The Danger of the Hot Take

I have observed over the years that when it comes to the Ten Commandments, while there is some debate about how faithful we are to many of them, most folk take supreme confidence in knowing there is at least one of them they have never violated. And, yet, there is biblical evidence to show that if we were to adopt that mindset of being secure in our purity with regard to this commandment, we are most likely at best fooling ourselves.

What, pray tell, is this commandment? This commandment we know darn good and well we have never violated? “Thou shall not murder.”

“Woah. Hold on a second, there, preacher. How in the WORLD can you make such a claim? You and I know darn good and well I have certainly not taken to murdering anyone. Get outta here, man.”

Well, before we go any further, let’s hear from Jesus as found in Matthew 5:21-22:

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Hmmmm. We have us a little situation here, no? Who wants to raise their hand and claim absolute innocence with respect to the standards Jesus is setting forth here? Are there any amongst us who have NEVER been angry with a brother or sister (remember, this includes our brothers and sisters of the faith)? Are there any amongst us who have never insulted a brother or sister? 

Now, before we get too far down this rabbit hole, let’s take a moment to consider what else is at play here. Before we get too hung up on the legalistic part of this conversation, as is the case with the scriptures as whole let us look at the bigger picture. What is it that Jesus is trying to tell those hearing him live or those of us eavesdropping on these conversations all these years later?

Simply this: As people of the faith, those who have accepted the free gift of God’s grace, let us be mindful that ALL of our life is subject to God’s standards and is to be lived in a way that brings glory to God.

In a time where there are so many visceral raw emotions out there, I am firmly convinced one of the greatest gifts the people of the church can give to all of our society is to comport ourselves by God’s standards. In a time where so many grab hold of the ‘hot take’ and spread it around verbally, digitally, or by other means - whether it is true or false, it seems, doesn’t matter as long as we agree with said ‘hot take’ - imagine how different and more productive things might be if we but chose to subject our thoughts first to God’s standards before we distributed them to the world?

One of the great tragedies and misunderstandings so many of us in the church over the years have committed is our forgetting or ignoring that our words have the ability to bring life to so many others. It is not a coincidence that Jesus in these verses makes the link to the command to not murder - let us be brave and bold enough to understand the power of our words and the words we share, and use that understanding not to curse but to bless.

Grace & Peace,
Lamar