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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 2
of the moral law. Those who disobey the commandments of God,
and teach others to do the same by their example and doctrine, are
condemned by Christ. They are the children of the wicked one, who
was the first rebel against the law of God. Having explicitly declared
his reverence for his Father’s law, Jesus in these words condemns the
practices of the Pharisees, who were strict in their outward observance
of that law while their hearts and lives were corrupt:—
“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case
enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” The righteousness here taught was
conformity of the heart and life to the revealed will of God. Jesus
taught that the law of God should regulate the thoughts and purposes
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of the mind. True godliness elevates the thoughts and actions; then
the external forms of religion accord with the Christian’s internal
purity; then those ceremonies required in the service of God are not
meaningless rites, like those of the hypocritical Pharisees.
Many religious teachers of today are themselves breaking the
commandments of God, and teaching others to do so. In place of those
holy commandments, they boldly teach the customs and traditions of
men, regardless of the direct testimony of Christ that such ones should
be “least in the kingdom of Heaven.” Jesus declared to the multitude
assembled to hear him, to the Pharisees, who sought to accuse him of
lightly regarding the law, and to the people of all time, that the precepts
of Jehovah were immutable and eternal.
The report had been brought of murder and robbery in the wild
region near Capernaum, and there was a general expression of indig-
nation and horror in consequence among those who were assembled
to hear Jesus. The divine Teacher took advantage of this circumstance
to point an important lesson. Said he:—
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, 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.” Here Jesus describes
murder as first existing in the mind. That malice and revenge which
would delight in deeds of violence is of itself murder. Jesus goes
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further still, and says, “Whoever is angry with his brother without a