Raca
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (Matthew 5:21-22)
I have all kinds of papers pinned up on my cubicle wall at work.
Pictures of my kids. Pictures and notes from my kids. A few on-point Dilbert cartoons. A list of books I am wanting to read. Some instructions for when I forget how to do my job. (It happens.) A handful of choice quotes from John Ortberg and Ted Dekker. And one four-letter word.
That’s right, kids. A four-letter word.
RACA.
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It’s been there for a few years now. It serves one simple purpose: To remind me to stop saying things like “Idiot!” and “Bonehead!” and “Freak!” when I hang up after an aggravating phone call. In my line of work, phone calls like that can be an all day long kind of thing.
But sadly enough, if you asked my coworkers they’d probably have to tell you that the little sign on my wall isn’t working. I still do an awful lot of name calling when I hang up, even if I manage to hold my tongue during the actual conversation.
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Raca is a four-letter word that comes up in the Gospel of Matthew, something used by the Hebrews to express contempt. With a root meaning “to spit,” it means things like worthless, empty headed and senseless.
When this word came up in the conversation, Jesus had been doing some really outrageous teaching that was turning the conventional wisdom of the day completely on its ear. He had just finished saying how those who were poor in spirit, and mourning, and meek, and hungry and thirsty were blessed. And how He didn’t come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.
Starting in Matthew 5:21, He began to compare and contrast what the people and their teachers would have considered to be really, really horrible things that only really, really horrible people would do, with some other things that they apparently considered to be not such a big deal.
He said things like “you’ve been told that anyone who murders is subject to judgment but I say anyone who is angry at his brother is subject to judgment.”
And “You’ve been told not to commit adultery but I say you’ve already committed adultery in your heart if you look lustfully on another.”
And “You’ve been told not to break an oath but I say don’t even make the oath, just say yes or no and mean it.” (All paraphrases mine.)
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He’s so concerned with what happens in our hearts. So much so that He doesn’t draw a distinction between those things we only think and those things we actually carry out.
He doesn’t seem to draw a line between acting out in some atrociously evil way and “just having bad thoughts.”
In fact, He’s making a point to erase the line that we have drawn.
Jesus will say to us that both have profound consequences. Both deeply impact other people, both gravely affect our own hearts, and both cause great offense to a holy and pure God.
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So back to my four-letter word.
Jesus says that saying “raca” makes me answerable to the courts. Talk about the speech police. But then he says that calling someone a “fool” makes me in danger of hell. That’s pretty harsh.
If I look at the whole of Scripture, then I have to believe that I don’t wind up precariously perched on the brink of hell each time I shoot off my mouth at my desk. Jesus died to pay for my sin, and I have taken that as my own. I have accepted His payment and my sin is forgiven.
Even for saying “raca” and “fool.”
But He says it’s a big deal. Not handling my anger and frustration in a godly way and resorting to name calling and unkindness is a big deal. As big a deal as murder.
Listen to The Message translation here.
“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I am telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with his brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call your brother ‘Idiot!’ and you might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘Stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.”
The simple moral fact is that words kill.
Our words are powerful.
They can be as powerful as our actions in many respects. Even more sometimes.
And yet I can be so careless with them.
Raca. Fool. Idiot. Freak.
What a senseless and empty headed thing for me to say.
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