishing that the thing we call “murder” in material terms is a manifestation of specific non-material realities.
Anger originates in the soul; it is non-material. It is usually accompanied by a feeling of hostility. It is easy to imagine the connection between intense anger and murderous intent.
Contempt (as expressed in words like “raca”) originates in the soul; it is non-material. It indicates a feeling that another human being is of less value than oneself. It is easy to imagine that such a feeling in an intense form can justify destructive actions.
So, The Word reveals that anger and contempt are the key seeds, origins, or ingredients, that give rise to murder, and that they are what we should pay primary attention to.
All human beings already adapt to these spiritual realities, albeit unconsciously. For example, when seeking support for the mass murder called war, political leaders craft communications designed to whip up public anger, and spread information that makes the “other side” appear contemptuous i.e. inhuman or barbaric.
They are manipulating their fellow men to join them in sowing the non-material seeds of murder, so as to facilitate the harvest of war that they are seeking.
We also observe that The Word is making reference to feelings (anger) and words (“raca”, “thou fool”) and not physical actions.
Feelings and words are non-material seeds, as we have already discussed. Once we indulge in them we have sown into the garden of Creation. And anything sown spiritually must develop, because the Power of God expressed in the Laws of Creation demand it.
But the feeling or thought does not have to be intense, and neither does it have to manifest physically, for the originator to be held responsible. The Word does not make such distinctions.
No matter how slight our feelings of anger, contempt, or hatred may be, it has been sown, and therefore the sower is in danger of the results.
As human beings, our God-given spiritual power, allied with the Laws of Creation, automatically develops these seeds, with or without our conscious (brain) knowledge.
We can choose to use this power to build a paradise on Earth, or to bring about destruction.
Therefore when it is said that “What a man sows, that shall he reap” we must not think of it only in the context of visible physical actions – thoughts and words are included.
It also means that we cannot judge from appearances. An outwardly “good” and “pious” person may be indulging in evil feelings and thoughts, and is therefore an evildoer from the spiritual perspective.
Today’s Resolution
- We shall work towards purity of thought so that our thoughts and words will align with The Word.
The Word, (Re)Discovered 