“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.’” Matthew 5:21-22 NLT
Our judicial system in the United States measures the punishment for a crime by determining what is appropriate according to the severity and circumstances of the crime. Obviously a murder conviction would bring on a much stiffer penalty than an assault charge or shoplifting. More recently in the 21st century the law now includes “hate crimes.” According to the United States Department of Justice a “hate crime” is “a crime plus the motivation for committing the crime based on bias equals a hate crime. In the simplest terms, a hate crime must include both “hate” and a “crime.” (1) The FBI’s definition is; “A hate crime is a traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias………Hate itself is not a crime—and the FBI is mindful of protecting freedom of speech and other civil liberties.” (2)
Our Lord Jesus also had something to say about hate crimes 2,000 years ago. The scribes and the Pharisees in Jesus’s day had an external view of the law. The outward deeds that were seen and committed such as murder would never have be done by these religious leaders. They reasoned they had never broken the sixth commandment, “You shall not murder.” Jesus corrects their misguided thinking, “But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” The real issue is the heart.
Anger, hate, and verbal abuse are the internal seeds of destruction that lead to murder. Jesus was pointing out the guilt of murder and inward sinful seeds resulting in abusive behavior are one and the same. Hate crimes are not only a product of our current society, but a product of a sinful heart since the fall of man in need of a Savior.
Word for the Soul 